Blessed Martyrs of Nowogródek
Encyclopedia
The Blessed Martyrs of Nowogródek, also known as the Eleven Nuns of Nowogródek or Sister Stella and Companions were a group of Roman Catholic
nun
s from the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
killed by the Gestapo
in August 1943 in present-day Belarus
.
, the Sisters invested great effort in preparing for the religious services—for the residents of the town, liturgical prayer became a beacon of hope amid the hopelessness of the occupation.
The Nazi terror in Nowogródek began with the 1942 extermination of the Jews
. Of the 20,000 inhabitants of the town before the war, approximately half were Jews. The Germans murdered about 9,500 of the Jews in a series of "actions" and sent the remaining 550 Jews to slave labor camps. This was followed by a surge in Polish arrests
, then the slaughter of 60 people, including two priests. This situation was repeated on 18 July 1943, when more than 120 people were arrested and slated for execution.
The Sisters unanimously expressed their desire to offer their lives in sacrifice for the imprisoned. Sister Maria Stella shared the Sisters' decision with their chaplain Father Zienkiewicz and rector, saying, "My God, if sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us and spare those who have families. We are even praying for this intention." Almost immediately, the plans for the prisoners were changed—they were deported to work camps in Germany, and some of them were even released. When the life of Father Zienkiewicz was threatened, the Sisters renewed their offer, saying, "There is a greater need for a priest on this earth than for us. We pray that God will take us in his place, if sacrifice of life is needed."
process for the eleven nuns was officially opened and, on 28 June 1999, the Zenit News Agency
announced that Pope John Paul II had confirmed that they were martyr
s. Pope John Paul II
beatified
them with a group of thirty-three others on Sunday, 5 March 2000.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s from the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth are a Roman Catholic religious order which was founded in Rome in 1875 by Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd . The Sisters of the Holy Family are an apostolic, international congregation, located on four continents and in thirteen countries. There are...
killed by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
in August 1943 in present-day Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
.
Background
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth arrived in Nowogródek in 1929 at the behest of Bishop Zygmunt Lozinski. The Sisters became an integral part of the life of the town. During the Nazi and Soviet occupation of PolandHistory of Poland (1939–1945)
The history of Poland from 1939 to 1945 encompasses the German invasion of Poland as well as the Soviet invasion of Poland through to the end of World War II. On 1 September 1939, without a formal declaration of war, Germany invaded Poland...
, the Sisters invested great effort in preparing for the religious services—for the residents of the town, liturgical prayer became a beacon of hope amid the hopelessness of the occupation.
The Nazi terror in Nowogródek began with the 1942 extermination of the Jews
Operation Reinhard
Operation Reinhard was the code name given to the Nazi plan to murder Polish Jews in the General Government, and marked the most deadly phase of the Holocaust, the use of extermination camps...
. Of the 20,000 inhabitants of the town before the war, approximately half were Jews. The Germans murdered about 9,500 of the Jews in a series of "actions" and sent the remaining 550 Jews to slave labor camps. This was followed by a surge in Polish arrests
Nazi crimes against ethnic Poles
In addition to about 2.9 million Polish Jews , about 2.8 million non-Jewish Polish citizens perished during the course of the war...
, then the slaughter of 60 people, including two priests. This situation was repeated on 18 July 1943, when more than 120 people were arrested and slated for execution.
The Sisters unanimously expressed their desire to offer their lives in sacrifice for the imprisoned. Sister Maria Stella shared the Sisters' decision with their chaplain Father Zienkiewicz and rector, saying, "My God, if sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us and spare those who have families. We are even praying for this intention." Almost immediately, the plans for the prisoners were changed—they were deported to work camps in Germany, and some of them were even released. When the life of Father Zienkiewicz was threatened, the Sisters renewed their offer, saying, "There is a greater need for a priest on this earth than for us. We pray that God will take us in his place, if sacrifice of life is needed."
Martyrdom
Without warning or provocation, on 31 July 1943, eleven of the sisters were imprisoned, loaded into a van and driven beyond the town limits. The eleven nuns were killed on 1 August 1943 in the woods 5 km (3.1 mi) beyond Nowogródek, and buried in a common grave. After the execution, Sister M. Malgorzata Banas, the community's sole surviving member, located the place of the martyrdom, and remained the guardian of their common grave until her own death in 1966. The Church of the Transfiguration, known as Biała Fara, or "White Church", now contains the relics of the eleven martyrs.Martyrs
The eleven martyrs are listed below, along with their birth names, dates of birth, and ages at the time of their death.| Religious name | Birth name | Birth date | Age at death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sister M. Stella, Superior | Adela Mardosewicz | 14 Dec 1888 | years old |
| Sister M. Rajmunda | Anna Kokołowicz | 24 Aug 1892 | years old |
| Sister M. Imelda | Jadwiga Karolina Żak | 29 Dec 1892 | years old |
| Sister M. Daniela | Eleonora Aniela Jóźwik | 25 Jan 1895 | years old |
| Sister M. Kanuta | Józefa Chrobot | 22 May 1896 | years old |
| Sister M. Gwidona | Helena Cierpka | 11 Apr 1900 | years old |
| Sister M. Sergia | Julia Rapiej | 18 Aug 1900 | years old |
| Sister M. Kanizja | Eugenia Mackiewicz | 27 Nov 1903 | years old |
| Sister M. Felicyta | Paulina Borowik | 30 Aug 1905 | years old |
| Sister M. Heliodora | Leokadia Matuszewska | 8 Feb 1906 | years old |
| Sister M. Boromea | Weronika Narmontowicz | 18 Dec 1916 | years old |
Beatification
On 18 September 1991, the canonizationCanonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
process for the eleven nuns was officially opened and, on 28 June 1999, the Zenit News Agency
Zenit News Agency
ZENIT is a non-profit news agency that reports on the Catholic Church and issues important to it from the perspective of Church doctrine. ZENIT's motto is, "The world seen from Rome."...
announced that Pope John Paul II had confirmed that they were martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
beatified
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
them with a group of thirty-three others on Sunday, 5 March 2000.