Kujawy – Siniarzewo Parish History
Hello,
Before the year 1789 the village of Siniarzewo was called Świniarowo or Świniarzewo, it was only after this date that the village adopted the name of Siniarzewo. For half of the XIII century, prior to the year 1261 the land belonged to the estate of the Cistercian Monks. It has been confirmed that after the year 1280 the land and village belonged to Prince Przemysława. The Siniarzewo Parish emerged before the year 1325 and it belonged to the Archdiocese of Włocław.
(2.)
The first wood church in Siniarzewo bore the invocation of the apostle St. Jakob. In the XV century the villages of Gosławice and Ujma belonged to the Siniarzewo Parish. The knowledge of the histories of a few parishes dates before the period of time when the temple curator departed from the catholic faith. Documents from the year 1766, state that the Siniarzewo Parish church was reconstructed five times through the years. Curiously, another document states that the first Siniarzewo Parish church was built in the year 1332 and had survived for only 90 years.
However, this date is erroneous, because the świętopierza list mentions the Siniarzewo Parish in the year 1325, which proves that the church was built before the year 1332. It is possible to conclude, that the creation of this parish occurred between the XVII and XIV century.
So, it is possible to conclude from the above-mentioned, that the next church was built in the year 1400 and was founded by the new vicar Michał Służewa.
It is unknown if this building was meant to be impermanent or if it was deconstructed because the church was in ruin in 1422. It was soon rebuilt in 1426.
A turning point came during the XV and XVI century, when the noble family’s, who owned the village and parish of Siniarzewo, vicar in Zakrzewo became a follower of the Kujawy Protestant Church. Filip Zakrzewski was the main representative. The dissenter wanted to liquidate the parish and its’ church estate. However, these intentions could not be realized due to the amount of time needed to accomplish this task. But at the same time, Mikołaj Wysocki from Wysocina who was the new Siniarzewo Parish priest stood as a barrier.
In the year 1584, Mikolay Wysocki had ended his life as a priest and in accordance with parish policy the parish was facilitated to the manner of Felix Zakrzewski. As curator, the dissenter heir carried away valuables from the presbytery; the church was robbed of all silver and every decoration and then destroyed. The village was then sold before the year 1594 to the Ruszkowski family. The Ruszkowski family owned the village of Ruszki and remained faithful to the catholic religion. They reinstated the parish church on the Siniarzewo estate. (3.)
After the decay of the Protestant religion in Kujawy, Siniarzewo was passed to the noble Umiński family. In the year 1642, the next heir Jan Umiński set out to build the new wood church, which was consecrated by the Bishop of Chełmno Stanisław Dąbski who was also the adminstartor of the Diocese of Włocław.
(4.)
The church in Siniarzewo was rebuilt under the old invocation of the apostle St. Jakub. This wood church was reportedly different in appearance to the churches in Kujawy that have survived to the present day. It was consisted of a presbytery and main naves. It was covered with shingles and the main entrance or parquet was covered in brick. A rainbow beam frequently separated within newly created church. There are 10 windows that brighten the church. The Sacristy is placed on the right side. There is another room that serves as storage for the church’s equipment and liturgical endowments. Initially there was only one organized altar, but its appearance is unknown. It is only known that it was man made from stone and was used for the placement of the tabernacle.
The parish permanently remained one of the smallest in Kujawy. The parish included the villages of Siniarzewa, Ujma, Świnki, Załuskowo and Gosławice. In the year 1711, the Siniarzewo Parish received a new pastor named Fr. Antoni Niszewski, cannon in Kruszwicki and penitents in Włocław, who despite having a significant incumbency in the Kruszwicki chapter, made his permanent residence and provided pastoral care in Siniarzewo. Unfortunately, since the XVII century the situation of the parish future had raised concerns for most of the 
Siniarzewo Parish pastors. (5.)
Since the mid-nineteenth century, each Pastor permanently resided in Siniarzewo. Although the church was old for the year 1642, it appeared to be in good condition and continued to serve. To accommodate the Pastor, the presbytery was enlarged and had two chapels built next to it. One of them was under the invocation of Our Lady of Czestochowa and the other St. Rocha. The 30-year-old Jan Krajewski, who had been stationed in the Siniarzewo Parish, dedicated the newly built chapel in the year 1863. In the year 1888 Fr. Jan Krajewski received a nomination of canon for his meritorious and useful work. Fr. Jan Krajewski served as the Siniarzewo Parish Pastor until the year 1900. The next pastor after Fr. John, during the turn of the XIX to the XX century, was Fr. Aleks Hoffman. Even though the population of the parish dropped to about 1,400 souls during the years 1914-1921, Fr. Aleks Hoffman led the building of a new comprehensive neo-Gothic style brick church. This was a solid edifice built with bricks. At the same time as the church, the parsonage was built. In addition, this pastor had issued that all the necessary buildings were to be constructed.
(6.)
In June 1921, the new church was ready for the formal dedication. On July 28, 1921, the bishop of Włocław, Wojciech Owczarek, gave the ceremonial consecration of Our Lady of Czestochowa. This gave the new temple the invocation of Our Lady of Czestochowa and the old to St. Jacob that serves as the parish church to this day.
In 1923, the parish numbered 1,483 Catholics. The parishioners celebrated a feast for Our Lady of Czestochowa and St. Jakub, who is patron of the parish. The parish patronage and holidays remained unchanged. Also, Fr. Hoffman was able to extend the burial grounds in the cemetery, thanks to the kindness of the Czyzewski heir who earmarked their plot of land in the parish. The villages that belonged to the parishes were Siniarzewo, Wielka Ujma, Sinki, Gosławice, Wola Bachorna, Wólka, Adolfin, Bodzanowo. The Siniarzewo Parish contained the following schools: a primary school in Adolfin, Wola that housed three classes, and Wola Bachorna with one class. In addition, Adolfin was equipped with the parish and school library.
(7.)
Sources:
Siniarzewo Parish History (Polish): http://www.jakubsiniarzewo.pl/historia.php
Best Regards,
