Blessed Joseph Kowalski
Blessed Joseph Kowalski (Polish: Józef Kowalski; born March 13, 1911 AD in Siedliska, Galicia, Poland; died July 4, 1942 AD in the Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland) was a Polish Salesian priest who was killed at Auschwitz during the German occupation of Poland in the Second World War. He is honored among the 108 Blessed Polish Martyrs of the Second World War. His feast day is June 12.
A Salesian of Don Bosco known for his devotion and his musical and youth work, Joseph Kowalski was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz, where he was brutally treated for refusing to trample on his rosary and was murdered. He was beatified in 1999.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Joseph Kowalski
| Blessed Joseph Kowalski | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 12 |
| Profession | Priest; Salesian of Don Bosco |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Salesians of Don Bosco; 108 Martyrs of World War II (Poland) |
| Patronage | Poland; youth workers; those killed in concentration camps; the Salesians |
| Attributes | Palm of martyrdom; Salesian cassock; rosary |
| Birthplace | Siedliska, Galicia, Poland |
| Death Place | Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; murdered at Auschwitz during the German occupation of Poland; Salesian priest killed for his faith and for refusing to desecrate his rosary |
| Primary Shrine | Kraków, Poland |
Biography
Józef Kowalski was born on March 13, 1911, at Siedliska in southern Poland. He entered the Society of Saint Francis de Sales—the Salesians of Don Bosco—and was ordained a priest in 1938. He served in Kraków, devoting himself to the young in the Salesian spirit, and was noted for his work with the oratory, the choir, and Catholic youth associations.
During the German occupation of Poland in the Second World War, the Nazi regime carried out a systematic persecution of the Polish clergy. In 1941 Kowalski was arrested by the Gestapo together with other Salesians and, after imprisonment, was deported to the concentration camp of Auschwitz.
In the camp he continued to minister in secret to his fellow prisoners, leading prayers and encouraging them. According to the accounts of survivors, he was singled out for especially cruel treatment. When ordered to trample and destroy his rosary, he refused, and for this and his continued priestly witness he was tortured and murdered on July 4, 1942.
Joseph Kowalski was beatified on June 13, 1999, by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw, among the 108 Blessed Polish Martyrs of the Second World War. His feast is kept on June 12.
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Feast day
June 12
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