Blessed Antoni Leszczewicz
Blessed Antoni Leszczewicz (born January 2, 1890 AD in Kamienna, Lithuania (now Belarus); died February 17, 1943 AD in Rosica, Brest Oblast, Belarus) was a Polish Marian priest martyred by the Nazis in Belarus. He was burned alive with dozens of parishioners in their village church at Rosica on February 17, 1943. He was among the 108 Polish Martyrs of World War II beatified by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw on June 13, 1999. His feast day is June 12.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Antoni Leszczewicz
| Blessed Antoni Leszczewicz | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 12 |
| Profession | Marian priest (Congregation of Marian Fathers); missionary to the Polish-Belarusian eastern borderlands (Kresy); pastor of Rosica village; WWII martyr; Good Shepherd who died with his flock |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Congregation of Marian Fathers; Polish Catholic Church; 108 Polish Martyrs of WWII; Polish-Belarusian Catholic tradition |
| Patronage | Poland; Belarus; the Kresy (eastern borderlands); priests who die with their people; those burned for their faith; Good Shepherd spirituality; Marian Fathers |
| Attributes | Marian priest's habit; palm frond of martyrdom; a cross; a burning church (manner of martyrdom); the Pinsk Marshes (landscape of his mission); image of Mary (Marian devotion) |
| Birthplace | Kamienna, Lithuania (now Belarus) |
| Death Place | Rosica, Brest Oblast, Belarus |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; burned alive February 17, 1943, at the village church of Rosica (Rositsa) in the Brest Oblast of occupied Belarus; the German Ordnungspolizei (Order Police) executed a mass reprisal against the village of Rosica for alleged partisan activity; Father Antoni Leszczewicz gathered the villagers into the church and remained with them; the Nazis set fire to the church, burning to death everyone inside — priest, women, children, elderly; Father Leszczewicz died with his parishioners in a manner explicitly recalling Christ's sacrifice; he was a Marian priest (Congregation of Marian Fathers, founded by Blessed Stanisław Papczyński); beatified June 13, 1999 in Warsaw |
| Primary Shrine | Rosica, Belarus — site of martyrdom; June 12 feast; Marian Fathers veneration |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman calendar; June 12 feast for the 108 Polish Martyrs |
| Historic Class | Not in 1962 calendar |
Biography
Antoni Leszczewicz was born January 2, 1890, in Kamienna in the eastern borderlands region (now Belarus). He entered the Congregation of Marian Fathers and was ordained a priest.
He served as a Marian missionary in the eastern Kresy — the mixed Catholic-Orthodox Polish-Belarusian borderlands that were home to many Uniate and Latin-rite Catholics. He served the village of Rosica in the Pinsk Marshes region of what is now Belarus.
On February 17, 1943, the German Ordnungspolizei came to Rosica on a reprisal operation. Rather than fleeing, Father Antoni Leszczewicz gathered the villagers into the church and remained with them. The Nazis set fire to the church. He and his parishioners — women, children, and elderly — burned to death inside.
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw on June 13, 1999, as one of the 108 Polish Martyrs of World War II.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Kamienna, Lithuania (now Belarus)
Death location: Rosica, Brest Oblast, Belarus
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Feast day
June 12
Veneration
Blessed Antoni Leszczewicz (1890–1943) was a Polish Marian priest who was burned alive with his parishioners in the village church of Rosica, Belarus, on February 17, 1943, by the Nazis — the Good Shepherd who refused to abandon his flock. One of the 108 Polish Martyrs of WWII. Beatified John Paul II, 1999. Feast June 12.
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