Fr Błażej Nowosad, 40, parish priest of Potok Górny parish, Hrubieszów county, murdered by Ukrainian nationalists.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: Siemaszko Ewa, „Catholic priests murdered in 1939—1946 by the Ukrainian nationalists (OUN thugs, UPA thugs/ Banderites, Ukrainian policemen and Ukrainians serving in SS-Galizien division) on the territories of pre-war Volhynia, Lviv, Stanislaviv, Ternopil, Polesya and Lublin voivodships”; in: „Recollections of those who survived”, portal: Volhynia of our forebearers — web page: www.nawolyniu.pl [accessible: 2020.02.01]

See December 19, 1943.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

The Ukrainians from SS „Galizien–Hałyczyna” and Ukrainian policemen from Tarnogród, Biszcza and Księżopol burned 60 Polish farms and shot at least 58 Poles: „On December 19, 1943 a UPA unit from SS Galizien, remaining in German service, commanded by Włodzimierz Darmochwał and The Ukrainian police, led by the district commander, Ivan Jurkiw, as well as military policemen from the Tarnogród station pacified the villages of Potok Górny, Dąbrówka and Zagródki  […] When the Ukrainians arrived at the presbytery, the priest recited the breviary. They fired a shot towards the kitchen door, then arrested the priest on charges of hiding bandits  […] . The SS men demanded that the priest hand over the hiding partisans and Jews to them, as well as show them where the weapons were hidden. Fr Nowosad did not release anyone (Bishop E. Ilcewicz). The torturers joined the priest with other arrested people who were lined up. The priest then took out the cross he had with him, kissed it and gave it to be kissed by the rest of those arrested. After some time, the Ukrainians called a priest from the ranks, saying: Pastor with us! They asked him about the partisans and who was hiding the Jews. The priest did not release anyone”.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: Muca W., „Opinion of the martyrdom of priest Błażej Nowosad (1903-1943)”, Diocesan Library in Zamość, in: Lublin 2001, p. 65

One of the inhabitants of Potok Górny, who was hiding with other people in the church during the Ukrainian attack, describes the further fate of Fr Nowosada: „While sitting in the organ, I heard the church door open and through the gaps in the organ I saw four The Ukrainians rushing with arms by Fr Nowosada to the attic of the church. They walked fast. After a while I heard shots in the attic of the church. In the attic, they shot those who entered. They also shot Franciszek Rorat, but they only wounded him, not knowing it. Rorat then told me how they tormented Fr Nowosada. They put high heels under his nails, beat him, squeaked and finally shot him in the attic. Later you could see the stabbed hands of Fr Nowosada”.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „The testimony of Józef Knap, Potok Górny”, April 6, 2001

[The Ukrainians] murdered a priest by beating him on the head with a rifle, his nails were torn off, his veins were pulled out with pliers, part of his skin was torn off. His whole body was pierced with a sharp object, and at the end he was shot very closely in the back of the head, shattering it. The priest squealed and screamed because he was suffering a lot.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „The testimony of Józef Grelak, Potok Górny and Wanda Mroczek, Wożuczyn”; in: Muca W., „Opinion of the martyrdom of priest Błażej Nowosad (1903-1943)”, Diocesan Library in Zamość, in: Lublin 2001, p. 67

On December 20 that year, the body of the murdered Fr Nowosad was moved to the rectory. Józef Grelak recalls the moment as follows: „The whole back of the head torn from the shot. He had punctures on his face and around his ears. They were huge tumors. There were stabs on the hands with a sharp instrument, probably a bayonet,” veins were torn out.

source: Żurek Stanisław, „75th anniversary of the genocide – December 1943”; in: portal: Volhynia — web page: wolyn.org [accessible: 2021.02.04]

source: „The testimony of Józef Grelak, Potok Górny and Wanda Mroczek, Wożuczyn”; in: Muca W., „Opinion of the martyrdom of priest Błażej Nowosad (1903-1943)”, Diocesan Library in Zamość, in: Lublin 2001, p. 67

source: Bp Leszczyński Mariusz; in: portal: Niedziela.pl — web page: www.niedziela.pl [accessible: 2021.04.11]