function

diocesan priest

creed

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

diocese / province

Mogilev archdiocesemore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2013.06.23]
Minsk diocesemore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2013.05.19]

honorary titles

honorary canonmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.11.14] (Mogilev cathedral)

date and place
of death

27.08.1937

Minsktoday: Minsk city reg., Belarus
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.07.31]

details of death

cause of death

mass murder

perpetrators

Russians

sites and events

Judicial murders 1937 MinskClick to display the description, 11.08.1937 Russian genocideClick to display the description, Great Purge 1937Click to display the description, MinskClick to display the description, Trial of 21‐25.03.1923Click to display the description

date and place
of birth

11.05.1861

Unguriaitoday: Taujėnai eld., Ukmergė dist., Vilnius Cou., Lithuania
more on
lt.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.07.31]

alt. dates and places
of birth

09.06.1861

presbyter (holy orders)
ordination

11.02.1887 (Sankt Petersburgtoday: Saint Petersburg city, Russia
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.07.31])

positions held

others related
in death

ANDREKUSClick to display biography Constantine, BOROWIKClick to display biography John, FILIPPClick to display biography Adolph, JACZEJKOClick to display biography Anthony, JANUKOWICZClick to display biography Peter, JAROSZEWICZClick to display biography Stanislav, KASZCZYCClick to display biography Adolph, KAZIUNASClick to display biography Paul, PRYTUŁŁOClick to display biography Alexander, RAJKOClick to display biography Stanislav

sites and events
descriptions

Judicial murders 1937 Minsk: In 1937 and 1938, during so‐called „Polish operation” — Russian genocide of Polish citizens in Russia — In Minsk, more precisely: in Belarus, a number of trials of Poles, accused of membership of Polish Military Organisation POW (a clandestine Polish organization in Russia active during World War I in 1914‐1918) and espionage for Poland. Altogether from 08.1937 till 09.1938 in Belarus 23,429 people, including 21,407 Poles, were arrested. Russian genocidal «NKVD Troika» kangaroo courts had mainly one sentence in their books: death by execution (in Ukraine alone during whole „ Polish operation” 61.77% of sentences were death sentences). Among others on 25.08.1937 in Minsk at least 7 Polish priests were sentenced to death: Fr Constantine Andrekus, Fr Peter Awgło, Fr John Borowikiem, Fr Peter Janukowicz, Fr Anthony Jaczejko, Fr. Alexander Prytułło and Fr Stanislav Rajko. On 20.10.1937 in Vitebsk Fr. Adolph Fillip was tried. On 22.10.1937 Fr Paul Kaziunas was sentenced. On the same day in Orsha Russians sentenced to death Fr Adolph Kaszczyc. And finally on 03.01.1938 Fr Stanislav Jaroszewicz was tried. All were murdered in Russian prisons. (more on: pamiec.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.02.02])

11.08.1937 Russian genocide: On 11.08.1937 Russian leader Stalin decided and NKVD head, Nicholas Jeżow, signed a «Polish operation» executive order no 00485. 139,835 Poles living in Russia were thus sentenced summarily to death. According to the records of the „Memorial” International Association for Historical, Educational, Charitable and Defense of Human Rights (Rus. Международное историко‐просветительское, правозащитное и благотворительное общество „Мемориал”), specialising with historical research and promoting knowledge about the victims of Russian repressions — 111,091 were murdered. 28,744 were sentenced to deportation to concentration camps in Gulag. Altogether however more than 100,000 Poles were deported, mainly to Kazakhstan, Siberia, Kharkov and Dniepropetrovsk. According to some historians, the number of victims should be multiplied by at least two, because not only the named persons were murdered, but entire Polish families (the mere suspicion of Polish nationality was sufficient). Taking into account the fact that the given number does not include the genocide in eastern Russia (Siberia), the number of victims may be as high as 500,000 Poles. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2016.03.14])

