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
SZCZURKO
forename(s)
Steven James (pl. Stefan Jakub)
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
01.07.1948
ITL SibLagGuLAG slave labour camp network
today: Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk oblast, Russia
more on
ru.wikipedia.org
[access: 2024.01.29]
details of death
After German and Russian invasion of Poland in 09.1939 and start of the World War II, after start of Russian occupation, arrested on 09.01.1940 by the agents of Russian genocidal NKVD organization from Sambir reg.
Held in Sambir prison.
Accused — together with his son and three of his parishioners — of participation in an attack on another inhabitant of his parish village and causing grievous bodily harm.
During interrogations prior to a trial accused in addition of „distribution of counter–revolutionary literature [during Polish rule].
[…] After start of Russian rule […] during celebrations […] spoke about fast demise of Russian authorities”.
In reality the reason for arrest was a denouncement of one of parishioners purely from personal dispute.
On 17.06.1941 in the face of number of his parishioners' testimonies acquitted — with his son and other accused.
Released however only at the end of 06.1941, after German attack on 22.06.1941 of their erstwhile ally, Russians, and start of German occupation — prob. thus survived a Russian massacre of the prisoners in Sambir prison.
Following that returned to his parish.
After German defeat and start in 1944 of another Russian occupation, refused in 1945 to sign so‐called „initiative group” manifesto, advocating incorporation of Greek Catholic Church into Russian Orthodox Church (that materialized during so‐called Lviv pseudo–council on 08‐10.03.1946 when Russians formally „liquidated” Greek Catholic Church robbing it of its possessions and passing it to Orthodox Church).
On 26.06.1945 arrested by NKVD agents from Drohobych oblast.
For 6 months held in Drohobych investigative prison.
Accused prob. of supporting and helping member of „nationalist bands” (i.e. OUN/UPA units, the organisation responsible for Volyn genocide).
Sentenced prob. by a Russian NKVD kangaroo military court to 10 years of slave labour in Russian concentration camps Gulag.
Sent prob. to one of the camps of ITL SibLag concentration camps complex in Novosibirsk, where perished in unknown circumstances.
cause of death
extermination
perpetrators
Russians
sites and events
ITL SibLagClick to display the description, GulagClick to display the description, Drohobych (prisons)Click to display the description, «Genocidium Atrox»Click to display the description, Prison massacres — Sambir 06.1941Click to display the description, Ribbentrop‐MolotovClick to display the description, Pius XI's encyclicalsClick to display the description
date and place
of birth
08.01.1876
Przemyśltoday: Przemyśl city pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.04.01]
presbyter (holy orders)
ordination
29.03.1903 (Greek Catholic Przemyśl cathedral)
positions held
1942 – 1945
parish priest — Strashevychitoday: Staryi Sambir urban hrom., Sambir rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
uk.wikipedia.org
[access: 2023.03.02] ⋄ Exaltation of the Lord's Cross GC parish ⋄ Staryi Sambirform.: Staremiasto
today: Staryi Sambir urban hrom., Sambir rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.10.09] GC deanery
1934 – 1940
parish priest — Zvirtoday: Ralivka hrom., Sambir rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
uk.wikipedia.org
[access: 2023.03.02] ⋄ Blessed Virgin Mary GC parish ⋄ Pidbuzhtoday: Skhidnytsia hrom., Drohobych rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.16] GC deanery
1933 – 1934
administrator — Makowatoday: Fredropol gm., Przemyśl pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.16] ⋄ St John the Baptist GC parish ⋄ Dobromyltoday: Dobromyl urban hrom., Sambir rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.10.09] GC deanery
1907 – 1933
parish priest — Kokhanivkatoday: Yavoriv urban hrom., Yavoriv rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
uk.wikipedia.org
[access: 2023.03.02] ⋄ Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary GC parish ⋄ Yavoriv / Krakovetsdeanery names/seats
today: Yavoriv urban hrom., Yavoriv rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine GC deanery
1903 – 1907
vicar — Lubliniecalso: Stary Lubliniec
