St. John Paul II witnessed many horrors in Poland before and during World War II, one of which was the arrest of several priests during the Nazi Occupation.
According to VaticanNews, “The young Karol Wojtyła [future Pope John Paul II], who lived in Kraków’s Dębniki district during the war, witnessed the arrest of six of the nine Salesians. The Germans later deported them to the Dachau concentration camp, and this experience left a deep mark on the future pope. It became one of the events that influenced the maturation of his priestly vocation.”
Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, Archbishop of Kraków, went so far to say, “I firmly believe that the priestly vocation of St. John Paul II was also born from their martyrdom.”
St. John Paul II was ordained on November 1, 1946, and spent nearly his entire seminary studies in an underground seminary during World War II, successfully evading detection by the Nazis.
Now, in recognition of the Salesians’ martyrdoms, the Catholic Church has beatified the nine priests in a ceremony on June 6, at the Shrine of St. John Paul II in Krakow, Poland.
9 Salesian Martyrs
The following priests were arrested and killed at the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau between 1941 and 1942: Fr. Jan Świerc, Fr. Ignacy Antonowicz, Fr. Karol Golda, Fr. Włodzimierz Szembek, Fr. Franciszek Harazim, Fr. Ludwik Mroczek, Fr. Ignacy Dobiasz, Fr. Kazimierz Wojciechowski, and Fr. Franciszek Miśka.
Jan Swierc
Salezjanie
Each of them was a member of the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco. They were specifically targeted because they were Catholic priests, and not because of any political activism.
According to various testimonies, the priests continued their priestly ministry during their imprisonment:
In the concentration camp they offered spiritual comfort to fellow prisoners and, despite the humiliations and torture they suffered, continued to manifest their faith. They were mocked with insults to their ministry, tortured and then killed directly or brought to death by the inhuman conditions of captivity.
After World War II ended, many came to know of these Salesian priests and their extraordinary witness of faith in such horrible conditions.
Their example continues to be an inspiration today to many Polish people, especially those who are taught by Salesians in Poland. It is hoped that their example will inspire the next generation of priests, willing to give their entire lives to Jesus Christ.