Działalność filantropijna biskupa kieleckiego Augustyna Łosińskiego w latach 1910–1937

Augustyn Łosiński was born on January 8, 1867 in the village of Krywiniszki in Latvia, in the family of a poor carter. Talented, ambitious and hard-working Augustyn, taking many sacrifices, graduated from a junior high school in Dyneburg in 1885. In the next 25 years, he was subsequently an alumnus, professor and rector of a theological seminary in St. Petersburg. He took holy orders in 1892 after completing the Tsar Spiritual Academy and was granted his MA in theology. In 1910, he was appointed to the position of ordinary bishop of the Kielce diocese. From the very beginning of his work, he was interested in the fate of the poor and consequently he commenced a large scale philanthropic activity in the diocese. He organized kitchens which during difficult times of the First World War were giving out 25,000 meals per month, half of which went to poor school children. He also maintained several orphanages in the city. In February 1931, his charity work led to the establishment of „Caritas” Association of Charity Societies. Despite his concern for poor people, he was always against awidely-understood political left. During World War I, he opposed Polish armed involvement on the side of any of the occupant. For more than 20 years, Łosiński fiercely fought with the camp of Józef Piłsudski. A sudden escalation of conflict took place in 1935, when the bishop delayed the mourning in the diocese after the marshal’s death. Bishop Augustyn Łosiński died on April 30, 1937 and was buried in the cellars of the Kielce Cathedral.