PAULINE FATHERS

St Patrick’s Parish is under the guidance of the Pauline Fathers (the Order of St Paul the First Hermit; abbreviation OSPPE) since July 2012, when Fr. Dawid Piskorz became its Parish Priest.

The Monastic Order of St Paul the First Hermit was founded in 1215 in Hungary. The founder was Blessed Eusebius, a Canon of Esztergom. It was through his efforts that the hermits were united in monasteries under the patronage of St Paul the Hermit of Thebes, Egypt. He is regarded as the first hermit in Church history (227-341 AD) and his feast day is celebrated on 15th January.

With the motto, Solus Cum Deo Solo (Alone with God Alone), the Pauline Order is a religious community of monks, which follow the Rule of St Augustine. Fostering a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Pauline Fathers are the custodians of the Miraculous Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

The Order spread rapidly throughout Hungary and then into Croatia, Germany, Poland and Austria. In the 16th century there were about 300 monasteries and over 5,000 Pauline monks. However the sad history of Europe ravaged by so many wars and religious persecutions, has dramatically reduced the numbers of a once large and flourishing Order; only a few monasteries survived.

The expansion of the Pauline Fathers’ Order has resumed after the First World War. As a result, today there are about 500 priests and religious brothers working in 16 countries. The Mother house of the Order is Jasna Gora, the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary with over 100 priests, and more than 4 million pilgrims visiting the Shrine each year.

The spiritual characteristics that shaped the Pauline Fathers from their beginning and distinguish its legacy and historic development are: