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
KNEJCZUK
surname
versions/aliases
KNIEJCZUK
forename(s)
Yaroslav (pl. Jarosław)
function
eparchial priest
creed
Ukrainian Greek Catholic GCmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2013.05.19]
diocese / province
Przemyśl GC eparchymore on
pl.wikipedia.org
[access: 2013.05.19]
nationality
Ukrainian
date and place
of death
29.03.1944
Bełżectoday: Bełżec gm., Tomaszów Lubelski pov., Lublin voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.12.18]
details of death
From 1936 minister in the parish of Bełżec, then in Rawa Ruska County and Lviv Voivodeship, c. 8 km south of Tomaszów Lubelski. In 1939, it had an estimated population of c. 2,600 Poles, 330 Ukrainians, and 100 Jews, although in the entire county the proportions were the opposite, i.e. 75% of the inhabitants were Ukrainians. There was a railway stop on the Chełm–Zamość–Rawa Ruska line.
After the German and Russian attack on Poland in 09.1939 and the start of World War II, the Germans captured Bełżec on 13.09.1939. Bełżec — in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which led to the subsequent, fourth partition of Poland — was to fall to the Russians, but during the final settlement talks, concluded in the so‐called „Treaty on the German–Russian Borders and Friendship” of 28.09.1939, also known as the Second Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, it remained in German hands, becoming part of the occupation entity known as Germ. Generalgouvernement (Eng. General Governorate), i.e. GG, or more precisely in Germ. Landkreis Tomaschow–Lubelski (Eng. Tomaszów Lubelski County), part of Germ. Distrikt Lublin (Eng. Lublin District).
After the German attack on 22.06.1941 on their erstwhile ally, the Russians, Bełżec became one of the most terrifying places on Earth, in the history of humanity. There, as part of the German genocidal plan, the Germ. «Endlösung der Judenfrage» (Eng. Final Solution of the Jewish Question), which in the GG was carried out under codename Germ. «Aktion Reinhardt» (Eng. Operation Reinhardt), was located — thanks to the efforts of the Austrian genocide perpetrator, Odilo Lotario Globočnik, Germ. SS‐ und Polizeiführer (Eng. SS and Police Commander), i.e. SSPF, in Germ. District Lublin, with the rank of Germ. SS‐Gruppenführer, whom one historian described as „the vilest individual in the vilest organization ever known” — VL Belzec extermination camp of Jews. From 03.1942 to 06.1943 — although the last mass transport reached VL Belzec on 11.12.1942 — a gang of c. 20 German and Austrian functionaries of the genocidal Germ. Die Schutzstaffel der NSDAP (Eng. The NSDAP Protection Unit), i.e. «SS», a paramilitary formation subordinate to the ruling National Socialist German Workers' Party NSDAP, assisted by a company of Germ. Wachmannschaften des SS‐ und Polizeiführers in Distrikt Lublin (Eng. Guards of the SS and Police Commander in the Lublin District), trained in the Germ. SS‐Ausbildungslager Trawniki (Eng. SS Training Camp Trawniki) near Lublin, mainly of Ukrainian nationality, murdered c. 450,000 Jews.
And just when the Belzec concentration camp was slowly winding down its operations, Roman Szukhevych, nom de guerre „Taras Chuprynka”, the chief commander of the genocidal Ukrainian organization OUN/UPA, issued an order in 02.1943: „The extermination operation [of Poles] should be carried out according to the following principles: Polish villages are to be burned, and their populations massacred. Attacks on towns will take place in broad daylight, not at night. In mixed villages, the Polish population alone should be liquidated, and farmsteads should be burned only if they are 15 meters away and when there is no risk of the fire spreading to neighboring Ukrainian buildings. The Ukrainian population will receive instructions as to where to gather during the attack […] For every Ukrainian murdered, whether by Poles or Germans, 100 (one hundred) Poles will be executed”.
It was the de facto signal for the commencement of the «Genocidium Atrox» — i.e. the genocide perpetrated by Ukrainians, known as „Volyn genocide”.
Immediately thereafter, in 03.1943, the UPA issued an appeal to members of the Germ. Ukrainische Hilfspolizei (Eng. Ukrainian Auxiliary Police), collaborating with Germans, in some regions also referred to as the Germ. Schutzmannschaft (Eng. Protection Battalions), i.e. Schuma, which co‐participated in the German genocidal Germ. «Aktion Reinhardt», to desert and join the UPA. Perhaps as many as 10,000 Ukrainians did so.
«Genocidium Atrox» began in Volyn. The UPA attacked hundreds of Polish villages, murdering tens of thousands of Poles in an extremely barbaric manner. Knowledge of this also reached his villages — his Polish inhabitants — as refugees from Volyn began to appear. The Germans, occupying and administering these areas, essentially did not react, limiting themselves to controlling larger towns, which the Ukrainian cowards did not dare attack.
At the end of 1943, the genocide master „Taras Chuprynka” Szukhevych ordered the expansion of the extermination of Polish society to eastern Galicia, including the Polish Lviv Voivodeship, as well as the Chełm region — where his parish was located — recognized by the UPA thanks to the decisions of the so‐called Treaty of Brest‐Litovsk of 09.02.1918, by virtue of which the then German Empire and the Austro–Hungarian Monarchy granted it, in the common parlance, by the right of escheat, to the Ukrainian state that had de facto existed for only two months, without even attempting to negotiate with the Poles. The commander of the OUN/UPA „UPA‐West” operational group, established in 12.1943, which also covered his parish, the genocide killer Vasyl Sydor, nom de guerre „Shelest”, ordered then „to strike continuously at Poles until they are completely destroyed from these lands”.
Perhaps it was this order that was intercepted by the intelligence of the Polish independence Home Army AK (part of the Polish Clandestine State). So, when at the turn of 1943/1943, several kurens of the genocidal UPA entered the Lublin region from the east, from Volyn; when local Germ. Volksdeutsche (Eng. ethnic Germans), e.g. Polish traitors openly collaborating with the Germans, or an Orthodox priest from the area of Tomaszów Lubelski, a certain Theodosius Matwiejczuk, began to publicly proclaim that „the hour of bloody revenge on the Poles is approaching. This tribe will be strangled to the last one”; the Poles — with the Germans remaining passive — took up defensive action. A Polish defensive front over 100 km long was to be established at that time.
The commander of Region V in the Tomaszów Lubelski AK District, Marian Warda, nom de guerre „Polakowski”, who commanded c. 1,500 Polish partisans–soldiers, ordered the evacuation of the Polish population west of the Bełżec–Narol–Płazów–Cieszanów road. In Lubaczów County, c. 12,000 Poles were evacuated. On the other hand, a large portion of the Ukrainian population, warned by the AK, moved east.
Murderous attacks on Polish towns began. In his village, which had a Polish majority, Poles began to post outposts and guard posts, especially at night, despite the proximity of the Germans, who also protected the Ukrainians living there with their presence.
It was then that AK intelligence discovered that, as the parish priest of the Greek Catholic parish, was also the leader of a UPA unit, the so—called „decurions” and provided information to UPA kurens operating in the area. An investigation was conducted, which confirmed the suspicions. An order was issued to eliminate him and several other Ukrainians accused of collaborating with the UPA.
On 29.03.1944, the operation was carried out by the AK „Narol” company, under the command of Charles Kostecki, nom de guerre „Kostek”.
Was prob. surprised during a UPA meeting. A weapons cache was found in the basement of his rectory.
Along with him, according to Polish sources, nine Ukrainians were eliminated. Some sources claim that „bystanders” were among them. One of the victims was his sister, a teacher. According to Ukrainian sources, was stabbed to death, and 12 people died.
The following night, the Ukrainians from Bełżec fled towards Rawa Ruska, although witnesses claim that „some local Ukrainians were against the fratricidal Polish–Ukrainian fighting”.
