The existence of the church and Parish dedicated to the "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" in Bucovina Cacica is linked to the formation and development of the town where, at the end of the century the 18th century, the exploitation of the salty springs, and then of the salt deposits, began. Initially, a not very large settlement, over time, it developed into a large locality, with the status of a city. The first settlers in Cacica were Poles, miners and their families. They came from Bochnia, Wieliczka and Kaluszde near Stanislawow.
It can be assumed that the numerous group of Polish settlers, having a strong sense of religious and national identity, had influence on the consolidation of this parish and on its development. The pastoral beginnings in Cacica can be established at the end of the century. the eighteenth. During that time, the families of miners displaced here were shepherded by a priest who came from Gura Humorului and officiated, from time to time, the Holy Liturgy at people's homes. As the settlement developed, this proved to be insufficient and the authorities appointed a permanent priest, Fr. Jakub Bogdanowicz, which, as "Salinarium Pater", remained here between 1794-1843. Through his efforts, the first wooden church dedicated to "The Assumption" was built and consecrated in 1810, consecrated in 1826. The same priest brought to this church the icon of Our Lady from Czestochowa, from a church in Stanislawow, taken from Jesuits. Until today, this icon, venerated as the icon of the Mother of God from the Bucovinian Cacica, is recognized as miraculous and for her every year, crowds of pilgrims come here.
Existing since 1810, the little church in Cacica did not have parish status. Only in 1844 Fr. Archbishop Francis de Paula Pischtek, the Latin Rite Metropolitan of Lviv, founded the Cacica Parish. The first parish priest was Fr. Jerzy Mazanek. The "Directory of the Archdiocese of Lvov" from 1867 mentions that the parish had 1,356 Roman Catholics, 5,490 Greek Catholics, 29 Protestants and 88 Mosaic rites. From the period of the parish's operation until 1902, the sources do not provide additional information. Only after the arrival of the missionary priests, numerous data about the church and the parish frequently appear. The beginnings of the activity of the missionary priests in the locality we are interested in are linked to the name of Jozef Bilczewski, archbishop of Lviv, and his direct collaborator, the episcopal vicar for Bucovina, Archbishop Jozef Weber, a native of Voivodeship. He was known for his preoccupation with establishing new parishes and developing sacred buildings. He was a student of the Diocesan Seminary in Krakow, located in Stradom, where he came into contact with the Congregation of Missionary Priests. Thanks to his efforts, in November 1902, the missionaries began pastoral work in Cacica. The conditions found here were not easy. Bucovina belonged to the Archdiocese of Lviv, counting a total of 28 parishes in 3 deaneries. The parish of Cacica, according to some reports, was neglected from a religious point of view, but also diverse from a confessional point of view. Poles, Romanians, Germans, Slovaks, Ruthenians and Hungarians lived here.
An important concern was Archbishop Bilczewski's support of new parishes and the construction of churches, as well as the propagation of the cult of Mary. All this was achieved in Cacica through the contribution of an eminent priest and a great personality of this parish - Fr. Kasper Slominski. As stated in his letters, he realized that an enormous work awaited him and other priests. In Bucovina, at the beginning of the century 20th century, there were 85,000 Catholics, 443,000 Orthodox, 18,000 Protestants and 74,000 Jews. In addition, intermarriage often occurred and religious indifference was general. The priests of the Parish of Cacica also shepherded the communities of Soloneţu Nou and Ilişeşti, the parish counting 11 villages. The most important thing was the building of a new church in Cacica, then the parish house. Construction work on the new sanctuary began in 1903, and on October 16, 1904, Archbishop Jozef Bilczewski consecrated the church. It was built on the site of the old demolished church.
The parish comes alive every year during the feasts of August 14-15 - "The Dormition of the Mother of God" and from October 8 of "Holy Mary of the Rosary". The growing cult with which the icon of the Mother of God was surrounded and the growing number of pilgrims determined the need to build a house for them. In 1911, this construction was completed. Among the annual feasts, especially the one on August 14-15 was extraordinarily solemn. Several thousand pilgrims and over 30 priests and clerics came to the Cacica shrine. The importance of this event was all the greater, as everyone was thinking about Czestochowa, a fact that can be clearly seen from the comparison of the two sanctuaries. The accounts cite the statement that the solemnities held are in the manner of those of Czestochowa. In the 1930s In the 20th century, galleries were built for pilgrims based on those in Czestochowa. It was also noted that “At least in miniature. The Cacica is the Bucovinian Czestochowa, and by the way the Bucovinian Wieliczka".
It is not surprising that there were so many references to Czestochowa, since in the main altar of the church in Cacica there was and still is the icon of the Mother of God from Czestochowa brought from Stanislawow through the efforts of Fr. Jakub Bogdanowicz who pastored in Cacica from 1794 to 1843.
The dedication ceremonies took place according to a well-established program. On the first day, August 14, the evening service was held with sermons in Polish and German, after which the procession with the Holy Sacrament began. On the main day of the patron saint, August 15, services were held at 5:00 and 7:00 in the morning, at 8:00 the sermon was delivered in Romanian and Hungarian, and at 9:00 the one for Ukrainians. At 10:00 a.m. the sermon was delivered in German, and the celebration culminated with the Liturgy at 11:00 a.m., officiated by all the priests, the sermon being delivered in Polish.
During the period when the Cacica Parish was led by the missionary priests, three priests who were also parish priests deserve special attention. Fr. Kasper Slominski especially who has the merit of having engaged in the construction of the church and in attracting the faithful to the life of the parish. His successor, Fr. Wojciech Grabowski built a spacious house for pilgrims, near the church, which also served as a cultural home. This parish priest knew great honor, because in 1926 he was appointed vicar general of Bucovina, meaning the superior of all Catholic priests in this region. Later he moved to Chernivtsi, where he died in 1939, being buried in the local cemetery.
The third famous priest, who remained in the consciousness of the parishioners, was Henryk Wochowski who survived the difficult times of the Second World War, dedicated to the cult of Our Lady of Cacica, initially buried near the church, today, as a result of various events , rests in the new parish cemetery.
The last parish priest in Cacica from the Congregation of Missionary Priests was Fr. Jozef Chachula, originally from Soloneţu Nou. Consecrated in Krakow, in 1938 he was sent to carry out his activity in Bucovina. He was parish priest in Cacica between 1946-1967. He maintained the multinational character of the sanctuary, existing until then.
After him, another Polish priest worked here for a short time. Then the superiors of this parish were, in turn, Romanian priests. Currently, the parish is led by Franciscan monks, and the parish priest Anton Marăndescu is the 19th superior of the church in Cacica since the beginning of its existence. In 2001, the sanctuary dedicated to the "Assumption of the Virgin Mary" in Cacica was elevated by Pope John Paul II to the rank of Minor Basilica.
Source: www.sanctuarcacica.ro