THE BEATIFICATION PROCESS OF GOD’S SERVANT – FATHER JERZY POPIELUSZKO

On February 8, 1997, the beatification process of Father Jerzy Popieluszko began on the diocesan stage and was finished on February 8, 2001. In the Roman Catholic Church beatification processes which are conducted reveal heroism of virtues or martyrdom. Father Gabriel Bartoszewski, OFMCap. (Ordo Fratrum Minorum Capuccinorum), the supervisor of justice in the process of the beatification process of God’s servant father Jerzy Popiełuszko, explains some details about the procedure: “The process of martyrdom is to reveal that the martyr, in this case Father Jerzy, accepted death in the Christian spirit, with patience, courage and persistence till the end. The prosecutor who takes the life of somebody, has to be a different person than the martyr (suicide has to be excluded). The process has to determine the real act of death and not only the fact of tormenting. It is necessary to prove that the persecutor hated the faith and that the martyr loved it. (…) The process of beatification is based on the common opinion of believers that Father Jerzy died for the faith. (…) The beatification process of Father Jerzy is conducted in a form of doubt expressed by the question: Is it certain that Father Jerzy died as a martyr of faith? That is why it is necessary and essential to conduct the investigation in strict confidence”. On May 3, 2001, in the Vatican the second stage of beatification process of God’s servant Father Jerzy Popieluszko began. The Warsaw metropolitan, Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz stated that the beatification process of father Popieluszko has already reached the crucial stage – extremely important for every process like this – that is the positio document which is delivered to the Vatican Congregation of Canonization and to the Pope. If at this stage the Theological Commission accepts the positio argument; that it was a death in the defense of the faith and human dignity, the Pope will issue a decree of martyrdom and set the date of beatification. There is a possibility, it will be in 2010.

Popiełuszko's life and work.

14 th Sept. 1947- Alfons Popiełuszko was born in the village of Okopy-Białystok Region (He changed his name to Jerzy on 13 th May 1971). 16 th Sept. 1947- He was baptized in church under the invocation of Saint Apostoles Peter and Paul in Suchowola. 1956- He received the first Holy Communion. 1954-1965- He was an altar-boy in parish church in Suchowola. 1961-1965- He went to the upper Secondary School in Suchowola where he passed his Matura exam. 24 th June 1965- He became a student of Higher Theological Seminary in Warsaw.

16 th October 1966- He put his cassock on for the first time. 25 th October 1966- He joined a two-year military service in a disciplined unit for seminarists in Bartoszyce. 28 th May 1972- He took holy orders from the Polish Primate priest cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and his motto was "I'm sent by God to preach the Gospel and heal wounds of woebegone hearts". June 1972- He started his ministration to the parish under the invocation of Holy Trinity in Ząbki. 4 th October 1975- He began his work in the parish dedicated to God's Mother ,the Queen of Poland in Anin. May 1978 - He moved to the parish under the invocation of Infant Jesus in Żoliborz (Warsaw). The end of 1978- He was appointed as a priest of middle medical staff. • • • • • • • • •

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May 1979 He took up residence in Saint office church in Warsaw 1979/1980 The whole academic year he worked in St. Ann academic priesthood. He conducted the conservatorium for students of medicine. 29th May, 1980 He became residence in St. Stanisław Kostka parish in Warsaw Żoliborz, where as a rector worked priest prelate Teofil Bogucki 31st August, 1980 He said the first mass for strike workers from steelworks “Warsaw” 25th April, 1981 He participated in NSZZ “Solidarność” flag consecrate ceremony of steelworks “Warsaw” 4th May, 1981 At the St. Florian Day (patron of Steelworkers) he participated in priest bishop’s Zbigniew Kraszewski visit in steelworks 14th May 1981 He said mass on Steelworks “Warsaw” territory for intention of Jan Paul II on who day before was done assassination attempt. 31st May, 1981 During funeral of Prime Millennium Priest-Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński he organized medical service composed of students from Medical Academy. 5-10th of September; 26th September; 7th October, 1981 He took a part together with representatives from Steelworkers “Warsaw” in two rounds of 1st NSZZ “Solidarność” Delegates Convention in Gdańsk. Every day he said mass for all its participants, furthermore he distributed copied by himself the copy of Pope’s Encyclical “ Laborem Excercems” October,1981 He received the appointment on diocesan priest of health service and as well as on the chaplain position of the Home of Merited Health Service Worker in Warsaw on 37th Elekcyjna street 25th November till 2nd December 1981 He was giving spiritual support and saying masses for striking students of High Firefighters Officers School in Warsaw. After the “Zomo” squad broke the strike remained with students who were continuing the protest on Warsaw Technical University 12/13 December 1981 at the night of martial law introducing he ran the adoration in front of Virgin Mary Częstochowska painting which at that time was visiting capital’s

