Roman Catholic
St Sigismund parish
05-507 Słomczyn
85 Wiślana Str.
Konstancin deanery
Warsaw archdiocese, Poland
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Martyrology of the clergy — Poland
XX century (1914 – 1989)
personal data
surname
FRANCUZ
surname
versions/aliases
FRANCUS
forename(s)
John (pl. Jan)
function
diocesan priest
creed
Latin (Roman Catholic) Church RCmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.09.21]
diocese / province
Kielce diocesemore on
www.diecezja.kielce.pl
[access: 2012.12.28]
RC Military Ordinariate of Polandmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.12.20]
date and place
of death
17.09.1942
KL Dachauconcentration camp
today: Dachau, Upper Bavaria reg., Bavaria state, Germany
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2016.05.30]
details of death
From 17.11.1919, as chaplain of the 77th Infantry Regiment of the Polish Army, known as the Kaunas Rifle Regiment, took part in the Polish–Russian War of 1919‐1921. The Regiment took part, among others, in struggles in the following places: in 1920 it protected the Polish–Lithuanian demarcation strip; in 06.1920, after the start of the great Russian offensive, was transferred to Vilnius, where on 13—14.07.1920 took part in the defence of the city against the Russians, losing „c. 80% of its bayonets”; withdrawn from Vilnius, which the Russians handed over to the Lithuanians, took part in the Battle of Grodno on 18—23.07.1920, losing „most of its heavy weapons”; then withdrew, in constant battles, i.a. near Sokółka, Ostrów Mazowiecka, Wyszków — along the Narew River — up to Zegrze; finally, during the Battle of Warsaw started on c. 15.08.1920 (known as the „Miracle on the Vistula”), part of the regiment fought defending Płock on 17.08.1920, and the other part from Grodzisk Mazowiecki took part in the counterattack from the Wieprz River, towards the Narew and East Prussia.
Finally, on 08.1920, the Regiment was concentrated in Modlin. Then, two of its battalions were incorporated into the 1st Lithuanian–Belarusian Division under the command of General Lucien Żeligowski, which in 08‐20.10.1920 — having feigned insubordination towards the Commander‐in‐Chief Joseph Piłsudski — took over Vilnius and its surroundings from the Lithuanians, proclaiming the creation of Central Lithuania. Two battalions of the 77th Regiment took part in fighting in the Giedraičiai area, and then, as the Kaunas Rifle Regiment, became part of the Central Lithuanian Army and protected the Polish–Lithuanian demarcation line. On 18.04.1922, Central Lithuania was incorporated into Poland.
On 10.06.1921, at his own request, transferred to the reserve of the Polish Army. In 1923, 1925, 1927 and 1929 appointed as a reserve chaplain of the Polish Army (from 1925 each time for a 2‐year period).
In 08.1939 mobilized and assigned to the 4th District Hospital – war hospital No. 401 – in Łódź.
After German attack on Poland on 01.09.1939 (Russians invaded Poland on 17.09.1939) and the beginning of World War II, evacuated at night of 05‐06.09.1939 to Warsaw, and then further east.
On 17.09.1939, on the day of the Russian attack on Poland, crossed over the Hungarian border and was interned.
Next became the chaplain of the Polish Catholic Chaplaincy established in Budapest in Hungary and served among interned Polish soldiers in the camp in Nagymaros n. Esztergom.
In 12.1939 (according to other sources in the spring of 1940) attempted — on his own accord — to return to his parish, then in German–occupied country, but was arrested on the border between the German–created Germ. Generalgouvernement (pl. General Governorate) and Slovakia by the Slovaks and handed over to the Germans.
On 23.12.1939 taken to the Stalag XVII A POW camp in Kaisersteinbruch in Austria.
