Homily for Tuesday, Week 9 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 9 of Ordinary Time

June 2, 2026
Mark 12: 13-17
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Tribute to Caesar (Gustave Dore')

Don Bosco used to say that his purpose in education was to train the young to become good Christians and upright citizens.  That’s a variation on Jesus’ teaching today, give to Caesar what belongs to him and to God what’s due to him.  Assuredly, during our days as teachers and administrators, as educators, we tried to do that.

And now?  What do we render to Caesar?  We qualify as taxpayers only incidentally with sales taxes and excise taxes.  Otherwise, we have our civic responsibilities to be informed about matters of the common good—public and social policies, perhaps to weigh in on them at public forums, to contact public officials, write letters to the editor, discuss issues with people—and, not least, to vote.  We must pray, too, for people who are suffering, people in need—and for those who govern us, that they seek truth and justice and be wise servants of the common good.

And rendering to God?  We’ve made it our life’s work.  We have only to fulfill our obligations to worship the Lord, to give life to Jesus’ Church, to serve our Congregation, to love our brothers and sisters.  When Jesus asks, “Whose image is this?” (Mark 12:16), we’re to understand that he refers not merely to a denarius but even to every human being; everyone is made in the divine image.  We owe them the honor and respect due to those who belong to God.

Fr. Kazimierz Wojciechowski, Polish Salesian Martyr

Fr. Kazimierz Wojciechowski, Polish Salesian Martyr

(ANS – Krakow – June 1, 2026) – Kazimierz Wojciechowski was the son of Andrzej and Maria Wojciechowski. He was born on August 16, 1904, in Jaslo. His father was a railway worker, and his mother worked on the farm. At the age of 5, Kazimierz lost his father. From that moment, the entire burden of providing for and raising 3 small children fell upon his mother, a woman of deep piety and great self-sacrifice. With the help of kind people, his mother arranged for her son Kazimierz to be admitted to the Salesian school named after the Lubomirski family in Krakow. He was 8 years old. He was a very lively, cheerful boy, always content. In 1916, Kazimierz was admitted to the institute of Don Bosco in Oswiecim. The Salesian life, full of joy and activity, suited his lively temperament. He loved games and recreation and willingly took an active part in them. He studied well. He also showed interest in the orchestra.

Salesian Path

After completing the 4th year of secondary school, he submitted an application for the novitiate in Klecza Dolna. Upon entering the novitiate in 1920, he earnestly set about refining his character, mindful of his mother’s wish that he become a good and holy priest—a Salesian.

On October 2, 1921, he completed the novitiate and made his first religious vows. He made his perpetual vows on May 2, 1928, in Oswiecim.

From Klecza Dolna, he went to the philosophy studentate in Krakow, the so-called “Losiowka.” There he obtained his secondary school diploma and completed his studies with good results.

He was sent for practical practical training to the minor seminary in Lad on the Warta River. There he taught mathematics and assisted the boys, being the driving spirit of recreation and all kinds of activities. One of his pupils recalled: “I remember the Wednesday walks, when everyone had such a good time. There were soccer games, ‘carabinieri’ games, and various pursuits.”

He also taught singing and music. In this field too, he showed great creativity, inspiring the students and teaching them to play instruments in an accessible way. One of the orchestra members in Lad recalled: “Fr. Wojciechowski knew how to encourage us to play, whether by giving sweets or by showing a new instrument acquired for our group. Sometimes, when one of us was missing, he would take an instrument himself and play the missing part…. He also organized a fine choir.”

In 1924–1925, he taught music and mathematics in Lad. Later, he worked as a teacher of music and singing in Salesian schools in Antoniewo, Warsaw, Aleksandrow Kujawski, and Oswiecim. He knew how to create a joyful atmosphere, characteristic of Salesian houses, through his love of music, sports, and his lively manner with the young, although, given his energetic and impulsive temperament, this did not always come easily to him.

In 1930, he came to Krakow for theological studies. There too, he formed a choir among his fellow students, which enriched various celebrations.

He also worked in the oratory at St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. The sports club he organized there, involving the oratory youths, was one of the most dynamic in Krakow.

On May 19, 1935, he received priestly ordination in Krakow from Bishop Stanislaw Rospond, a great friend of Don Bosco’s works in Poland.

After the joyful days of his first Mass celebrations, he went as a teacher to the minor seminary in Daszawa. After a year, he returned to Krakow as a teacher of religion in the Debniki primary schools, as well as director of the oratory and of the Catholic youth associations. The school authorities described his work as follows: “Fr. Wojciechowski teaches religion in our school. He knows how to interest and enliven the youths during lessons. Everywhere he brings sincere joy…. He is also involved with the youths outside of school…. He is liked by them and holds their respect.”

During the September 1939 military operations, he remained in Krakow and hastened to help refugees. When the German authorities in the so-called General Government reopened primary schools in November of that year, Fr. Kazimierz returned to his beloved work in education.

Arrest

May 1941 arrived. On the eve of the feast of Mary Help of Christians—May 23, in the evening hours—he was arrested by the Gestapo together with other confreres and imprisoned in the Montelupich prison in Krakow.

As the reason for the arrest, the officer conducting the operation stated that Fr. Kazimierz was working to maintain the spirit of Polish identity among the youths. After a month in the Krakow prison, he was transported with on June 26 others to the concentration camp in Auschwitz.