temples and just landed to St. Stanisława Kostki Church. After Jerzy received information about first arresting started to organize help and support for persecutors. He was taking part in trials of under arrested and saying masses in their intention. 17th January 1982 He started to celebrate Masses for the Motherland. The Masses had been earlier initiated by priest Teofil Bogucki after the birth of the Solidarity movement. Their motto was: defeat evil with goodness. From 28th February priest Popiełuszko celebrated them regularly, always on the last Sunday of the month (26 altogether) and they gathered thousands of people coming from the whole country. 13/14th December 1982 So called "persons unknown” from the Security Service threw a brick into his room, breaking a window. 19th May 1983 He said Mass and led a silent funeral procession of brutally beaten to death by functionaries of Civic Militia high school graduate from Warsaw, Grzegorz Przemyk. More than 50,000 people attended the funeral. 30th August 1983 He was apprehended by the Security Service while driving to Gdynia to say Mass there. 18th September 1983 He organised the 1st Pilgrimage of Labour Force to Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, the tradition of which has been continued on every third Sunday of September. 22nd September 1983 Public prosecutor Anna Jackowska opened an inquiry against Jerzy Popiełuszko. 12th December 1983 During an interrogation false charges against him were brought. 14th December 1983 An article slandering the priest appeared in Trybuna Ludu, a newspaper controlled by KC PZPR (the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party). On 27th December another article libelling him titled Garsoniera obywatela Popiełuszki (Citizen Popiełuszko's Studio Flat) signed with a pen name Michał Ostrowski was printed in a daily paper Exspress Wieczorny. 12th July 1984 The public prosecutor's bill of indictment consisting of four charges was read to him. A few weeks later the investigation was discontinued and he was pardoned by the July amnesty. 12th September 1984 An article written by Ł. Toporkov and titled Nauka poszła w las. List z Warszawy. (The Lesson Hasn't Been Learnt. A Letter from Warsaw.) attacking the priest was published in a Soviet daily newspaper Izvestia. 19th September 1984 Jerzy Urban, a government spokesperson, wrote a column Seanse nienawiści (Hate Sessions) signed with his pseudonym Jan Rem in the weekly Tu i teraz (Here and Now). The column was another unrefined propaganda attack on the priest. 30th September 1984 Jerzy Popiełuszko participated in the 2nd Pilgrimage of Labour Force to Jasna Góra, now with thousands of participants from all the country. It was then that priest Jerzy Osiński invited him to Mass in the Holy Brother Martyrs parish in Bydgoszcz on 19th October.

13 th October 1984 - Security Service workers, later murderers of priest Jerzy Popiołuszko;Grzegorz Piotrowski,Waldemar Chmielewski,Leszek Pękała, prepared the first assassination near Olsztynek. 19 th October 1984- While coming back from a Mass in church under the invocation of Saint Polish Brothers Martyrs in Bydgoszcz he was kidnapped by officers of communist Security Service in Górsko near Toruń and then murdered. In church of St.Stanisław Kostka people unceasingly prayed for priest Jerzy.The Holy Father Jan Paweł II declared his solidarity and unity with the faitfhul of Poland. 30 th October 1984- After the evening Mass it was announced that the body of priest Jerzy Popiołuszko had been found in an artificial lake in Wocławek. 31 St October- The president of the USA Ronald Reagan declared: "The whole America shares the Polish nation's sorrow because of the tragic death of father Popiołuszko.Father Popiołuszko was an advocate of Christian worth and a brave spokesman of freedom.His life was an example of the highest perfection of human dignity; his death strengthens the resoluteness of all nations that love freedom to be relentless as far as their beliefs are concerned.Father Popiołuszko's spirit is still alive. The conscience of the world will not rest untill the perpetrators of this dirty crime are judged ". 3rd November 1984 – half a million worshippers attended the Martyr’s funeral in St. Stanley Kostka’s Church. Józef Glemp, the Primate of Poland, presided over the funeral ceremony. 27th December 1984 – 7th February 1985 – the trial of priest Jerzy Popiełuszko’s murderers took place in Toruń, which was simultaneously used by communist propaganda as slanderous attacks at Catholic Church (e.g. at Archbishop Ignacy Tokarczuk) 14th June 1987 – Pope John Paul II prayed over the grave of the chaplain of the Solidarity 8th February 1997 – the beatification process of priest Jerzy Popiełuszko was started at the diocesan stage and it was finished on 8th February 2001 3rd May 2001 – the second stage of the beatification process of priest Jerzy Popiełuszko started in Vatican and it is to be finalized soon. Pope Benedict XVI agreed to accelerate the beatification process.

Some quotations by Jerzy Popiełuszko.

The truth needs suffering. If people who are responsible, have families and children as well as were in prison suffer, why me, as a priest, should not add my suffering?

The task of the Church is not only theoretical preaching of the sanctity of life, the right to life for the unborn, but also practical defence of this right. There is an urgent need to take certain initiatives aiming at helping single mothers and pregnant girls who hesitate if they should give birth to their children.

It is important for the Church to be mainly with the needy and the suffering ones like our numerous countrymen who suffer because of the martial law and the situation resulting from it.

I am aware of the fact that I may be interned, arrested and I realize that they may concoct a scandal but they cannot stop this activity, which aims at serving Church and Homeland.