The meeting with the young people

Over 100 young people met with Fr Attard in an event that provided an opportunity to discuss important everyday issues, take group photos and ask questions to which the young people were seeking answers. Don Bosco’s 11th Successor received a special gift from the young people: a commemorative T-shirt marking the beatification.

The participants

Fr Attard concelebrated the Mass of thanksgiving for the beatification of the nine Salesian martyrs at the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians – together with numerous other priests, not only Salesians – presided over by the Bishop of Bielsko-Żywiec, Roman Pindel, and during which he also delivered the homily.

The celebration was attended by numerous Salesians of Don Bosco, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, representatives of the Salesian Family, young people and Salesian Past Pupils from all over Poland; but there were also representatives of Salesian communities in Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, France, Romania and other countries; and local authorities, including Iwona Gibas, a member of the Małopolska Regional Council, and Janusz Chwierut, Mayor of Oświęcim, accompanied by his wife.

The homily during Mass

“The story of these nine sons of St John Bosco does not begin in the horror of Auschwitz and Dachau, but in the silence of prayer, in the humility of the confessional and in total trust in God, even before darkness fell,” emphasised the Rector Major in his homily, before highlighting three fundamental aspects of the spirituality of the new Blesseds: the desire to know God, faith that matures in suffering, and the freedom of the heart capable of responding to Christ’s call.

Referring to the words of the prophet Hosea, he emphasised that a true relationship with God arises from daily seeking and perseverance. “Faith cannot be improvised. It is built up over the years, in the daily rhythm of prayer and humility,” he emphasised. Thus, he added, the Salesian martyrs found strength in the hour of trial, because they had sought it every day.

Furthermore, he evoked the figure of Blessed Fr Karol Golda – the youngest of the nine martyrs – and recalled his youthful desire to “aim high”, which he realised through Eucharistic adoration, frequent confession and the reading of Sacred Scripture. Arrested for having administered the sacrament of reconciliation to a German soldier, “he was not driven by fear, but by the desire to be close to God”, the preacher emphasised.

He spoke of Blessed Fr Franciszek Harazim, describing him as “a spiritual pillar of the Salesian Congregation in Poland”, who remained faithful to the sacraments until the end. As he lay dying in a concentration camp, he asked a confrere to hear his confession and grant him absolution. “Confession was the first sacrament he learned to love and the last he received,” Fr Attard emphasised.

The Rector Major spoke of faith that matures through suffering. Referring to the figure of Abraham in the Letter to the Romans, he recalled that trials do not destroy authentic faith, but purify and strengthen it.

Speaking of Blessed Fr Jan Świerc, the eldest of the group of martyrs, Don Bosco’s 11th Successor quoted a testimony describing his final moments. The priest prayed, saying: “Jesus, have mercy on us”, despite the brutality of his tormentors. “His faith and his trust in God never let him down,” he emphasised.

He also recalled Blessed Fr Ignacy Antonowicz – a Doctor of Theology from the Gregorian University and a war veteran – who, after being brutally beaten at Auschwitz, lay dying for almost a month in the camp hospital. Yet, “his faith never abandoned him,” he emphasised.

The Rector Major then recounted a testimony about Blessed Fr Ludwik Mroczek. A fellow prisoner recalled that conversations with him brought comfort and hope amidst the hell of the camp. “His simplicity and kindness reassured people amidst a sea of hatred, suffering and bitterness,” Fr Attard quoted. “The camp did not destroy him. In him, it revealed the truth,” he added.

The third dimension of the martyrs’ witness was – according to Fr Attard – freedom of the heart. Referring to the Gospel account of the calling of St Matthew, he emphasised that following Christ requires freedom from fear, selfishness and attachment to the world. “Saying ‘yes’ to Jesus is not a matter of momentary emotions, but of a deep conviction of the heart,” he stressed.

“Our martyrs did not preach from the pulpit. They taught through their own lives, through their choices and through the stillness of prayer, whilst the world shouted that God does not exist,” said Fr Attard. Thus, their witness today becomes an invitation to examine our consciences regarding our own choices, fears and convictions.

At the end of his homily, Fr Attard recalled the words of St John Paul II from 1999 on the light of Christ that shone in the darkness of the concentration camps thanks to the martyrs’ witness. “Let us not be afraid and let this light shine in us today as well,” he urged.

“We are not here merely to remember them. We are here to take up the challenge of their witness,” he affirmed, asking for the grace to know God each day, for courage in times of trial, and to follow Christ “with a free heart, full of joy and hope”.

The conclusion by the Superior of PLS

The Superior of the Salesian Province of Poland-Krakow (PLS), Fr Dariusz Bartocha, in thanking all those present at the ceremony, highlighted the international dimension of this joint celebration. He addressed words of particular gratitude to the families of the new Blesseds: “Once they entrusted their children to the Salesian family, and today they have found them again in the family of the saints,” he said. As he emphasised, the joy of the beatification is an experience shared by the whole Salesian Family.

He also recalled that the nine martyrs were linked to the shrine at Oświęcim and prayed before the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, who is to be crowned in September. “This thanksgiving had to take place right here,” he added. At the end, he addressed the young people, encouraging them to have courage in discerning their vocation: “Perhaps some of you will find in your hearts a vocation to become a Salesian brother or sister. This great family leads along the paths of holiness,” he concluded.

These Sunday celebrations were a beautiful and joyful thanksgiving for the beatification of the nine Salesian martyrs: Fr Jan Świerc, Fr Ignacy Antonowicz, Fr Ignacy Dobiasz, Fr Karol Golda, Fr Franciszek Harazim, Fr Franciszek Miśka, Fr Ludwik Mroczek, Fr Włodzimierz Szembek and Fr Kazimierz Wojciechowski.

Sources: Diocese of Bielsko-Żywiec, Salesians PLS

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