function

diocesan priest

creed

Latin (Roman Catholic) Church
more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2014.09.21]

diocese / province

Vilnius archdiocese
more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2013.05.19]
Vilnius diocese
more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2013.05.19]
Military Ordinariate of Poland
more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2014.12.20]

honorary titles

War Order of Virtuti Militari
more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2019.10.13]
canon
more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2014.11.14]

date and place of death

01.11.1939

Bydgoszcz
Fordon district, Bydgoszcz city pow., Kuyavia-Pomerania voiv., Poland

alt. dates and places of death

09.09.1939

Gdański - Bydgoszcz forest
Bydgoszcz city pow., Kuyavia-Pomerania voiv., Poland

details of death

In 1912/7 repressed and victimized by Russian Tsarist authorities — after authoring an article on the assassination of the Russian Prime Minister, Stolypin, forced to resign as an editor of „Gazeta Wileńska”, banned to publish articles in the press and banned to preach sermons — emigrated to Germany (Munich). Returned in 1917. During Polish–Russian war of 1919‑20 chaplain in the Polish Army. After German and Russian invasion of Poland in 09.1939 and start of the II World War, arrested on 05(15).10.1939 in Bydgoszcz by the Germans — as part of „Intelligenzaktion” — among hundreds of Polish intelligentsia representatives, including teachers, from Bydgoszcz and vicinity. Jailed in artillery barracks' camp in Bydgoszcz. Murdered in a mass execution, prob. in 10/11.1939.

cause of death

mass murder

perpetrators

Germans

date and place of birth

18.09.1881

Zabłudów
Zabłudów gm., Białystok pow., Podlaskie voiv., Poland

alt. dates and places of birth

01.10.1884

presbyter (holy orders)/
ordination

1906

positions held

1938–1939 — priest {church: Bydgoszcz; garrison}, in the rank of lieutenant colonel
till 1939 — prefect {Bydgoszcz, Cadet School for NCOs}
1938–1939 — chaplain {Polish Army}, reserves
from 1938 — pensioner
1920–1938 — chaplain {Toruń, Aviation Cadet School}, in the rank of major
1920–1938 — lecturer {Toruń, Aviation Cadet School}
1919–1920 — parish priest {parish: Krypno Kościelne; dean.: Knyszyn}
1917–1919 — administrator {parish: Svislach, Holy Trinity; dean.: Vawkavysk}
1910–1912 — vicar {parish: Vilnius, Holy Spirit; dean.: Vilnius; dioc.: Vilnius (till 1925); archdioc: Vilnius (from 1925)}
1906–1910 — vicar {parish: Wilno–Antokol, St Philip and St James the Apostles; dean.: Vilnius; dioc.: Vilnius (till 1925); archdioc: Vilnius (from 1925)}
editor {„Vilnius Newspaper”}
1902–1906 — student {Vilnius, philosophy and theology, Theological Seminary}

others related in death

KUKUŁKA Lucyn, RASZKOWSKI Hubert, ROŻEK Alexander, SZUMAN Anthony Henry

murder sites
camps (+ prisoner no)

Fordon: In the „Valley of Death” in Fordon, where from 10.10.1939 till 11.11.1939 Germans murdered — as a part of „Intelligenzaktion” aimed at extermination of Polish intelligentsia and ruling classes in Pomerania — 1,200‑3,000 Poles from Bydgoszcz, mainly from intelligentsia. (more on: pl.wikipedia.org [access: 2012.11.23])

Gdański forest: Location, near Bydgoszcz, where Germans, during „Intelligenzaktion” — extermination of Polish intelligentsia program — murdered a score of Poles. (more on: pl.wikipedia.org [access: 2012.11.23])

IL Bydgoszcz-barracks: Germ. „Internierungslager” (Eng. „Internee camp”) set up on 05.09.1939 — the day Germans took over Bydgoszcz — in 15 Greater Poland Light Artillery Regiment military barracks at 147 Gdańska str. in Bydgoszcz. In 09.1939 only c. 3,500 Poles were jailed there. Prisoners were held in f. stables or f. armory building. They were maltreated and tortured. Some were shot on the spot (c. 28 victims in 09.1939). Next they were sent to concentration camps throughout Germany. Some were taken to mass execution sites in nearby forests and murdered. On 01.11.1939 the camp was moved to f. ammunition warehouses in Jachcice town district. The camp was closed in 12.1939. (more on: pl.wikipedia.org [access: 2015.09.30])

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: pl.wikipedia.org [access: 2015.09.30], en.wikipedia.org [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 II World War in 09.1939. „The 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 Stanislaus 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.org [access: 2015.09.30])

Polish-Russian war of 1919—20: 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.org [access: 2014.12.20])

sources

personal:
www.archibial.pl [access: 2013.01.06], www.wtg-gniazdo.org [access: 2013.08.10]
bibliograhical:
„Vilnius archdiocese clergy martyrology 1939‑1945”, Fr Thaddeus Krahel, Białystok, 2017
original images:
www.archibial.pl [access: 2013.01.06], www.pomorska.pl [access: 2015.05.09], grant.zse.bydgoszcz.pl [access: 2014.01.16], pl.wikipedia.org [access: 2014.01.16], www.katedrapolowa.pl [access: 2014.01.16]