Great Purge 1937: „Great Terror” (also «Great Purge», also called „Yezhovshchyna” after the name of the then head of the NKVD) — a Russian state action of political terror, planned and directed against millions of innocent victims — national minorities, wealthier peasants (kulaks), people considered opponents political, army officers, the greatest intensity of which took place from 09.1936 to 08.1938. It reached its peak starting in the summer of 1937, when Art. 58‐14 of the Penal Code about „counter‐revolutionary sabotage” was passed , which became the basis for the „legalization” of murders, and on 02.07.1937 when the highest authorities of Russia, under the leadership of Joseph Stalin, issued a decree on the initiation of action against the kulaks. Next a number of executive orders of the NKVD followed, including No. 00439 of 25.07.1937, starting the liquidation of 25,000‐42,000 Germans living in Russia (mainly the so‐called Volga Germans); No. 00447 of 30.07.1937, beginning the liquidation of „anti‐Russian elements”, and No. 00485[2] of 11.08.1937, ordering the murder of 139,835 people of Polish nationality (the latter was the largest operation of this type — encompassed 12.5% of all those murdered during the «Great Purge», while Poles constituted 0.4% of the population). In the summer of 1937 Polish Catholic priests held in Solovetsky Islands, Anzer Island and ITL BelbaltLag were locked in prison cells (some in Sankt Petersburg). Next in a few kangaroo, murderous Russian trials (on 09.10.1937, 25.11.1937, among others) run by so‐called «NKVD Troika» all were sentenced to death. They were subsequently executed by a single shot to the back of the head. The murders took place either in Sankt Petersburg prison or directly in places of mass murder, e.g. Sandarmokh or Levashov Wilderness, where their bodies were dumped into the ditches. Other priests were arrested in the places they still ministered in and next murdered in local NKVD headquarters (e.g. in Minsk in Belarus), after equally genocidal trials run by aforementioned «NKVD Troika» kangaroo courts.

Minsk: Russian prison. In 1937 site of mass murders perpetrated by the Russians during a „Great Purge”. After Russian invasion of Poland in 09.1939 and start of the World War II place of incarceration of many Poles, In 06.1941, under attack by Germans, Russians murdered there a group of Polish prisoner kept in Central and co‐called American prisons in Mińsk. The rest were driven towards Chervyen in a „death march” (10,000‐20,000 prisoners perished), into Russia. (more on: pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.08.17])

Trial of 21‐25.03.1923: Show trial against abp John Cieplakow, 14 Catholic priest and one lay Catholic held on 21‐25.03.1923 in Moscow accused of „participation in a counter‐revolutionary organization aiming at counter‐acting the decree on the separation of the church from the state”, of „incitement to rebellion by superstition”. The Russian prosecutor thundered: „Any movement directed against the Soviet government is counter‐revolutionary and must be punished as such. For belonging to an organization whose essence I have explained, all defendants deserve the highest penalty”. And lo‐and‐behold abp Cieplak and Fr Budkiewicz were sentence to death, the others got from 6 months to 10 years of prison or slave labour. Fr Budkiewicz was murdered in prison. Abp Cieplak’s sentence was subsequently reduced to 10 months of slave labour and he was exchanged for Russian spies in Poland among whom was Bolesław Bierut, future first Russian governor in Commie‐Nazi Poland, conquered in 1945 by Russia. Most of the other accused were exchanged for Russian spies as well and went to Poland. At least five however did not return from prisons, concentration camps and exile, among them Fr Leonidas Fiodorov, first Greek‐Catholic exarch in Russia, who in 2001 was beatified by pope St John Paul II. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.11.22])

sources

personal:
biographies.library.nd.eduClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.12.20], katolicy1844.republika.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.12.19], www.vle.ltClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.09.02], angelorum.ltClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.09.02], archive.todayClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.05.09]
bibliographical:
„Fate of the Catholic clergy in USSR 1917‐1939. Martyrology”, Roman Dzwonkowski, SAC, ed. Science Society KUL, 2003, Lublin
original images:
ipn.gov.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.02.02]