Żyliny

The parish in Podżyliny was founded thanks to the initiative and care of Fr. prelate Stanisław Szczęsnowicz - then a priest of the diocese of Łomża and a rector of the Suwałki St. Alexander parish. He was also the founder of the temple. The construction of the church began on September 14, 1924. Materials were acquired from wooden military barracks in Suwałki, which were demolished and built in stone. Work on the construction of the church was carried out by local people. On August 26, 1926, Father Stanisław Szczęsnowicz consecrated the temple and celebrated the first Mass there. On September 10, 1927, Bishop of Łomża, Stanisław Łukomski, founded the parish of Our Lady of Częstochowa with the parish church in Podżyliny.

Thanks to priest Witold Górski, the local rector and builder of the present presbytery, the name Podżyliny was changed in state and church documents to Żyliny. Currently, twelve villages belong to the parish. The parish has 670 people. This number is made up of 163 families. In the years 1999–2002, parishioners on the initiative of the then rector, priest Jan Adaszczyk, they thoroughly refurbished the temple. The parish has a cemetery about 600 meters from the church towards Bakałarzewo. The parish is located in three communes: Suwałki, Raczki and Bakałarzewo.