He was born on February 1, 1918 in Łubianki Wyższy near Zbaraż. After graduating from high school in 1937 at the Henryk Sienkiewicz Gymnasium in Zbarazh, he entered the Major Seminary in Lvov. He studied at the Faculty of Theology of the Jan Kazimierz University.
After the outbreak of World War II and the occupation of the city by the Soviets, he continued his studies secretly at the clandestine seminary. He was ordained on June 21, 1942 in Lviv by Bishop Eugeniusz Baziak.
He worked as a vicar in the parish of Zlotniki, where he miraculously escaped death at the hands of the OUN-UPA on February 22, 1944. After entering Lviv he worked at St. Mary Magdalene Parish. After the Soviets retook Lvov in November 1945, he expatriated to Katowice, where he was vicar at Christ the King parish.
In the years 1946-1951, he studied at the Catholic University of Lublin and received his doctorate in philosophy. He was an assistant at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Catholic University of Lublin for a year. Due to increasing communist repressions against the Catholic University of Lublin in 1952, he left for Olsztyn, where he was a lecturer at the local seminary and at the same time helped in the pastoral ministry in Orzechowo and Pluski.
In the years 1954-1957 he was a parish priest in Gutkowo, and then until 1960 an academic chaplain. In 1962 he returned to Lublin, where he became an assistant professor of Pastoral Theology at the Catholic University of Lublin.
On December 3, 1965, he was nominated bishop of Przemyśl. He was consecrated on February 6, 1966 in the cathedral of Przemyśl by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, Primate of Poland. As a bishop's vocation he took the words "Deus Caritas" (God is Love). On February 16, 1967 he became a member of the Main Commission of the Polish Episcopate.
From 1975 he was a member of the Episcopal Commission for General Pastoral Care and the Commission for the Construction of Churches. He presided over the Commission "Justitia et Pax". On June 3, 1991, Pope John Paul II bestowed upon him the dignity of archbishop ad personam, while on March 25, 1992, he elevated him to the dignity of metropolitan archbishop of Przemyśl.
The communist authorities considered him one of their main opponents, along with Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. During his 28-year reign in the Diocese of Przemyśl he developed a wide range of pastoral and organizational activities. At that time the parish network was greatly expanded (over 220 new parishes were created), about 200 parish churches and about 170 branch churches were built without permission of the authorities. On his initiative, a new seminary building was erected in Przemyśl for teaching purposes. He reformed theological studies.
In January 1978, he divided the diocese into 10 archpresbyterates. He greatly increased the number of deaneries. At his request, on April 3, 1975, Primate Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński reactivated the collegiate chapter in Jarosław and the collegiate chapter in Brzozów.
Among the more important pastoral events of his period of rule in the diocese were: The Great Novena and the celebration of the Millennium of the Baptism of Poland, and the Peregrination of a copy of the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa.
In June 1991, John Paul II paid a historic visit to the diocese (in Rzeszów and Przemyśl), during which the Pope beatified the former Bishop of Przemyśl, Józef Sebastian Pelczar (1900-1924).
On April 17, 1993 Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Archbishop Ignacy Tokarczuk from his office. Since July 16, 2011 he remained the oldest Polish bishop.
Rosary Prayer for the intention of the late Archbishop the funeral procession will be held on December 29, 30 and 31 at 4 p.m. in the pre-burial house at 104 Słowackiego St. in Przemyśl. Exhortation from the Bishop's House in Przemyśl will be held on Tuesday, January 1, 2013, at 3 p.m. At 15.30 in the Archcathedral of Przemysl Mass will be celebrated. The funeral will be held on WednesdayThe ceremony will take place on January 2, 2013, at 11 a.m., at the Archcathedral of Przemysl.
Archbishop Józef Michalik, Metropolitan of Przemysl
Bishop Adam Szal, Auxiliary Bishop
May the Lord grant him eternal rest and may the light of the ages shine upon him.
Source : www.przemyska.pl
Pictured: Archbishop Ignacy Tokarczuk being decorated with the Order of the White Eagle by Polish President Lech Kaczyński. Warsaw, May 3, 2006.
