Dzieje katolickiej placówki duszpasterskiej w Gołdapi w XIX i pierwszej połowie XX wieku

In the XIX. and the first half of the XX. century Gołdap belonged to those towns where the Catholic diaspora was surrounded by a substantial majority of Evangelicals. Masses have been celebrated there since 1884. In 1892 Catholic efforts were started to create an independent pastoral institution. For that pur-pose, a plot of land was bought where a church was to be built. The construction plans were prepared by Jobsky, a master bricklayer from Gołdap. By December 1893, the church was constructed in a rough state. The investment was sup-ported by Catholics from Warmia and other dioceses, as well as by some or-ganizations, particularly the Boniface Association in Paderborn. On 16. August 1894, Eduard Lilienweiβ was appointed as the first priest of Gołdap and the church was consecrated on 9. September 1894. Its dedication, led by the Bishop of Warmia Andreas Thiel, was held on 25. June 1895. The church was dedi-cated to Saint Leo the Great and Saint Boniface. Catholic services were deliv-ered by the priest from Gołdap to other places, including Darkiejmy (currently Oziorsk) and Węgorzewo (since 1900). In 1890 738 Catholics were covered by the Gołdap pastoral service, and in 1938 there was 650 of them. The authorities of the diocese and church organizations (like the Boniface and Adalbert Asso-ciation in Frombork) participated in financing priests in Gołdap.