The Eucharistic Celebration
“Although holiness is the goal of each of our lives and of the Church’s entire mission, today we gather as a parish community with hearts full of gratitude and joy to praise God for the gift of the beatification of one of our own, Blessed Father Franciszek Miśka. It was in this church, by this baptismal font, that his journey of faith began. Today we thank the good Lord for the gift of his life, for having faithfully fulfilled his vocation even unto martyrdom, and for the holiness confirmed by the Church through the act of beatification,” said Fr Pękała at the start of the celebration.
“Let us pray together that the Blessed may intercede for the graces our parish and each one of us need, and that, through his example, he may teach us every day to follow the way of the Gospel faithfully,” he added.
In his homily, Bishop Olszowski recalled that, of the nine Salesian martyrs beatified on 6 June, five were from Silesia and, of these, four were born within the boundaries of the present-day Archdiocese of Katowice.
“His fellow prisoners, recalling the final moments of Blessed Fr Franciszek’s life, wrote that he passed away fully conscious, comforting and encouraging his fellow confreres to persevere. He carried out his duties with great zeal and conscientiousness. He was sincerely devout and deeply united with God. His warmth and openness, his care for his pupils, for his parishioners and, finally, for his fellow prisoners, meant that people held him in respect and trust,” the bishop recalled.
At the same time, he emphasised that union with God does not mean a life free from problems: “Even Blessed Father Franciszek and the other blessed ones felt various kinds of uncertainties and fears in their hearts… Perhaps they even feared what lay ahead for them. For, my dear friends, fears, as today’s Word of God says, are an integral part of our lives.”
“St Paul, in the second reading, explains: ‘Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, so death has come to all men, because all have sinned’.”
He also emphasised that, in difficult times, “it is not God who turns his back on man, but very often it is man who turns his back on God. And that is when the difficulties and problems begin. That is when fears of various kinds, anxieties of various kinds, begin to arise. Blessed Father Franciszek reminds us that it is possible to remain faithful to God and to the Church. It is possible to overcome these various fears and anxieties, even in extreme and adverse circumstances. For, dear friends, no one is able to deprive us of our inner freedom.”
And, in conclusion, he expressed this hope: “May the example of Blessed Father Franciszek Miśka be for all of us an opportunity to reflect on how we live as Christians in this pastoral year, which we are experiencing under the motto ‘Disciples-Missionaries’. We are disciples of Jesus Christ and, at the same time, missionaries and witnesses. May we be courageous witnesses who do not shrink back in the face of adversity and sacrifice, even at the cost of our lives. Let us take these words to heart: ‘Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.’ This is what the blessed ones did. This is what Blessed Father Franciszek did. May we too fulfil this task entrusted to us.”
The entry in the baptismal register
An important moment of thanksgiving was the public entry in the register of baptisms, alongside the note concerning the sacraments received by Franciszek Miśka, of the beatification of Father Franciszek Miśka. Bishop Grzegorz Olszowski and the parish priest, Father Marcin Pękała, added their signatures. It is not often – and perhaps in some parishes it has never happened – that the parish priest, together with the bishop, adds the word ‘Blessed’ to the baptismal register.
“It is a great event,” emphasised Prof. Fr Jędrzejewski, author of various publications dedicated to the blessed martyrs. He thanked the parishioners for keeping alive the memory of the blessed man who hailed from the parish, adding: “This humble, local parish church has produced such a man, such a witness to the faith. All this did not come about by chance. It is not acquired by chance. This is brought from home; it is brought from one’s own church.” He encouraged the faithful to turn to Blessed Father Miśka in their daily prayers and to draw inspiration from his example, “so that those living today may know how to endure the martyrdom of conscience, the martyrdom of courage in the circumstances in which we find ourselves living today… The Church’s proclamation of a person as blessed or a saint is not merely a seal confirming their salvation, but a testimony from someone who has already walked the path and must draw others along it,” he concluded.
Source: Radio eM
{gallery}PLS – Messa ringraziamento D Miska a Bierun Stary 2026{/gallery}