From there on c. 19.03.1940 moved to Oflag IX C Rotenburg an der Fulda POW camp and next, in contravention of Geneva conventions of 27.07.1929, transported on 18.04.1940 to KL Buchenwald concentration camp and finally on 23‐26.06.1942 to KL Dachau concentration camp where was murdered — German kapo forced his head into a cesspool and held there until dead.
prisoner camp's numbers
30639Click to display source page (KL DachauClick to display the description), 2499Click to display source page (KL BuchenwaldClick to display the description), 40450Click to display source page (Oflag IX C Rotenburg an der FuldaClick to display the description)
cause of death
murder
perpetrators
Germans
sites and events
KL DachauClick to display the description, KL BuchenwaldClick to display the description, Oflag IX C Rotenburg an der FuldaClick to display the description, Ribbentrop‐MolotovClick to display the description, Pius XI's encyclicalsClick to display the description, Polish‐Russian war of 1919‐1921Click to display the description
date and place
of birth
24.12.1894
Jarosławicetoday: Tuczępy gm., Busko‐Zdrój pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.10.09]
alt. dates and places
of birth
26.12.1894
presbyter (holy orders)
ordination
15.07.1917
positions held
1937 – 1939
parish priest — Koniecznotoday: Włoszczowa gm., Włoszczowa pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
pl.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] ⋄ Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary RC parish ⋄ Włoszczowatoday: Włoszczowa gm., Włoszczowa pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] RC deanery
1926 – 1936
parish priest — Strożyskatoday: Nowy Korczyn gm., Busko‐Zdrój pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] ⋄ All the Saints RC parish ⋄ Pacanówtoday: Pacanów gm., Busko‐Zdrój pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] RC deanery
1922 – 1926
parish priest — Stradówtoday: Czarnocin gm., Kazimierza Wielka pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] ⋄ St Bartholomew the Apostle RC parish ⋄ Skalbmierztoday: Skalbmierz gm., Kazimierza Wielka pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] RC deanery
1921 – 1922
vicar — Działoszycetoday: Działoszyce gm., Pińczów pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] ⋄ Holy Trinity RC parish ⋄ Skalbmierztoday: Skalbmierz gm., Kazimierza Wielka pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] RC deanery
1919 – 1921
RC military chaplain — 77th Infantry Regiment, known as the Kaunas Riflemen Regiment, Polish Armed Forces — on 10.06.1921 transferred to the reserves of the Polish Army; verified as a chaplain, with seniority from 01.06.1919, in the rank of captain
1919
prefect — Kielcetoday: Kielce city pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] ⋄ primary schools — on Baranówek Str., Starochęcińska Str. and Karczówkowska Str.
1919
vicar — Skalbmierztoday: Skalbmierz gm., Kazimierza Wielka pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] ⋄ St John the Baptist RC parish ⋄ Skalbmierztoday: Skalbmierz gm., Kazimierza Wielka pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] RC deanery
1919
vicar — Dąbrowa Górniczatoday: Dąbrowa Górnicza city pov., Silesia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.12.11] ⋄ Our Lady of the Angels and St Alexander RC parish ⋄ Będzintoday: Będzin pov., Silesia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.12.11] RC deanery
1918 – 1919
vicar — Strzemieszycetoday: district of Strzemieszyce Wielkie in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Dąbrowa Górnicza city pov., Silesia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.12.11] ⋄ Sacred Heart of Jesus RC parish ⋄ Będzintoday: Będzin pov., Silesia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.12.11] RC deanery — acting
1918 – 1919
vicar — Nowe Brzeskotoday: Nowe Brzesko gm., Proszowice pov., Lesser Poland voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28] ⋄ All the Saints RC parish ⋄ Proszowicetoday: Proszowice gm., Proszowice pov., Lesser Poland voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28] RC deanery — formal posting
1917 – 1918
vicar — Olkusztoday: Olkusz gm., Olkusz pov., Lesser Poland voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] ⋄ St Andrew the Apostle RC parish ⋄ Olkusztoday: Olkusz gm., Olkusz pov., Lesser Poland voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] RC deanery
1910 – 1917
student — Kielcetoday: Kielce city pov., Holy Cross voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.07] ⋄ philosophy and theology, Theological Seminary
others related
in death
BELONClick to display biography Zdislav Anthony, BRYDACKIClick to display biography Louis, DACHTERAClick to display biography Francis, DRWALClick to display biography Francis, GÓRALIKClick to display biography John, JĘDRYSIKClick to display biography Severin (Fr Vincent), KLARZAKClick to display biography Joseph, KRYŃSKIClick to display biography Adolph, LISSOWSKIClick to display biography Ceslav Joseph, MICHUŁKAClick to display biography John, MIEGOŃClick to display biography Vladislav, STOPCZAKClick to display biography Marian, SYPERClick to display biography Stanislav, SZABELSKIClick to display biography Edward, ŚWIDEREKClick to display biography Vladislav, TOMIAKClick to display biography Joseph, TRUSSClick to display biography Boleslav Cyriac, ZAKRZEWSKIClick to display biography John, ZIEMIAŃSKIClick to display biography Michael Urban, ZIĘBAClick to display biography Adalbert
