Jerzy Józef Elizeusz Szembek (14 June 1851 – 7 August 1905) was a Roman Catholic bishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev. He previously served as bishop of the

Diocese of Płock In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

from 1901 to 1903.

Biography

Szembek was born to Józef and Józefa () Szembek; he was a member of the Szembek family. In 1863, he began attending Saint Anne's Gymnasium. He graduated in 1869, after which he began attending

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

, where he studied the history of Polish literature and law. He intended to become a professor of chemistry — however, his grandfather forbade him from doing so and he was sent across Europe, including to Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Eventually, after years of unbelief, and under the influence of Albin Dunajewski, he began to study Christianity, and received the rite of baptism on 8 May 1883. After the death of his father, Szembek began attending the diocesan seminary at

Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...

on 25 July 1890; after completing his theological studies there, he was ordained a priest on 19 March 1893. He first served as a vicar for the cathedral at Saratov; after a brief stint as a parish vicar at

Astrakhan Astrakhan (, ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the Caspian Depression, from the Caspian Se ...

, he returned to Saratov, where he organized parish schools and built shelters for the homeless. He was then appointed professor of moral theology of the seminary at Saratov. On 15 April 1901, he was appointed by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

as bishop of the

; he was consecrated on 30 June 1901 by

Bolesław Hieronim Kłopotowski Bolesław Hieronim Kłopotowski (13 March 1848 – 24 February 1903) was a Roman Catholic Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mohilev, Archbishop of Mohilev from 1901 until his death in 1903. Biography Kłopotowski was born near Sharhorod. He was ...

, co-consecrated by

Antanas Baranauskas Antanas Baranauskas (; 17 January 1835 – 26 November 1902) was a Lithuanian poet, mathematician and Catholic bishop of Sejny. Baranauskas is best known as the author of the Lithuanian poem '' Anykščių šilelis''. He used various pen names ...

and Karol Antoni Niedziałkowski. On 9 November 1903, Szembek was appointed by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev; he received his

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

on 6 May 1904 at the Church of St. Catherine from Mečislovas Leonardas Paliulionis. He died on 7 August 1905 in Poręba Żegoty, and was buried there on 10 August.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Szembek, Jerzy Józef 1851 births 1905 deaths Polish Roman Catholic bishops Polish Roman Catholic archbishops Bishops appointed by Pope Leo XIII Bishops appointed by Pope Pius X