Petrash A. The Society of Jesus in the Archdiocese of Lviv in 1852–1914: religious-cultural and social-charitable activities .

The object of the research is the order of Jesuits within the Archdiocese of Lviv of the Roman Catholic Church during 1852 – 1914. The purpose of the study is to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the missionary service of the Society of Jesus, to identify the distinctive features of Jesuits pastoral care, and to highlight their contribution to the cultural heritage of the region. The research methodology is based on the use of fundamental principles of cognitive theory, such as historicism, understanding the interdependence of processes, impartiality, integrity, historicism, etc. Also interdisciplinary, problem-chronological, systematic, statistical, synchronous scientific methods are used. In the thesis for the first time: on the basis of archival documents and reports of the order was carried out a comprehensive analysis of the history and missionary service of the Society of Jesus within the Archdiocese of Lviv in the second half of the 19th - at the beginning of the 20th century; the pastoral activity of the Jesuits in Ternopil, Lviv, Stanislawow, Chernivtsi, Kolomyia and Stryi was analyzed; the educational, social, publishing, retreat and scientific activities of the order were highlighted, as well as its participation in the social processes of the Archdiocese of Lviv; a statistical analysis of the pastoral work of the Society of Jesus was conducted; the question of the role of religious societies in the society of that time was raised, namely Sodalities of Our Lady; a strong theoretical base has been created for further multifaceted study of the subject. The practical value of the study lies in the expediency of using its results for the development of program tasks aimed at educating young people in the spirit of Christian morality, as well as for a better understanding of the role of Catholicism in Ukrainian history. The issues of the dissertation are related to the common history of Ukraine, Poland and Austria, which is also important for the implementation of joint scientific projects and strengthening of international ties.