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
MARTENKA
forename(s)
John (pl. Jan)
function
diocesan priest
creed
Latin (Roman Catholic) Church RCmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.09.21]
diocese / province
Culm (Chełmno) diocesemore on
pl.wikipedia.org
[access: 2012.11.23]
date and place
of death
31.10.1939
Klamrytoday: Chełmno gm., Chełmno pov., Kuyavia‐Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.12.18]
alt. dates and places
of death
11.11.1939, 10.1939, 11.1939
n. Bydgoszcztoday: Bydgoszcz pov., Kuyavia‐Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.06.20]
Grudziądztoday: Grudziądz city pov., Kuyavia‐Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.09.02]
n. Grudziądztoday: Grudziądz city pov., Kuyavia‐Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.09.02]
Łasintoday: Łasin gm., Grudziądz pov., Kuyavia‐Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.09.02]
details of death
After German invasion of Poland on 01.09.1939 (Russians invaded Poland 17 days later) and start of the World War II faced with imminent arrival of German troops left his parish with his parish priest, Fr Marian Karczyński, and marched as thousands of Poles did towards Warsaw.
Soon however returned.
There on 27.10.1939 arrested by the Germans during mass arrests of Polish priests from Łasin deanery — with Fr Leo Gregorkiewicz, Fr John Martenka, Fr Stanislav Niklas, Fr Alois Ptach, Fr Anastasius Sadowski, Fr Francis Wilczewski, among others.
On 08‐14.11.1939 held in VSH Graudenz custody in Grudziądz.
Next prob. on 14/15.11.1939 moved to Chełmno prison.
Finally taken to Klamry (5 km off Chełmno) and murdered in a mass execution.
According to yet another sources executed in his Łasin parish.
alt. details of death
According to other sources, taken from Grudziądz to an unknown direction and murdered near Bydgoszcz.
According to other assumptions murdered in one of mass executions in Grudziądz Forts at Priests' Hill or at other unknown location n. Grudziądz.
According to still other sources shot in the Łasin parish.
cause of death
mass murder
perpetrators
Germans
sites and events
KlamryClick to display the description, ChełmnoClick to display the description, VSH GraudenzClick to display the description, «Intelligenzaktion»Click to display the description, Reichsgau Danzig‐WestpreußenClick to display the description, Pius XI's encyclicalsClick to display the description, Pius XI's encyclicalsClick to display the description
date and place
of birth
18.10.1908
Berlintoday: Berlin state, Germany
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.07.31]
presbyter (holy orders)
ordination
17.12.1932 (Pelpin cathedralmore on
pl.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.11.14])
positions held
1938 – 1939
vicar — Łasintoday: Łasin gm., Grudziądz pov., Kuyavia‐Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.09.02] ⋄ St Catherine of Alexandria the Virgin and Martyr RC parish ⋄ Grudziądz / Łasindeanery names/seats
today: Kuyavia‐Pomerania voiv., Poland RC deanery
1937
vicar — Lubichowotoday: Lubichowo gm., Starogard Gdański pov., Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.09.02] ⋄ St James the Elder the Apostle RC parish ⋄ Osiektoday: Osiek gm., Starogard Gdański pov., Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.09.02] RC deanery
1933 – 1937
vicar — Sierakowicetoday: Sierakowice gm., Kartuzy pov., Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.09.02] ⋄ St Martin and St John Nepomucene RC parish ⋄ Kartuzytoday: Kartuzy gm., Kartuzy pov., Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.09.02] RC deanery
1928 – 1932
student — Pelplintoday: Pelplin gm., Tczew pov., Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.05.06] ⋄ philosophy and theology, Theological Seminary
others related
in death
KARCZYŃSKIClick to display biography Marian, GREGORKIEWICZClick to display biography Leo, NIKLASClick to display biography Stanislav, PTACHClick to display biography Louis Paul, SADOWSKIClick to display biography Anastasius, WILCZEWSKIClick to display biography Francis Joseph, BROCKIClick to display biography Anthony, DRĄŻKOWSKIClick to display biography Valerian, GASIŃSKIClick to display biography Louis, JARZĘBOWSKIClick to display biography Stanislav, KOPAŃSKIClick to display biography Conrad, MARCINKOWSKIClick to display biography Anthony, MIĘTKIClick to display biography Anthony, NAGÓRSKIClick to display biography Edmund, ODYAClick to display biography Joseph Florian, PUTYNKOWSKIClick to display biography Maximilian John, RYNGWELSKIClick to display biography Joseph, SCHMELTERClick to display biography Henry, ŻYNDAClick to display biography Francis, SOWIŃSKIClick to display biography Emil Bronislav, BATKOClick to display biography