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
religious status
Servant of God
surname
MENDRIKS
forename(s)
John (pl. Jan)
forename(s)
versions/aliases
Jānis
function
diocesan priest
creed
Latin (Roman Catholic) Church RCmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.09.21]
congregation
Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary MICmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2013.05.19]
(i.e. Marians of the Immaculate Conception)
diocese / province
Riga archdiocesemore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2013.05.19]
nationality
Latvian
date and place
of death
01.08.1953
ITL RechLagGuLAG slave labour camp network
today: Vorkuta, Komi rep., Russia
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.09]
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2024.01.26]
details of death
After German and Russian invasion of Poland in 09.1939 and start of the World War II, after German attack in 06.1941 of their erstwhile ally, Russians, refused in 1942 to give burial in Ustron village to German officer known from sinful life who died without remorse and was shot by the partisans.
Since then — till the end of German occupation and start of another Russian occupation of Latvia in 1944 — in hiding.
After the end of World War II hostilities arrested on 25.10.1950 in Jounborne by Russian genocidal MGB (part of former NKVD).
Held in Riga prison.
Accused of „founding anti–Russian nationalist gang and anti–Russian propaganda” (Art. 17‐58‐1а and Art. 58 10 p. 2 of the Penal Code) and on 24.03.1951 sentenced by Russians to 10 years of slave labour in Russian concentration camps Gulag.
Held in ITL RechLag (separated from ITL VorkutLag) concentration camp in republic of Komi where slaved in the coal mine No. 29 in the hamlet of Yurshor (c. 19 km from Vorkuta).
On 25.07.1953, after Russian leader Joseph Stalin's death and execution of the head of MGB Lavrenty Beria, took part in camp's strike.
On 01.08.1951 Russians surrounded the camp with soldiers.
Walked out in front of the line of prisoners and began to recite the formula for the forgiveness of sins: Lat. „Misereatur vestri Omnipotens Deus” (Eng. „May Almighty God have mercy on you”). Then was shot by one of the Russian guards. Perished as one of c. 53 victims when an order to shoot at the prisoners was issued...
cause of death
mass murder
perpetrators
Russians
sites and events
ITL RechLagClick to display the description, OsobLagsClick to display the description, ITL VorkutLagClick to display the description, GulagClick to display the description, Ribbentrop‐MolotovClick to display the description, Pius XI's encyclicalsClick to display the description
date and place
of birth
21.01.1907
Logockitoday: Kalupe pog., Augšdaugava mun., Latvia
more on
lv.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.06.29]
religious vows
09.01.1927 (temporary)
06.01.1933 (permanent)
presbyter (holy orders)
ordination
03.04.1938 (Riga cathedralmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2019.02.02])
positions held
1948 – 1950
parish priest — Jaunbornetoday: Saliena pog., Daugavpils mun., Latvia
more on
lv.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.06.29] ⋄ Exaltation of the Holy Cross RC parish
1948 – 1950
parish priest — Elernestoday: Tabore pog., Daugavpils mun., Latvia
more on
lv.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.08.05] ⋄ Ascension of the Lord RC parish
vicar — Ustroņitoday: Strupļi pog., Viļāni mun., Latvia
more on
lv.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.12.18] ⋄ St Anthony RC parish
vicar — Lamiņitoday: Pūre pog., Tukums mun., Latvia
more on
lv.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.08.05] ⋄ RC parish
vicar — Kandavatoday: Tukums mun., Latvia
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.06.29] ⋄ RC parish
vicar — Sabiletoday: Sabile city pog., Talsi mun., Latvia
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.06.29] ⋄ RC parish
from 1938
friar and parish vicar — Viļānitoday: Rēzekne mun., Latvia
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.05.20] ⋄ St Adalbert Congregation's house, Marians of the Immaculate Conception MIC ⋄ St Michael the Archangel RC parish
1933 – 1938
student — Rigatoday: Riga city mun., Latvia
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.07.31] ⋄ philosophy and theology, Theological Seminary
till 1933
friar — Aglonatoday: Aglona pog., Preiļi mun., Latvia
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.06.29] ⋄ Congregation's house, Marians of the Immaculate Conception MIC — gymnasium student
08.01.1926 – 09.01.1927
novitiate — Viļānitoday: Rēzekne mun., Latvia
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.05.20] ⋄ St Adalbert Congregation's house, Marians of the Immaculate Conception MIC
1926
accession — Marians of the Immaculate Conception MIC
others related
in death
LAHSClick to display biography Anthony, PODLEWSKIClick to display biography John, PUDANSClick to display biography Andrew, PUDNIKSClick to display biography Constantine, SKROMANSClick to display biography Anthony, CEBROWSKIClick to display biography Victor, CZUBATYClick to display biography Vladimir, RUDISClick to display biography Ignatius, RYŁŁOClick to display biography Theodore, WACZYŃSKIClick to display biography Peter, ŻDANClick to display biography John, GRABLIKASClick to display biography Paul, LIUTKUSClick to display biography Peter
sites and events
descriptions