today: Cieszanów gm., Lubaczów pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.16] ⋄ Transfiguration of the Lord GC parish ⋄ Lubaczówtoday: Lubaczów urban gm., Lubaczów pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2020.11.20] GC deanery
1901 – 1902
student — Przemyśltoday: Przemyśl city pov., Subcarpathia voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.04.01] ⋄ philosophy and theology, Greek Catholic Theological Seminary
1898 – 1901
student — Lvivtoday: Lviv urban hrom., Lviv rai., Lviv obl., Ukraine
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.16] ⋄ philosophy and theology, Greek Catholic Theological Seminary
married — four children
others related
in death
HAWRYSZKIEWICZClick to display biography Elias, ŁUCYKClick to display biography Peter (Fr Porfirius), SUCHYClick to display biography Michael
sites and events
descriptions
ITL SibLag: Russian Rus. Исправи́тельно‐Трудово́й Ла́герь (Eng. Corrective Labor Camp) ITL Rus. Сибирский (Eng. Siberian) — concentration and slave forced labor camp (within the Gulag complex) — headquartered in Mariinsk in Kemerovo Oblast, where a central camp for invalids was also operational (moved twice to Novosibirsk, c. 350 km away). Founded in 1929. One of the largest — initially spread over large area from Omsk to Krasnoiarsk, as a matter of fact whole Western Siberian Plain, next subdivided and limited to Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Kemerovo oblasts. Up to 80,000 inmates were held in SibLag: e.g. 78,838 (01.01.1938); 77,919 (01.01.1942); 70,370 (01.04.1942). Prisoners slaved at railroad construction, forestry, carpentry and in coal mines, and other industrial branches (brick, clothing, leather and fur factories and plants). Closed down in c. 1960. (more on: tspace.library.utoronto.caClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.09.02], www.gulagmuseum.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2014.05.09])
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])
Drohobych (prisons): Before the outbreak of the World War II in 09.1939 a criminal prison functioned at Drohobych Truskawiecka Str. where c. 1,200‐1,500 inmates were held. After the start in 09.1939 of the first Russian occupation a new jail run by Russian NKVD genocidal organization was opened at Striyska Str. (by regional NKVD headquarters). There in 06.1941, after German attack of their erstwhile ally, Russians, NKVD perpetrated a genocidal massacre of prisoners. After German defeat and start in 1944 of another Russian occupation NKVD returned to the same buildings and again opened their jail, where hundreds and thousands of people suspected of not supporting Russia were held and interrogated. The jail was closed in 1959. The prison at Truskawiecka Str. however remained open throughout the World War II, both during Russian and German occupations, stayed open after the end of military hostilities and operates till today. (more on: btx.home.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2020.04.04])
«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])
Prison massacres — Sambir 06.1941: After German attack of Russians on 22.06.1941 Russians murdered prisoners held in Sambir prison. Prison held more than 1,310 inmates (on 10.06.1941, later, after German attack, many others from nearby villages were brought in and Russians did not even manage to register them). Right after German invasion Russians started to murder prisoners. For 5 days, without a break, a „military court” sat in prison, a prisoners in groups of 5‐10 inmates were summarily sentenced to death and next led to the basement and murdered by a shot to the back of the head. Prob. half of prisoners were murdered this way. On c. 26‐27.06.1941 an order to speed up execution was issued. C. 50 prisoners were brought to the internal square and machine gunned from watchtowers, followed by grenade shelling. Some inmates survived and led to a mutiny. For next days Russians surrounded the prison and shot at random. And then escaped from the town. It is estimated that Russians managed to murder c. 600‐700 prisoners, mainly Ukrainians and Poles. (more on: pl.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.12.26])
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:
dlibra.kul.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2019.12.26]
bibliographical:
„Clergy of Przemyśl Eparchy and Apostolic Exarchate of Lemkivshchyna”, Bogdan Prach, Ukrainian Catholic University Publishing House, Lviv 2015
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