function

diocesan priest

creed

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

diocese / province

Warmia diocesemore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2018.09.02]

date and place
of death

23.01.1945

Zalewotoday: Zalewo gm., Iława pov., Warmia‐Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28]

details of death

cause of death

murder

perpetrators

Russians

sites and events

SztumClick to display the description, Mass rapes in 1945Click 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

11.10.1903

Pieniężnotoday: Pieniężno gm., Braniewo pov., Warmia‐Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28]

presbyter (holy orders)
ordination

13.02.1927 (Fromborktoday: Frombork gm., Braniewo pov., Warmia‐Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28])

positions held

others related
in death

STEINKIClick to display biography Joseph, BREHMClick to display biography William, CHMIELEWSKIClick to display biography John Paul, FUCHSClick to display biography Godfrey, HUHNClick to display biography Paul, KLEMENTClick to display biography Bernard, KORTENDIECKClick to display biography Theodore, LANGKAUClick to display biography Otto, LINDENBLATTClick to display biography John, LINKAClick to display biography Arthur, LUDWIGClick to display biography Francis, LUNKWITZClick to display biography Paul, MARQUARDTClick to display biography John, PREUSCHOFFClick to display biography Clement, PROTHMANNClick to display biography Adalbert, RAHMELClick to display biography Engelbert, SCHIKOWSKIClick to display biography Ulrich, SCHULZClick to display biography Arthur, SCHWARTZClick to display biography Paul, SIEGELClick to display biography Bruno Alexander, ŚWITALSKIClick to display biography Vladislav Bronislav, WILKEClick to display biography George, ZAGERMANNClick to display biography Francis, ZIEMETZKIClick to display biography Joachim

sites and events
descriptions

Sztum: Prison in Sztum was built in 1910‐1914, during the Prussian (German) partition of Poland. Initially, it had 450 cells that formed the letter 'T'. In the mid‐1930s — after World War I and the establishment of the Polish state, Sztum remained in Germany, in the West Prussian regency — another wing was added for 300 more prisoners, and the facility took the form of a cross. In 1939, just before the start of World War II, arrests of Polish activists began. Many passed through the Sztum prison before being sent to German concentration camps. During the war, the prison functioned normally. On 20.01.1945, in the face of the Russian offensive, the Germans began to evacuate the city and emptied the prison. After start of the Russian occupation, the Commie‐Nazis held in prison, among others Germans, soldiers of the Polish resistance Home Army AK — until 1953 the prison was overcrowded: 501 cells held up to 6,000 prisoners. (more on: pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.11.28])

Mass rapes in 1945: During capture in 1944‐1945 of pre‐war German territories and territories incorporated into Germany in 1939 after German invasion of Poland Russian soldiers committed mass, often multiple, rapes on mainly German, but also Polish, women. Up to 2 mln women might have been violated, from 8 to 80 or more years old. Many were murdered as a consequence. Rapes were prob. tolerated if not encouraged by Russian military and civilian NKVD commanders. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.03.01])

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:
ekai.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2012.11.23], encyklopedia.warmia.mazury.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18]
original images:
newsaints.faithweb.comClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.06.23], www.rowery.olsztyn.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18]