Alexander, BIELEŃClick to display biography Anthony, BOJUŁKAClick to display biography Bronislav Francis, BORZYSZKOWSKIClick to display biography Joseph, BUSZTAClick to display biography Anthony (Fr Simon), CZUBEKClick to display biography Joseph, FLACZYŃSKIClick to display biography Francis, GOŁĘBIEWSKIClick to display biography Joseph, GRABOWSKIClick to display biography Sigismund, HINZClick to display biography Thaddeus, KACZOROWSKIClick to display biography Michael, KĘDZIERSKIClick to display biography Francis, KLUNDERClick to display biography John, KOWNACKIClick to display biography Martin Stanislav, ŁĘGOWSKIClick to display biography Vladislav Leonard, ŁUBIEŃSKIClick to display biography John, MAKOWSKIClick to display biography Paul (Fr Bruno), MALINOWSKIClick to display biography Constantine Peter, MAŃKOWSKIClick to display biography Alphonse, MATEUSZCZYKClick to display biography Theodore, NOWAKClick to display biography Stanislav Zeno, ODYAClick to display biography Lucyn Joseph, OLSZEWSKIClick to display biography Edward, OSSOWSKIClick to display biography John Anthony, OSTROWSKIClick to display biography Francis Xavier, PARTYKAClick to display biography Boleslav, PASTWAClick to display biography Anthony, PRABUCKIClick to display biography Boleslav Rock, PRYBAClick to display biography Leo Simon, RADTKEClick to display biography Steven Boleslav, ROGALSKIClick to display biography John, SOBISZClick to display biography Anthony, STELLAClick to display biography Joseph, TUSZYŃSKIClick to display biography Joseph, WILAMOWSKIClick to display biography Alexander, WOLSKIClick to display biography Vaclav, ZIELIŃSKIClick to display biography Paul Nicholas, ŻUCHOWSKIClick to display biography Vaclav
sites and events
descriptions
Klamry: From 12.10 till 11.11.1939, in the forest called „Rybieniec” — a forest complex c. 6 km from Chełmno and the Fort VIII concentration camp, stretching latitudinally, on the west‐east axis (neighboring villages of Klamry, Rybieniec, Wabcz, Paparzyn, among others) — the Germans murdered c. 2,000‐2,500 inhabitants of the Chełmno Land, mainly Polish intelligentsia, in mass executions. The victims were brought to the place of the murders three times a day. Members of the German Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz — a paramilitary formation composed of representatives of the German national minority in Poland — prob. with the support of the SS‐Einsatzgruppen units, used machine guns. Among those shot were teachers (at least 21 educators), officials, engineers, craftsmen, farmers, several Catholic priests, political and social activists. In the second half of 1944, due to the approach of the Russians, the Germans forced a group of Jewish prisoners to dig up the graves and burn the bodies. After this job, the Jews were murdered. (more on: pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2012.11.23])
Chełmno: Detention centre run by Germans. Death sentences were probably carried out there. In particular in 1939‐1940 the prison was used to jail, as a part of «Intelligenzaktion» ‐ extermination of Polish intelligentsia in Pomerania ‐ Polish intelligentsia from Chełmno county prior to sending them to mass execution sites and concentration camps. (more on: www.sw.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.10.05])
VSH Graudenz: As part of «Intelligenzaktion» — physical extermination of Polish intelligentsia from Pomerania — Germans initially in 09.1939 held Poles captive in investigative prison in Grudziądz. After it became too small the genocidal German paramilitary organization Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz — the decision to create Selbstschutz in the Polish lands occupied by German troops was made in Berlin on September 08‐10.09.1939 at a conference headed by Reichsführer‐SS Heinrich Himmler (the formal order bears the date 20.09.1939), and the chaotically formed units were directly subordinated to the officers of the genocidal SS organization — organized the Germ. Volksdeutscher Selbstschutzhaft (Eng. Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz custody) VSH in the building of the so‐called Borderlands Hostel building at Chopin Str. (on 31.03.1937, before German invasion, it housed 97 boys). In this building Germans held captive 4,000 to 5,000 Poles, including c. 150 local priests and c. 100 teachers and students of the local teachers' seminary. Most of them were subsequently murdered in local forests (Księże Góry, Mniszek‐Grupa), some were taken to concentration camps and 200 boys — residents of the Borderlands Hostel — were after some time deported as slave laborers to Germany. Everything was obviously done in accordance with „German law” — there was an ad hoc Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz kangaroo court in the camp, which „issued sentences” deciding on the fate of imprisoned Poles. (more on: pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.01.13])
