The church was consecrated with the names Saint Birgitta and Saint Stanislaw on the 15th of August 1897. The acknowledged architect Glahn from Nykøbing had shaped the church as a Danish village church, but its interior was characterised by the stile from southern Poland with a ceiling of tree cassettes. The leaded windows in the back wall of the church show the good shepherd Jesus and by his side are Saint Birgitta and the Polish saint Stanislaw. In the year of 1900 Reverend Edvard Ortved had collected more even further money and the smart and big rectory was built by the side of the church.
In 1913 three Catholic churches arose at Lolland-Falster with every church respectively constructing their own church. It was the Dutch Franciscan priests who took over the priest deeds in the three parishes. In 1914 the Saint Josef-sisters arrived to Maribo. This was the start of the Catholic school in Maribo.
Contemporary World War 1 broke out, which meant that the many Polish beet workers couldn’t go back home after the ending of the beet campaign in the fall. Therefore, they were granted resident permit in Denmark. During the war a lot of marriages were agreed between the Poles, but also between Swedish workers and Polish girls. Also, a lot of young Danish men fell for the Polish girls. A lot of nearly 5000 polish beet workers were allowed to stay at Lolland-Falster, and every Sunday they filled the three Catholic churches to the breaking point.
J. Klessens stepped in as parish priest in 1922, who together with his helping priest learned Polish. They were very busy with the marriages, subsequent infant baptisms and later preparation for the first communion and confirmation. Many of the 1. generation Poles obtained their final resting place at the cemetery by the cathedral at the special section for Catholics, but also a lot of their children lay there. Every year they still commemorate the dead at All Souls’ day November 2nd with the prayers of the church by the tombs. J. Klassens built an assembly-hall by the left of the church, which was given the name The Saint Birgitta Hall, and the hall had a scene, kitchen and toilet.
During The Second World War the activities of the church continued unchanged as the most of the Danish society. However, many of the Poles had an uncertain period of time, with bad communication to the families in Poland. By the end of the war hundreds of thousands German refugees came to Denmark, hereof also Poles, of whom a lot were allowed to stay at Lolland-Falster.
A time followed of changing priests, who weren’t from the order of St Francis, with Wilhelm Nølke the one the older members of the church still remember with joy. W. Nølke resigned in 1966, which was the year people in Maribo had celebrated the 1000-year anniversary for the introduction of the Christianity in Poland with a solemn church service. In spite of the fact that the biggest part of the members of the church continuously were Poles, certain Danes, among these Eva Bertouch-Lehn and Poul Bertouch-Lehn from Lungholm. In the period from 1975 to 1985 the so-called Lungholm summons were held at their estate with participation of up to 500 Catholics. In 1975 the sisters gave up to operate the Saint Birgitta School, and it was transferred to a private Catholic school.
The Polish Father Eugeniusz Legut became parish priest in 1980, which meant that there were three Franciscan priests at Lolland-Falster again. In the 1980’s a big of Poles arrived to Denmark, of whom a lot settled at Lolland-Falster, especially Nykøbing.
In 1985 a cementing was performed of a part of the church because of cracks on the sacristies and the bow between the front and the back of the church. Furthermore, the interior of the church was freshly painted. After E. Legut’s resignation in 1992, a period of time followed where the church was under administration of the bishop-office with Pater Irinæus from Nakskov and present bishop Czeslaw Kozon as priests.
Friday 7th of May 1993 was the 100-year anniversary for the Polish beet girls’ arrival, which was celebrated in an arrangement that started in Nykøbing and ended in Nakskov. In Maribo. In Maribo an outdoor Mass was performed at the school’s sports ground behind the church with around 1000 participants from Poland and Denmark. The 100-year anniversary of the church was celebrated in style in August 1997.
Barbara and Erik Bohn Jespersen