ITL RechLag: Russian Rus. Исправи́тельно‐Трудово́й Ла́герь (Eng. Corrective Labor Camp) ITL Rus. Речной (Eng. River) — concentration and slave forced labor camp (within the Gulag complex) — headquartered in Vorkuta in Komi Republic. Founded on 27.08.1948, by the order No. 001040 of the Russian genocidal MGB, from part of the ITL VorktutLag, and also functioning as the Rus. Особый лагерь (Eng. Special camp) GULAG No. 6. Prisoners — political, who wore camp numbers sewn on their clothes: on their backs, knees and hats — slaved, in the harshest, backbreaking regime, at the construction and maintenance of industrial and civil facilities, in coal mining, agricultural work, in quarries for gravel and clay extraction, in the construction of roads, railway plants, factories, in mechanical and repair workshops, clothing factories, design, geological research offices, etc. At its peak — till the death on 05.03.1953 of Russian socialist leader, Joseph Stalin — c. 38,000 prisoners were held there: e.g. 25,024 (01.01.1950); 27,547 (01.01.1951); 35,459 (01.01.1952); 35,451 (01.01.1953); 37,654 (01.08.1954). On 19.07‐01.08.1953 it was the site of one of the largest prisoner revolts in the Gulag camps, which went down in history under the name of the Vorkuta Uprising — at least 53 prisoners died (other sources estimate 42‐66). On 26.05.1954 was dissolved and returned to the ITL VorkutLag camp structure. (more on: old.memo.ruClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2024.04.08])
OsobLags: Pursuant to Decree No. 416‐159сс dated 21.02.1948 of the Russian government, the Russian criminal organization MVD (successor to the NKVD) issued a Decree No. 00219 of 28.02.1948 establishing a separate network of camps within the Gulag system for a „special group” of political prisoners sentenced under Art. 58 of the Penal Code (referring to „enemies of the people”, i.e. accused of treason, espionage, terrorism, etc.) Initially, the group of camps included the ITL MinLag, ITL GorLag, ITL DubravLag, ITL StepLag and ITL BerLag concentration camps. Later, the following ones were added: ITL RechLag, ITL OzerLag, ITL PeschanŁag, ITL LugLag, ITL Kamyshlag, ITL DalLag, ITL VodorazDelLag. After the death of the Russian socialist leader, Joseph Stalin, in 1953, the three largest revolts in the history of the Gulag took place there: the Norilsk Uprising, the Vorkuta Uprising and the Kengir Uprising. In c. 1954 the camps were converted into standard correctional camps. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2024.01.26])
ITL VorkutLag: Russian Rus. Исправи́тельно‐Трудово́й Ла́герь (Eng. Corrective Labor Camp) ITL Rus. Воркутинский (Eng. Vorkutinskiy) — concentration and slave forced labor camp (within the Gulag complex) — headquartered in the town of Vorkuta in the Republic of Komi (initially prob. in Arkhangelsk Oblast), beyond the Arctic circle. Founded on 10.05.1938. Prisoners slaved at the construction of mines and coal mining (including processing plants, construction and renovation of access railway lines), preparation for industrial purposes and development of molybdenum deposits (including construction of the Vorkuta‐Kharbey power line, experimental enrichment plant, access roads), construction of barges on the Pechora River, construction of a thermal power plant, in various factories (production of bricks, building materials, wood processing, cement, furs, consumer goods), workshops (repair, mechanical), auxiliary agricultural work, etc. At its peak — till the death on 05.03.1953 of Russian socialist leader, Joseph Stalin — c. 73,000 prisoners were held there: e.g. 52,195 (01.01.1946); 62,525 (01.01.1948); 62,676 (01.01.1950); 72,940 (01.01.1951); 41,677 (01.01.1952); 52,453 (01.01.1955); 50,515 (01.01.1956); 49,646 (01.01.1957). In the most tragic year in the history of the camp, 1943, 15.5% of prisoners died. The total number of victims is unknown. Ceased to exist in 1960. (more on: old.memo.ruClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2024.04.08])
Gulag: The acronym Gulag comes from the Rus. Главное управление исправительно‐трудовых лагерей и колоний (Eng. Main Board of Correctional Labor Camps). The network of Russian concentration camps for slave labor was formally established by the decision of the highest Russian authorities on 27.06.1929. Control was taken over by the OGPU, the predecessor of the genocidal NKVD (from 1934) and the MGB (from 1946). Individual gulags (camps) were often established in remote, sparsely populated areas, where industrial or transport facilities important for the Russian state were built. They were modeled on the first „great construction of communism”, the White Sea‐Baltic Canal (1931‐1932), and Naftali Frenkel, of Jewish origin, is considered the creator of the system of using forced slave labor within the Gulag. He went down in history as the author of the principle „We have to squeeze everything out of the prisoner in the first three months — then nothing is there for us”. He was to be the creator, according to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, of the so‐called „Boiler system”, i.e. the dependence of food rations on working out a certain percentage of the norm. The term ZEK — prisoner — i.e. Rus. заключенный‐каналоармец (Eng. canal soldier) — was coined in the ITL BelBaltLag managed by him, and was adopted to mean a prisoner in Russian slave labor camps. Up to 12 mln prisoners were held in Gulag camps at one time, i.e. c. 5% of Russia's population. In his book „The Gulag Archipelago”, Solzhenitsyn estimated that c. 60 mln people were killed in the Gulag until 1956. Formally dissolved on 20.01.1960. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2024.04.08])
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:
pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.09.02], pl.catholicmartyrs.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.09.02], pl.catholicmartyrs.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.09.02]
bibliographical:
„Lexicon of Polish clergy repressed in USSR in 1939‐1988”, Roman Dzwonkowski, SAC, ed. Science Society KUL, 2003, Lublin
original images:
lv.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.09.02], pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2021.12.19]
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