Piotr Turzyński

Piotr Wojciech Turzyński
Auxiliary Bishop of Radom
Turzyński in 2015
MetropolisCzęstochowa
DioceseRadom
Appointed17 January 2015
Term ended14 April 2025
Other postTitular Bishop of Usilla (2015–2025)
Orders
Ordination28 May 1988
by Edward Henryk Materski
Consecration28 February 2015
by Celestino Migliore
Personal details
Born(1964-09-28)28 September 1964
Died14 April 2025(2025-04-14) (aged 60)
Radom, Poland
MottoEcclesia Mater – Mater Ecclesiae
Coat of arms
Piotr Wojciech Turzyński's coat of arms
Styles of
Piotr Wojciech Turzyński
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Piotr Wojciech Turzyński (28 September 1964 – 14 April 2025) was a Polish Roman Catholic bishop who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Radom from 2015 until his death in 2025.

Biography

Early life and education

Turzyński was born on 28 September 1964, in Radom, Poland, as one of three children of Julian and Helena née Rzadkowska.[1]He was educated at the local Tytus Chałubiński 4th High School,[1] where he passed his secondary school leaving exam in 1982.[2] During his high school years, he was an animator of the Light-Life Movement.[1]

From 1982 to 1988, Turzyński studied philosophy and theology at the Higher Seminary in Sandomierz.[2] On 28 May 1988, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Edward Materski in the Radom co-cathedral. He was incardinated into the Sandomierz-Radom diocese.[3]

Turzyński obtained his master's degree in theology at the Catholic University of Lublin.[1] He continued his studies at the Augustinianum Patristic Institute in Rome from 1989 to 1992, graduating with a licentiate in theology and patristic sciences.[3] He continued his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from 1992 to 1995,[3] and, in 1996, he received a doctorate in theological sciences, based on the dissertation "Il Cantico nuovo nella teologia di sant'Agostino. Specialmente nelle Enarrationes in Psalmos" (English: "Canticum novum in the theology of Saint Augustine. Study on the Commentary on the Psalms").[4] He obtained his habilitation in 2014 at the Faculty of Theology of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw after submitting his dissertation, "Beauty, in the theology of Saint Augustine. An attempt to systematise Augustinian theological aesthetics".[4]

Early priesthood

From 1988 to 1989, Turzyński worked as a vicar in the parish of the Mother of the Redeemer in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. During this period, he led a youth oasis group and a teachers' ministry.[1] After the 1992 reorganisation of diocesan structures in Poland, he was included in the presbytery of the Diocese of Radom.[5] In 1999, he was appointed director of the diocesan council for the permanent formation of priests,[3] and in 2002, he joined the diocesan priests' council.[5] In 2003, he was appointed canon of the Ostra Brama Chapter in Skarżysko-Kamienna.[3] In 2006, he was appointed director of the diocesan council for consecrated life.[3]

In 2008, during the second diocesan synod, Turzyński became the chairman of the synodal commission for culture, media and new evangelisation. He led parish, mission, and youth retreats, as well as retreats for priests, nuns, and clerics.[3] He was also involved in the activities of the Home Church movement.[2] He organised youth meetings for the Diocese of Radom under the names Kuźnia Młodych, Appeals for the Young, and Diocesan Days of Youth. He took part in founding the association Młyńska. Verum, Bonum, Pulchrum, which organised the Weeks of Christian Culture.[3] He hosted evangelisation broadcasts on the diocesan Radio AVE and Radio Plus Radom.[1][3]

Auxillary bishop of Radom

On 17 January 2015, Pope Francis appointed Turzyński auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Radom, with the titular see of Usula.[5][6] On 28 February 2015, he was ordained as a bishop at the Cathedral of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Radom by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, with co-consecrators Archbishop Wacław Depo and Bishop Henryk Tomasik,.[7][8] He adopted the episcopal motto Ecclesia Mater ("Mother Church").[9]. He subsequently served as vicar general in the diocesan curia.[10]

