Pastoral care in public institutions has a long tradition in the Czech lands, dating back to the early Middle Ages. This article presents pastoral care up to the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic in October 1918, its activity in the democratic Czechoslovak state between 1918 and 1939, during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia 1939-1945, including the restrictions imposed by the Nazi occupation, the hope for its full recovery during the democratic interlude of 1945-1948, its gradual liquidation after the communist putsch of February 25, 1948, and the difficult reconstruction in a free state from 1990 and its development until today.