«Intelligenzaktion»: (Eng. „Action Intelligentsia”) — extermination program of Polish elites, mainly intelligentsia, executed by the Germans right from the start of the occupation in 09.1939 till around 05.1940, mainly on the lands directly incorporated into Germany but also in the so‐called General Governorate where it was called «AB‐aktion». During the first phase right after start of German occupation of Poland implemented as Germ. Unternehmen „Tannenberg” (Eng. „Tannenberg operation”) — plan based on proscription lists of Poles worked out by (Germ. Sonderfahndungsbuch Polen), regarded by Germans as specially dangerous to the German Reich. List contained names of c. 61,000 Poles. Altogether during this genocide Germans methodically murdered c. 50,000 teachers, priests, landowners, social and political activists and retired military. Further 50,000 were sent to concentration camps where most of them perished. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.10.04])
Reichsgau Danzig‐Westpreußen: After the Polish defeat in the 09.1939 campaign, which was the result of the Ribbentrop‐Molotov Pact and constituted the first stage of World War II, and the beginning of German occupation in part of Poland (in the other, eastern part of Poland, the Russian occupation began), the Germans divided the occupied Polish territory into five main regions (and a few smaller). The largest one was transformed into Germ. Generalgouvernement (Eng. General Governorate), intended exclusively for Poles and Jews and constituting part of the so‐called Germ. Großdeutschland (Eng. Greater Germany). Two were added to existing German provinces. From two other separate new provinces were created. Vistula Pomerania region was one of them, incorporated into Germany on 08.10.1939, by decree of the German leader Adolf Hitler (formally came into force on 26.10.1939), and on 02.11.1939 transformed into the Germ. Reichsgau Danzig‐Westpreußen (Eng. Reich District of Gdańsk‐West Prussia) province, in which the law of the German state was to apply. The main axis of the policy of the new province, the territory of which the Germans recognized as the Germ. „Ursprünglich Deutsche” (Eng. „natively German”), despite the fact that 85% of its inhabitants were Poles, was Germ. „Entpolonisierung” (Eng. „Depolonisation”), i.e. forced Germanization. C. 60,000 Poles were murdered in 1939‐1940, as part of the Germ. „Intelligenzaktion”, i.e. extermination of Polish intelligentsia and ruling classes, in c. 432 places of mass executions — including c. 220 Polish Catholic priests. The same number were sent to German concentration camps, from where few returned (over 300 priests were arrested, of whom c. 130 died in concentration camps). C. 124,000‐170,000 were displaced, including c. 90,000 to the Germ. Generalgouvernement. Poles were forced en masse to sign the German nationality list, the Germ. Deutsche Volksliste DVL. Polish children could only learn in German. It was forbidden to use the Polish language during Catholic Holy Masses and during confession. Polish landed estates were confiscated..To further reduce the number of the Polish population, Poles were sent to forced labor deep inside Germany. The remaining Poles were treated as low‐skilled labor, isolated from the Germans and strictly controlled — legally, three or three of them could only meet together, even in their own apartments. Many were conscripted into the German Wehrmacht army. After the end of hostilities of World War II, the overseer of this province, the Germ. Reichsstatthalter (Eng. Reich Governor) and the Germ. Gauleiter (Eng. district head) of the German National Socialist Party, Albert Maria Forster, was executed. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2024.06.24])
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])
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])
sources
personal:
www.niedziela.diecezja.torun.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2012.11.23]
bibliographical:
„Martyrology of the Polish Roman Catholic clergy under nazi occupation in 1939‐1945”, Victor Jacewicz, John Woś, vol. I‐V, Warsaw Theological Academy, 1977‐1981
„Biographical dictionary of priests ordained in the years 1921‐1945 working in the Chełmno diocese”, Fr Anastasius Nadolny, prof., Bernardinum publishing house 2021
original images:
www.niedziela.diecezja.torun.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.01.16], gdansk.ipn.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2020.10.02]
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