During the 2015 Polish Episcopal Conference, he was appointed delegate for the pastoral care of teachers,[11] and in 2022, delegate for the pastoral care of polish emigrants.[12] He later became a member of several Episcopal Conference bodies, including the Permanent Council (2018),[13] the Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith (2020),[14] the Council for Social Affairs (2021),[15] the Commission for the Clergy (2023),[16] and the Joint Commission of Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Episcopal Conference (2024).[17]

Educational career

From 1995 to 2006, Turzyński served as spiritual father at the Higher Theological Seminary in Radom, and in 2006 he became vice-rector of the seminary.[5] He lectured in patrology, introduction to theology, and theology of spirituality.[3] He also directed a clerical theatre group.[1] In 2000, he became assistant professor at the Faculty of Theology in Radom (later renamed the Institute of Theology) at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. From 2006 to 2012, he served as deputy director of the institute, overseeing part-time studies and the Benedict XVI Thought Center. In 2013, he was appointed assistant professor at the Faculty of Theology of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin in the Institute of Church History and Patrology at the Department of Greek and Latin Patrology.[1]

Personal life

Turzyński died of cancer at the age of 60 on 14 April 2025 in Radom.[18][19] On 22 April, he was buried in the tombs of the bishops of Radom at the cemetery on Limanowskiego Street.[20]

Decorations and distinctions

In 2025, Turzyński was posthumously awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by President Andrzej Duda.[21] He was later awarded the Bene Merenti Civitas Radomiensis medal.[20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Media, Instytut Gość (17 January 2015). "Diecezja radomska ma nowego biskupa". Instytut Gość Media.
  2. 1 2 3 "Diecezja radomska ma nowego biskupa pomocniczego".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Nowy biskup pomocniczy w Radomiu".
  4. 1 2 "Nowa Nauka Polska". archiwum.nauka-polska.pl.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Rinunce e nomine". press.vatican.va. 17 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Radom: Ks. dr hab. Piotr Turzyński - biskupem pomocniczym diecezji radomskiej".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ "Święcenia biskupie ks. Piotra Turzyńskiego".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ "Święcenia biskupie w Radomiu".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ Piekielnik, Ks Stanisław (24 July 2017). "Bp Piotr Turzyński – herb i motto - Portal Diecezji Radomskiej".
  10. ↑ "Radom: bp Piotr Turzyński przejął obowiązki wikariusza generalnego".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ "Ubóstwo, migranci, rodzina, reakcja na nadużycia - tematami 369. Zebrania Plenarnego KEP".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ↑ "Wybory 391. Zebrania Plenarnego KEP | Konferencja Episkopatu Polski". 14 March 2022. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Nowi członkowie Rady Stałej KEP: abp Skworc i bp Turzyński | Konferencja Episkopatu Polski". 16 March 2018. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018.
  14. ↑ Media, Instytut Gość (28 August 2020). "Nasi w strukturach Konferencji Episkopatu Polski". Instytut Gość Media.
  15. ↑ Kaczor, Michał. "Nasi w gremiach Konferencji Episkopatu Polski, w tym osoba świecka". radioplus.com.pl.
  16. ↑ "Wybory 394. Zebrania Plenarnego KEP | Konferencja Episkopatu Polski". 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023.
  17. ↑ Media, Instytut Gość (15 March 2024). "Nasi w strukturach Konferencji Episkopatu Polski". Instytut Gość Media.
  18. ↑ Piekielnik, Ks Stanisław (14 April 2025). "Zmarł Biskup Piotr Turzyński - Portal Diecezji Radomskiej".
  19. ↑ Wróbel, Stanisław (14 April 2025). "Zmarł ksiądz Piotr Turzyński, biskup pomocniczy Diecezji Radomskiej. Miał zaledwie 60 lat". Echo Dnia Radomskie.
  20. 1 2 KAI, Katolicka Agencja Informacyjna; KAI, Serwis prasowy (22 April 2025). "W Radomiu odbyły się uroczystości pogrzebowe bpa Piotra Turzyńskiego | eKAI".
  21. ↑ "Pośmiertne odznaczenie dla ks. bp. Piotra Turzyńskiego".