Walter Ciszek Died on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

The Servant of God Walter Ciszek was a Russian Catholic priest who survived 5 years in a Soviet prison and 15 years of hard labour in the Gulag.

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

The holy Jesuit priest, author of 'He Leadeth Me,' was a remarkable individual whose spiritual strength sustained him during an intense period of isolation.

In recent years many around the world have become acquainted with Jesuit priest Walter Ciszek. His book, He Leadeth Me, was featured on the prayer and meditation app Hallow and soon after became a bestseller on Amazon. He's also well known for his book With God in Russia.

The cause for his canonization was officially opened in March 2012 and he is currently known under the title of "Servant of God."

The Vatican will need to investigate further to determine if he lived a life of "heroic virtue," which would then lead to him being named "Venerable."

Devotion to the Virgin Mary

Born to a Polish family in 1904, Ciszek was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout his whole life and many major events in his life providentially coincided with Marian feast days.

What was remarkable about Ciszek's life was his willingness to go behind the Iron Curtain. He felt a calling to minister in Russia and was trained in the Byzantine Rite so that he could better understand the Russian people.

He entered Russia and initially worked as an unskilled worker, but was eventually thought to be a spy and was arrested by the Russian secret police.

They thought he was a Vatican spy, and put him in prison for five years, much of that spent in solitary confinement. After that, he spent 15 years working in a forced labor camp in Siberia. It was there that he ministered to fellow prisoners, celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, and baptizing people covertly.

Also, one of the ways he kept close to the Virgin Mary during confinement was praying the 15 mysteries of the Rosary.

Eventually he was released and returned home to the United States on October 12, 1963, which, according to Father Robert W. Ketcham, was "while American Catholics were celebrating Columbus Day and the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

He died after a long life on the morning of December 8, 1984, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

According to writer Jim Graves, "He was found dead the next day, sitting in his pajamas in his chair, rosary in hand. The rosary was reflective of his love for the Blessed Mother."

Pictured: Fr Ciszek as a seminarian