Cause of Polish Salesian as Martyr Moves Forward

Cause of Polish Salesian

as Martyr Moves Forward

This news report comes from ANS, the Salesians' international news agency, dated today (May 19).
The investigative process for the Servant of God Fr. Franciszek Miska has closed

(ANS – Aleksandrow Kujawski) – A solemn session on May 12, 2011, in the main hall of the Salesian Schools of Aleksandrow Kujawski closed the investigative process regarding the cause of martyrdom of the Servant of God Fr. Franciszek Miska, SDB. Fr. Miska was director of the Sons of Mary junior seminary at Lad from 1936 to 1942, and was interned in the Dachau concentration camp, where he died from ill treatment and torture on May 30, 1942.

Bishop Wieslaw Alojzy Mering of Wloclawek presided at the closing ceremony. Among those present were the provincial, Fr. Marek Chmielewski; the vice postulator, Fr. Jaroslaw Wasowicz; and Salesians and pupils from the Salesian high school and junior college.

Fr. Franciszek Miska belongs to the group of martyrs of World War II whose cause was officially opened on February 28, 2004, at Lad. The group from the diocese of Pelplin was added to others religious and lay Christians who suffered martyrdom; the official title of the Process is “PELPLIN: Concerning the Beatification or Declaration of Martyrdom of the Servants of God HENRYK SZUMAN, Diocesan Priest, and 121 Companions—Diocesan Priests, Religious, and Members of the Christian Laity; and whether they were killed in hatred of the Faith.”

The celebration at Aleksandrow began with a moment of prayer. Then Fr. Wasowicz greeted those present and gave an account of the Servant of God and the work of the tribunal. Prof. Fr. Henryk Stawniak, as the bishop’s delegate for Fr. Miska’s process, directed the final session and with the bishop checked the documents of the process, which were then sealed and signed. The summary was then submitted to Pelplin.

Fr. Chmielewski, provincial of the Pila Province, thanked Bishop Mering for agreeing to add Fr. Miska’s process to that of his diocese and said that shortly it would be decided whether or not to introduce the canonical process for five other Salesians from Rumia, martyred at the beginning of World War II at Aleksandrow Kujawski, as well as that of Fr. Franciszek Strzyglowski, a great benefactor of the Salesians, killed by the Gestapo in July 1941 at Gniezno.

On May 24, 2011, the process for the whole group of martyrs will be closed. Part of this group are Fr. Jan Swierc and seven companions from the Krakow Province, killed in Auschwitz.