Perhaps this execution prompted another perpetrator of the genocide, Miroslav Onyshkevych, nom de guerre „Orest”, chief of staff of Military District WO‐2 „Bug”, part of „UPA‐West”, to detailed on 06.04.1944 the tasks of the UPA units under his command, as follows: „I order the immediate purging of my region of the Polish element […] The purging should be carried out in the sparsely populated areas by Poles. For this purpose, a militia group composed of our members should be established in the area, whose task would be to eliminate the above‐mentioned. Larger areas will be purged of this element by our military units even in broad daylight […] The purging of the area must be completed before our Easter, so that we can celebrate it without Poles […] Fight them hard and ruthlessly. Spare no one, even in the case of mixed marriages. Pull the Poles out of their homes, but do not eliminate the Ukrainians and children in these houses […] Take out your weapons. Death to the Poles”.
It became a joke of history that both Marian Warda, nom de guerre „Polakowski”, and Charles Kostecki, nom de guerre „Kostek”, later became „cursed soldiers”, Polish heroes who saved the Polish community of the southern Chełm region from the fate of Volyn, exterminated by Ukrainians, then spent many years in Commie‐Nazi prisons (the latter was even sentenced to six „death sentences”) and to this day do not have their monuments. Meanwhile, on 12.10.2007, the génocidaire Roman Shukhevych was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. On 10.12.2017, on behalf of the „Coordination Council for the Commemoration of Decorated Knights of the OUN and UPA”, génocidaire Vasyl Sydor was posthumously awarded in Lviv the Silver Cross of Military Merit of the UPA, 1st Class (No. 009). In several locations, monuments and commemorative plaques have been erected to these Lat. „hostis humani generis”, the schools were named after them.
Lat. „O Tempora! O mores!”
cause of death
mass murder
perpetrators
Poles
sites and events
«Genocidium Atrox»Click to display the description, GeneralgouvernementClick to display the description, Ribbentrop‐MolotovClick to display the description, Pius XI's encyclicalsClick to display the description
date and place
of birth
15.06.1905
Dobromyltoday: Dobromyl urban hrom., Sambir rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.10.09]
parents
KNEJCZUK James
🞲 ?, ? — 🕆 ?, ?
🞲 ?, ? — 🕆 ?, ?
presbyter (holy orders)
ordination
04.03.1934
Przemyśltoday: Przemyśl city pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.04.01]
St Therese GC cathedral churchmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2025.03.14]
positions held
1936 – 1944
administrator — Bełżectoday: Bełżec gm., Tomaszów Lubelski pov., Lublin voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.12.18] ⋄ St Basil the Great GC parish ⋄ Rava‐Ruskatoday: Rava‐Ruska urban hrom., Lviv rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.16] GC deanery
from 1943
priest — Krupiectoday: part of Narol, Narol gm., Lubaczów pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.12.18] ⋄ Handing the Cincture of the Theotokos GC parish ⋄ Cieszanówtoday: Cieszanów gm., Lubaczów pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.11.20] GC deanery
1934 – 1936
vicar — Leżajsktoday: Leżajsk urban gm., Leżajsk pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.10.09] ⋄ Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary GC parish ⋄ Leżajsktoday: Leżajsk urban gm., Leżajsk pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.10.09] GC deanery
1930 – 1934
student — Przemyśltoday: Przemyśl city pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.04.01] ⋄ philosophy and theology, Greek Catholic Theological Seminary
sites and events
descriptions
«Genocidium Atrox»: In 1939‐1947, especially in 1943‐1944, independent Ukrainian units, mainly belonging to genocidal Ukrainian organizations OUN (political arm) and UPA (military arm), supported by local Ukrainian population, murdered — often in extremely brutal way — in Volyn and surrounding regions of pre‐war Poland, from 130,000 to 180,000 Poles, all civilians: men, women, children, old and young. Polish‐Ukrainian conflict that openly emerged during and after World War I (in particular resulting in Polish‐Ukrainian war of 1918‐1919), that survived and even deepened later when western Ukraine became a part Poland, exploded again after the outbreak of the World War II in 09.1939. During Russian occupation of 1939‐1941, when hundreds of thousands of Poles were deported into central Russia, when tens of thousands were murdered (during so‐called Katyń massacres, among others), this open conflict had a limited character, helped by the fact that at that time Ukrainians, Ukrainian nationalists in particular, were also persecuted by the Russians. The worst came after German‐Russian war started on 22.06.1941 and German occupation