Meet These Pre-WWII Martyrs From Poland

Poland had its share of Martyrs even before St Maximilian Kolbe was killed by the Nazis and Bld Jerzy Popiełuszko was killed by the commies.

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

Blessed Wincenty Lewoniuk and his 12 Companions were killed for remaining faithful to their Eastern-Catholic faith and their loyalty to the Holy Father.

Poland could be called a land of martyrs, especially for the remarkable faith many Catholics had during World War II.

Yet, even before World War II, Catholics in Poland were being persecuted for their faith and had to endure great suffering in their desire to remain faithful to the Church.

This occurred at a time when Poland wasn't even on the maps of Europe and was occupied by a variety of countries, including Russia.

During the 19th century, Eastern Catholics in Poland faced pressure to convert to the Russian Orthodox Church, breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church.

While some Eastern Catholics submitted to this request, a handful of simple farmers refused to cut ties with the pope. Their refusal eventually cost them their lives.

Martyrs of Pratulin

Pope Leo praised their heroic example of faithfulness in a recent general audience:

Thirty years ago, St. John Paul II beatified Wincenty Lewoniuk and his 12 Companions, martyrs who defended, to the point of shedding their blood, their belonging to the Catholic Church and their unity with the Successor of St. Peter, while remaining faithful to their own Eastern tradition. I entrust to their intercession the cause of unity among Christ’s disciples and Catholics who are persecuted today for their faith.

Pope John Paul II repeatedly turned to these Polish martyrs during his pontificate, especially whenever he visited Poland. For example, he made a stop in Siedlce in 1999 and highlighted how their example should lead us to contemplate the Church's unity:

By their death they confirmed the commitment to Christ of the Catholic Church of Eastern tradition. The same spirit sustained the countless faithful of the Byzantine-Ukrainian Rite, Bishops, priests and lay people, who during 45 years of persecution remained faithful to Christ, preserving their identity as a Church. In this witness, fidelity to Christ is interwoven with fidelity to the Church and becomes a service of unity.

Both Pope Leo and Pope John Paul II saw these lay martyrs as prime examples for all of us, showing the importance of remaining united to the Barque of Peter.

Bl. Wincenty Lewoniuk and his 12 Companions could have easily renounced Rome and embraced the Russian Orthodox faith, but instead, they freely gave their lives up, not willing to sacrifice their union with the Pope.

Their example certainly should make us pause and ask ourselves whether we would remain faithful to the Church if we were persecuted in a similar way.