sites and events
descriptions
KL Dachau: KL Dachau in German Bavaria, set up in 1933, became the main German Germ. Konzentrationslager (Eng. concentration camp) KL for Catholic priests and religious during World War II: On c. 09.11.1940, Reichsführer‐SS Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, Gestapo and German police, as a result of the Vatican's intervention, decided to transfer all clergymen detained in various concentration camps to KL Dachau camp. The first major transports took place on 08.12.1940. In KL Dachau Germans held approx. 3,000 priests, including 1,800 Poles. The priests were forced to slave labor in the Germ. „Die Plantage” — the largest herb garden in Europe, managed by the genocidal SS, consisting of many greenhouses, laboratory buildings and arable land, where experiments with new natural medicines were conducted — for many hours, without breaks, without protective clothing, no food. They slaved in construction, e.g. of camp's crematorium. In the barracks ruled hunger, freezing cold in the winter and suffocating heat during the summer, especially acute in 1941‐1942. Prisoners suffered from bouts of illnesses, including tuberculosis. Many were victims of murderous „medical experiments” — in 11.1942 c. 20 were given phlegmon injections; in 07.1942 to 05.1944 c. 120 were used by for malaria experiments. More than 750 Polish clerics where murdered by the Germans, some brought to Schloss Hartheim euthanasia centre and murdered in gas chambers. At its peak KL Dachau concentration camps’ system had nearly 100 slave labour sub‐camps located throughout southern Germany and Austria. There were c. 32,000 documented deaths at the camp, and thousands perished without a trace. C. 10,000 of the 30,000 inmates were found sick at the time of liberation, on 29.04.1945, by the USA troops… (more on: www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.deClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.10], en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2016.05.30])
KL Buchenwald: In German Germ. Konzentrationslager (Eng. concentration camp) KL Buchenwald concentration camp, founded in 1937 and operational till 1945, Germans held c. 238,380 prisoners and murdered approx. 56,000 of them, among them thousands of Poles. Prisoners were victims of pseudo‐scientific experiments, conducted among others by Behring‐Werke from Marburg and Robert Koch Institute from Berlin companies. They slaved for Gustloff in Weimar and Fritz‐Sauckel companies manufacturing armaments. To support Erla‐Maschinenwerk GmbH in Leipzig, Junkers in Schönebeck (airplanes) and Rautal in Wernigerode Germans organized special sub‐camps. In 1945 there were more than 100 such sub‐camps. Dora concentration camp was initially one of them, as well as KL Ravensbrück sub‐camps (from 08.1944). On 08.04.1945 Polish prisoner, Mr Guido Damazyn, used clandestinely constructed short wave transmitter to sent, together with a Russian prisoner, a short message begging for help. It was received and he got a reply: „KZ Bu. Hold out. Rushing to your aid. Staff of Third Army” (American). Three days later the camp was liberated. (more on: www.buchenwald.deClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.10], en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.10])
Oflag IX C Rotenburg an der Fulda: German POW prisoner of war camp for officers in Rotenburg an der Fulda in Hesse. C. 60‐70 Polish Catholic priests, most of them military chaplains, captured by the Germans in 09.1939 during German invasion of Poland, were held POW there from 12.1939. In preparations for invasion of France all on 18.04.1940 were sent — in contravention of Geneva conventions of 27.07.1929 — to KL Buchenwald concentration camps. From 06.1940 Germ. Zweiglager (Eng. sub‐camp) of Oflag IX A/H Spangenberg and renamed Oflag IX A/Z. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.11.17])
Ribbentrop‐Molotov: Genocidal Russian‐German alliance pact between Russian leader Joseph Stalin and German leader Adolf Hitler signed on 23.08.1939 in Moscow by respective foreign ministers, Mr. Vyacheslav Molotov for Russia and Joachim von Ribbentrop for Germany. The pact sanctioned and was the direct cause of joint Russian and German invasion of Poland and the outbreak of the World War II in 09.1939. In a political sense, the pact was an attempt to restore the status quo ante before 1914, with one exception, namely the „commercial” exchange of the so‐called „Kingdom of Poland”, which in 1914 was part of the Russian Empire, fore Eastern Galicia (today's western Ukraine), in 1914 belonging to the Austro‐Hungarian Empire. Galicia, including Lviv, was to be taken over by the Russians, the „Kingdom of Poland” — under the name of the General Governorate — Germany. The resultant „war was one of the greatest calamities and dramas of humanity in history, for two atheistic and anti‐Christian ideologies — national and international socialism — rejected God and His fifth Decalogue commandment: Thou shall not kill!” (Abp Stanislav Gądecki, 01.09.2019). The decisions taken — backed