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

20.11.1939

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

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]

details of death

alt. details of death

cause of death

mass murder

perpetrators

Germans

date and place
of birth

30.09.1908

Głodowotoday: Liniewo gm., Kościerzyna pov., Pomerania voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2024.01.29]

presbyter (holy orders)
ordination

17.12.1932 (Pelpin cathedralmore on
pl.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.11.14])

positions held

others related
in death

GREGORKIEWICZClick to display biography Leo, MARTENKAClick to display biography John, 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

murder sites
camp 
(+ prisoner no)

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])

Grudziądz‑Fortress: On the grounds of military Fortress Grudziądz — mainly near so‑called Priests Hills, but also in fortress’ Citadel — on the outskirts of Grudziądz from 10.1939 till 12.1939, as part of so‑called «Intelligenzaktion», Germans murdered in mass executions few hundred Poles from Grudziądz and vicinity, mainly intelligentsia. The biggest atrocities, perpetrated by special Einsatzkommando 16 unit operating in Grudziądz vicinity from 26.09.1939 and local Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz units (Eng. Self‑Defense groups), started after 19.10.1939 when Grudziądz was visited by Albert Forster, the Gauleiter of Danzig‑West Prussia German Reichsgau, who stated that „Danzig‑West Prussia province in short time is to become 100% German and Poles have nothing to do there and should be expelled”, adding: „there is still no Polish blood on the streets of this city”. In Priests Hills executions were carried out early in the mornings and in the evenings, and the victims where brought in groups, in two cars, each with approximately thirty people. (more on: pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.01.13])

Chełmno: Detention centre run by Germans. Death sentences were probably carried out there. In particular in 1939‑40 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 data 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])

VSH Rehwalde: German Germ. Volksdeutscher Selbstschutzhaft (Eng. Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz custody) VSH for inhabitants of Radzyń Chełmiński and surrounding villages, organised by the German genocidal Volksdeutscher Selbstschutz organization — 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 data 20.09.1939), and the chaotically formed units were directly subordinated to the officers of the genocidal SS organization — in former Capuchin priory in Rywałd. Operational from 10.1939 till 12.1939. As a part of «Intelligenzaktion» — aimed at extermination of Polish intelligentsia and ruling classes in Pomerania — Germans held there c. 1,000 people (up to c. 200 at a time), including 9 local priests. After a short stay, some of them were murdered and the rest deported to concentration camps (e.g. KL Stutthof). (more on: pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.12.19])

«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])

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])

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:
gdansk.ipn.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2020.10.02]