The life of a kind-hearted parish priest

The family tree of the house of Kempa goes back to 1648.

They admire nature because its beauty brings us closer to God. A bee swarm is the best example of a family and a social organization. From bees we can learn the meaning of a native, family house - says priest Jerzy Kempa, the rector of a presbytery in Bujaków..

The beginning of the family tree of the Silesian house of Kempa can be traced in Królówka near Woszczyce, located on the edge of Pszczyna Forest. It is noted that a Mateusz Kempa, a beekeeper, was to give a prince of Pszczyna five hundredweight of honey. It is a lot, so he had to take care of a few hundreds of bee swarms. - Bees used to live in branches of lime trees, pines and oaks then. Beehives were not known at that time - says the priest Jerzy. Men of the family of Kempa have been beekeepers for 300 years. The privilege of cutting down trees of the Pszczyna Forest was inherited from s father to a son. It enabled to broaden the territory of a farm. After they paid the rent in honey to the prince, they were also allowed to keep the rest of honey for themselves.

Jerzy Kempa's father, the Silesian insurgent, had 50 beehives in lime tree trunks. The parish priest in his garden now sets up hives similar to those natural ones. There are only ten of them because taking care of bees is very time consuming and time is what priest Jerzy lacks constantly.

History day by day

He has lived for 24 years in Bujaków, nowadays the district of Mikołów, located 20 km from his home place Królówka. He has been the parish priest of St. Nicolas Church for almost 23 years. Together with his two thousands of parishioners, he is preparing himself for the 700th anniversary of the town and the 500th anniversary of establishing the stone church. This church is surrounded by six a few hundred-year-old lime trees. In their branches owls, which are called by the parish priest 'Mrs. Masters', made their nests.

Generations go by, the family lasts

The parish church was made of stones taken from the partly pulled down fortified wall, which was supposed to be six meters high and protected inhabitants against Tatar invasions. Nowadays the same wall, although much lower, is the oldest historic monument of Bujaków. A wayside shrine, which goes back to 1627, was built in the place of so called the Swedish grave. During the Thirty Years’ War in Bujaków died almost 200 Lutheran soldiers from Denmark and Sweden. In this shrine the priest found the 15th century figurine of the Virgin Mary, which probably used to have its place in the first wooden church in Bujaków. In the year of double anniversary the figurine will get a golden crown.

The parish priest Jerzy, the author of a monograph of Bujaków, is proud of this town. He inculcates this pride into other inhabitants. He has restored two wells, which go back to 1600 and 1602. One of them is located in the set up eighteen years ago parish garden. He waters 250 trees and bushes and almost 5 thousands flowers for four hours a day.

One of flowerbeds surrounds a cross (dating from 1691), and called a penitential cross. It was founded by a murderer of a countess going from Ornotowice to a convent in Chorzów and attacked in the Bujaków Forest. It is one of 23 penitential crosses that can be found in Silesia, however the only one that carries the note in Polish language: 'On ... died Miss Katarzyna Kisielońska (the date is illegible). The parish priest took this cross and placed in his garden a few years ago when he realised to his horror that workers used it to straighten spades. Today the priest is the member of the Society of Penitential Crosses that takes care of conservation of sacral architectural forms.Each his parishioner knows that everyone should take care of historic monuments.

Priest Jerzy is informal ‘boss’ of his family. In 1974 he organised the first family reunion. While preparing himself to this meeting, he reconstructed the family tree dating back to 1648. For his invitation came to Bujaków over hundred members of Kempa family spread all over the country. Since that time about half of them gather regularly three times a year in the presbytery in the second day of Christmas and Easter Holiday and on 11 November, the Polish national holiday.

The priest writes down the history of the family and describes everyday life of its members. Chronicle writing is also family tradition. The events concerning the family of Kempa have been chronicled for 200 years. In Silesia family ties are very much respected and even if someone doesn’t have so rich tradition, as our family, so they at least want to soak up the specific family atmosphere - explains the parish priest

The Silesian Eden

The garden of the parish priest is a small substitute of Eden. On evenly mowed lawns grow the Tatra limbs, Californian and Siberian firs, Serbian and Caucasus spruces, tulip trees, mega sequoias. You can see also a heritage park of old beehives; some of them were made by members of the family. There is a pond with nenufars blooming in four different colours. It is a favourite place of frogs and wild decks, kingfishers dive for small fish in it. - I hung up 27 nesting boxes for tits, blackbirds and woodpeckers, and dozen or so bird tables. - Every winter I feed birds with 3 hundredweight of sunflower and hemp seeds - says priest Jerzy. The parish garden is open for everyone. There is even a bench for pairs in love in it but it is guarded by the shrine of Virgin Mary - to avoid scandals - laughs the parish priest. There are tables and armchairs and the hearth. You can sit down, order tea, coffee, juice or something prepared on barbecue. It becomes the tradition that every year in the day of Saint Peter and Paul farmers and housewives from all over the country come to the presbytery. At first they go to make a bow to Virgin Mary of Bujaków, and later on they joyfully celebrate in the garden. Bujaków is full of flowers. Botanic passion the priest has infected his parishioners. They set up their own gardens. Every Saturday - as it is in the Polish customs - they sweep streets, clean windows and wash net curtains.

written by DANUTA LUBINA-CIPINSKA

FOTOS RAFAL KLIMKIEWICZ

edited (in the bygone century) by Michal Kempa

- you can mail to me for live issue : michal at kempa dot pl

greetings for :

ADAM from www.KEMPA.com