Church of Divine Mercy in Żywiec

The Church of Divine Mercy stands on Moszczanicka Street in Żywiec, in the Moszczanica district. It is the seat of the Divine Mercy parish, and its foundation stone was blessed by John Paul II during a Mass on the Błonia in Kraków in 1983.

Building the church

Moszczanica was incorporated into Żywiec in 1976. Earlier there had been two chapels here: that of St John the Baptist in the centre of the village, from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and that of Our Lady of the Rosary in the hamlet of Rędzina. It was decided to build the new church on the site of the chapel of St John the Baptist. The building committee was organised in 1981, and the plot was acquired partly by donation and partly by purchase. The design was prepared by engineer Franciszek Kutscha. The old chapel was pulled down in 1991, and the church was consecrated on 25 September 1999.

Dedication and interior

At first the church was dedicated to St John the Baptist. When it became the church of a new, independent parish on 15 November 1986, the dedication was changed to Divine Mercy. The altar holds a triptych with paintings of Merciful Jesus, Our Lady of Częstochowa and a depiction of the Baptism of the Lord. The paintings were made by Piotr Kłosek of Szczyrk.

Practical information

• The church is a working parish church; service times are given by the parish.
• The nearest church in the neighbourhood is the Church of St Maximilian Kolbe, about 2.4 km from here.
• In the centre of Żywiec, about 3 km further on, stands the Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.