Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rększowice

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rększowice, in the Konopiska municipality, is a parish church with a single nave and a tower, and since 2013 the archdiocesan Sanctuary of the Holy Cross.

History of the building

It began in 1979, when the curate Fr Stefan Jachimczak bought a farm in Rększowice. The first Mass in the adapted building was celebrated on 23 December 1979 by Bishop Franciszek Musiel. The foundation stone was blessed by John Paul II on 19 June 1983 during his second pilgrimage to Poland. The church was built to a design by Stanisław Pospieszalski and completed in 1987, and was consecrated on 13 September 1987 by Bishop Stanisław Nowak.

The cross and the mosaic

In the chancel hangs a cross originally prepared for a roadside monument marking the millennium of Poland's baptism. On 30 April 1966 it was cut up by officers of the Citizens' Militia. Today the cross is part of a mosaic of the Last Judgement, designed by Prof. Maciej Kauczyński of Kraków. For this reason, on 24 November 2013 Archbishop Wacław Depo gave the church the rank of a sanctuary, and on 9 April 2014 he introduced the relics of the Holy Cross here.

Nearby

Not far away lies Pająk Reservoir, and in Poczesna stands the Church of St John the Baptist.

Practical information

• Village: Rększowice, Konopiska municipality, Częstochowa County.
• The church is open; service times are given by the parish.