"For one thing, I had problems at school. And on the other hand, it's quite, well, quite a funny thing now. The kids used to shout at me "parish priestess," and later it was my title. So for many years I had it as a swear word, but of course those people couldn't have known. So what happened to me for many years afterwards was that somebody would call me parish priestess and I would flinch, but not because of the fact that I was being called that, but because I perceived the word in a negative sense. It's funny now, that sort of thing."
"I was fixated on my family. As I told you, certain children were not allowed to play with me in kindergarten. Logically speaking, it didn't make sense, because those little kids, who were three or four years old, didn't know anything about politics. But probably their parents were afraid of the communists, because they weren't allowed to play with me. So I learned to respect that, and it also kind of scarred me for life, which I've found in a couple of cases in my adult life that I react to it immediately."
Helena Salfická was born on 5 May 1944 in České Budějovice, but in 1948 the family moved to Olomouc. Her father was a parish priest of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and because of this the family experienced a lot of difficulties and hardship. She was ridiculed by children in kindergarten and school, and their parents forbade them to be friends with her. She was not allowed to study, so at the age of fourteen she started a confectionery apprenticeship. After a few years of hard work in the evenings, she graduated from secondary school and passed her hleaving exam. She then enrolled in an external study of Hussite theology, which she successfully managed while working, even though at the cost of great physical and mental exhaustion. She then took up her first pastoral post in Holice, where she remained for more than fifty years. In 2023 she was living in Holice and enjoying a well-deserved retirement.
Funeral of Father Karel Salfický, from left: bishop Josef Pochop, parish priest Miroslav Spáčil, ??, parish priest Dagmar Spáčilová, mother Františka, Helena Salfická, Olomouc, 1972.
Funeral of Father Karel Salfický, from left: bishop Josef Pochop, parish priest Miroslav Spáčil, ??, parish priest Dagmar Spáčilová, mother Františka, Helena Salfická, Olomouc, 1972.
The consecration of Helena Salfická - from the left: consecrating bishop Josef Pochop, co-consecrating bishop Richter, František Voňka, Helena Salfická, Holice, 11.11.1973.
The consecration of Helena Salfická - from the left: consecrating bishop Josef Pochop, co-consecrating bishop Richter, František Voňka, Helena Salfická, Holice, 11.11.1973.
Consecration of Helena Salfická - from left: consecrating bishop Josef Pochop, František Voňka, Helena Salfická, co-consecrator Richter, Holice, 11.11.1973.
Consecration of Helena Salfická - from left: consecrating bishop Josef Pochop, František Voňka, Helena Salfická, co-consecrator Richter, Holice, 11.11.1973.
Hrdinové 20. století odcházejí. Nesmíme zapomenout. Dokumentujeme a vyprávíme jejich příběhy. Záleží vám na odkazu minulých generací, na občanských postojích, demokracii a vzdělávání? Pomozte nám!