up by the betrayal of the formal allies of Poland, France and Germany, which on 12.09.1939, at a joint conference in Abbeville, decided not to provide aid to attacked Poland and not to take military action against Germany (a clear breach of treaty obligations with Poland) — were on 28.09.1939 slightly altered and made more precise when a treaty on „German‐Russian boundaries and friendship” was agreed by the same murderous signatories. One of its findings was establishment of spheres of influence in Central and Eastern Europe and in consequence IV partition of Poland. In one of its secret annexes agreed, that: „the Signatories will not tolerate on its respective territories any Polish propaganda that affects the territory of the other Side. On their respective territories they will suppress all such propaganda and inform each other of the measures taken to accomplish it”. The agreements resulted in a series of meeting between two genocidal organization representing both sides — German Gestapo and Russian NKVD when coordination of efforts to exterminate Polish intelligentsia and Polish leading classes (in Germany called «Intelligenzaktion», in Russia took the form of Katyń massacres) where discussed. Resulted in deaths of hundreds of thousands of Polish intelligentsia, including thousands of priests presented here, and tens of millions of ordinary people,. The results of this Russian‐German pact lasted till 1989 and are still in evidence even today. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.09.30])
Pius XI's encyclicals: Facing the creation of two totalitarian systems in Europe, which seemed to compete with each other, though there were more similarities than contradictions between them, Pope Pius XI issued in 03.1937 (within 5 days) two encyclicals. In the „Mit brennender Sorge” (Eng. „With Burning Concern”) published on 14.03.1938, condemned the national socialism prevailing in Germany. The Pope wrote: „Whoever, following the old Germanic‐pre‐Christian beliefs, puts various impersonal fate in the place of a personal God, denies the wisdom of God and Providence […], whoever exalts earthly values: race or nation, or state, or state system, representatives of state power or other fundamental values of human society, […] and makes them the highest standard of all values, including religious ones, and idolizes them, this one […] is far from true faith in God and from a worldview corresponding to such faith”. On 19.03.1937, published „Divini Redemptoris” (Eng. „Divine Redeemer”), in which criticized Russian communism, dialectical materialism and the class struggle theory. The Pope wrote: „Communism deprives man of freedom, and therefore the spiritual basis of all life norms. It deprives the human person of all his dignity and any moral support with which he could resist the onslaught of blind passions […] This is the new gospel that Bolshevik and godless communism preaches as a message of salvation and redemption of humanity”… Pius XI demanded that the established human law be subjected to the natural law of God , recommended the implementation of the ideal of a Christian state and society, and called on Catholics to resist. Two years later, National Socialist Germany and Communist Russia came together and started World War II. (more on: www.vatican.vaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2023.05.28], www.vatican.vaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2023.05.28])
Polish‐Russian war of 1919‐1921: War for independence of Poland and its borders. Poland regained independence in 1918 but had to fight for its borders with former imperial powers, in particular Russia. Russia planned to incite Bolshevik‐like revolutions in the Western Europe and thus invaded Poland. Russian invaders were defeated in 08.1920 in a battle called Warsaw battle („Vistula river miracle”, one of the 10 most important battles in history, according to some historians). Thanks to this victory Poland recaptured part of the lands lost during partitions of Poland in XVIII century, and Europe was saved from the genocidal Communism. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.12.20])
sources
personal:
www.ordynariat.wp.mil.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2012.11.23], pik.kielce.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2012.12.28], pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.01.06], www.ipgs.usClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2012.11.23]
original images:
kielce.wyborcza.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.06.07], nk.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.06.07], kielce.wyborcza.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.06.07], doi.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.10.09], hinterstacheldraht.jimdo.comClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2016.03.14], www.tuczepy.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.06.07], kielce.wyborcza.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.06.07], www.tuczepy.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.06.07], pik.kielce.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2012.12.28], www.katedrapolowa.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.01.16]
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