resulted. Initially Ukrainians supported Germans (Ukrainian police was initiated, Ukrainians co—participated in extermination of the Jews and were joining army units fighting alongside Germans). Later when German ambivalent position towards Ukraine became apparent Ukrainians started acting independently. And in 1943 one of the units of aforementioned Ukrainian OUN/UPA organization, in Volyn, started and perpetrated a genocide of Polish population of this region. In mere few weeks OUN/UPA murdered, with Germans passively watching on the sidelines, more than 40,000 Poles. This strategy was consequently approved and adopted by all OUN/UPA organisations and similar genocides took place in Eastern Lesser Poland (part of Ukraine) where more than 20,000 Poles were slaughtered, meeting however with growing resistance from Polish population. Further west, in Chełm, Rzeszów, etc. regions this genocide turned into an extremely bloody conflict. In general genocide, perpetrated by Ukrainian nationalists, partly collaborating with German occupants, on vulnerable Polish population took part in hundreds of villages and small towns, where virtually all Polish inhabitants were wiped out. More than 200 priests, religious and nuns perished in this holocaust — known as «Genocidium Atrox» (Eng. „savage genocide”) The nature and purpose of genocide is perhaps best reflected in the song sung by the murderers: „We will slaughter the Poles, we will cut down the Jews, we must conquer the great Ukraine” (ukr. „Поляків виріжем, Євреїв видусим, велику Україну здобути мусим”). This holocaust and conflict ended up in total elimination of Polish population and Polish culture from Ukraine, in enforced deportations in 1944‐1945 of remaining Poles from Ukraine and some Ukrainians into Ukraine proper, and finally in deportation of Ukrainians from East‐South to the Western parts of Polish republic prl by Commie‐Nazi Russian controlled Polish security forces („Vistula Action”). (more on: www.swzygmunt.knc.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.06.20])
Generalgouvernement: 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. In two of them new German provinces were created, two other were incorporated into other provinces. However, the fifth part was treated separately, and in a political sense it was supposed to recreate the German idea from 1915 (during World War I, after the defeat of the Russians in the Battle of Gorlice in 05.1915) of creating a Polish enclave within Germany. Illegal in the sense of international law, i.e. Hague Convention, and public law, managed by the Germans according to separate laws — especially established for the Polish Germ. Untermenschen (Eng. subhumans) — till the Russian offensive in 1945 it constituted part of the Germ. Großdeutschland (Eng. Greater Germany). Till 31.07.1940 formally called Germ. Generalgouvernement für die besetzten polnischen Gebiete (Eng. General Government for the occupied Polish lands) — later simply Germ. Generalgouvernement (Eng. General Governorate), as in the years 1915‐1918. From 07.1941, i.e. after the German attack on 22.06.1941 against the erstwhile ally, the Russians, it also included the Galicia district, i.e. the Polish pre‐war south‐eastern voivodeships. A special criminal law was enacted and applied to Poles and Jews, allowing for the arbitrary administration of the death penalty regardless of the age of the „perpetrator”, and sanctioning the use of collective responsibility. After the end of the military conflict of the World War UU, the government of the Germ. Generalgouvernement was recognized as a criminal organization, and its leader, governor Hans Frank, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and executed. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2024.12.13])
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.vox-populi.com.uaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.03.01], www.academia.eduClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.11.24], www.tomaszow.lub.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.11.24]
bibliographical:
„Clergy of Przemyśl Eparchy and Apostolic Exarchate of Lemkivshchyna”, Bogdan Prach, Ukrainian Catholic University Publishing House, Lviv 2015
„Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933‐1945”, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ed. Martin Dean, volume II: „Ghettos in German–Occupied Eastern Europe”, part A
„Genocidium Atrox”, GTKRK, https://www.swzygmunt.knc.pl/GENOCIDEs/15 GENOCIDUM ATROX/vPOLISH/MAINs/GENATROXsearch01.htm
original images:
100krokiv.infoClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.11.24], 100krokiv.infoClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.11.24]
LETTER to CUSTODIAN/ADMINISTRATOR
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MARTYROLOGY: KNEJCZUK Yaroslav
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