Martyrdom

June 27, 1941, proved tragic for the Salesians of Krakow. 12 of them were working in the penal company, among them Fr. Wojciechowski, whose strong physical build drew the attention of the persecutors. He was subjected to inhuman abuse, beaten, and kicked. With one blow of a shovel handle, the kapo knocked out his teeth, and with a whip he cut open the skin on his head. With the last of his strength, he continued to work, constantly driven on.

That day, 2 Salesians—Fr. Jan Swierc and Ignacy Dobiasz—had already been murdered and taken to the crematorium. In the afternoon, it was time for more victims. After a meal that none of those in the penal company could swallow, the same exhausting labor resumed, along with further harassment. After some time, greatly suffering, Fr. Kazimierz asked the block leader for lighter work.

“Yes, you will get it at once—just take this wheelbarrow to the pit, on the run!” he said, striking him several times on the back with a stick, shouting: “You lazy cheat, you don’t want to work!”

He then pushed Fr. Kazimierz into the deep pit together with the wheelbarrow. Soon, laughter and mockery could be heard from the SS man at the sight of the unfortunate man trying to climb out.

Suddenly, the order was given: “Lie down next to that lazy one!” Fr. Wojciechowski looked in the indicated direction and saw Fr. Franciszek Harazim lying on his back, whom the bloodthirsty kapo had long been tormenting.

It was approaching 2:00 p.m. The day was hot. Fever and thirst tormented the poor prisoners. Finally, the kapo and the block leader threw down a heavy beam and placed it on the necks of the dying priests, mocking them: “So, you know how to deceive people. You don’t want to work. You say there is a God. Show Him to me—I want to see Him! I am your god now! I am the master of your lives!”

For a while longer, this mockery of the poor victims continued. Then the kapo and the block leader stood on the beam placed on their necks and with their weight completed the bloody act.

A short rattling breath, foam at the mouth, swelling of the face, mortal convulsions, some indistinct words—and the two martyrs, Fr. Wojciechowski and Fr. Harazim, ended their earthly journey, ended the agony of the camp. Their bodies were thrown onto wheelbarrows and taken to the pile of corpses beside the crematorium.

Fr. Kazimierz Wojciechowski was murdered on June 27, 1941, at the so-called gravel pit, at the age of 37, in the 20th year of his religious vows and the 6th year of his priesthood. He bore the camp number 17342.

On Fr. Wojciechowski’s beatification process, see the entry for Fr. Karol Golda below, May 14.

Message of the Rector Major for June

THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR

Fr. Fabio Attard, SDB

Are We Also Among the 72?

Christ sends out the 72
(James Tissot)

We, too, are sent. Our workplaces, neighborhoods, families, and friendships are the “towns and places” where Christ intends to come, and he sends us there ahead of him to prepare the way.

In the Gospel of Luke, at the beginning of Chapter 10 (verses 1–19), Jesus extends his mission beyond the Twelve, sending 72 disciples ahead of him to prepare the way. It’s a decisive moment: the mission is no longer reserved for a small apostolic circle but extends to a wider group of ordinary followers. The implication is clear: every disciple is a missionary, sent into his or her own particular corner of the world to make Christ present.

For Christians today—whether we work in offices or hospitals, raise children at home or serve in schools, run businesses or care for the elderly—this passage speaks directly to our baptismal vocation. We, too, are sent. Our workplaces, neighborhoods, families, and friendships are the “towns and places” where Christ intends to come, and he sends us there ahead of him to prepare the way.

The instructions Jesus gives are not solely for religious “professionals,” but for all who bear his name. They are instructions that reveal what Christian witness should look like in any context: traveling light, bringing peace, healing the wounded, and proclaiming the closeness of the Kingdom through the concrete reality of our own lives.

In a culture that often relegates faith to a private conviction or a Sunday service, Luke 10 reclaims the entirety of life as missionary territory. These three reflections explore how Jesus’ words to the 72 shed light on what it means to live as disciples sent into the ordinary circumstances of daily life.

1. Traveling Light: Freedom from the Burden of Self-Sufficiency

“Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals.” Jesus sends out disciples who are deliberately vulnerable, radically dependent on God and on the hospitality of others. His instruction challenges the fundamental assumptions of contemporary life: that security derives from the accumulation of things, that worth comes from self-sufficiency, and that we must always keep everything under our control.

For Christians navigating ordinary life—careers, family responsibilities, economic pressures—this call to evangelical poverty doesn’t mean abandoning prudent planning or responsible stewardship. Rather, it poses a deeper spiritual question: On what do we truly rely?

We live in a culture that teaches us to place our trust in our own ability to handle every eventuality. We accumulate certifications, credentials, and contacts—building ever-larger “purses.” And we exhaust ourselves trying to maintain the illusion of self-sufficiency.

Jesus’ instruction liberates us from this burden. Traveling light means acknowledging our fundamental dependence on God’s providence, on the community of believers, and on the grace we can’t manufacture ourselves. It means being willing to admit when we don’t have the answer, when we’re in need of help, and when our carefully laid plans fall apart—trusting that God will provide another way.

In practical terms: it means admitting that we’re not perfect, and that maintaining a perfect image ultimately enslaves us; being honest with our children about our struggles; and choosing simplicity over accumulation, presence over productivity, and trust over anxiety.

We’re not called to be Christians who appear to have everything figured out. We’re invited to discover that Christ is sufficient, that his grace is truly enough, and that dependence on God is pure freedom.

2. Before All Else, Peace: Presence in a Fragmented World

“Into whatever house you enter, first say: ‘Peace be to this house.’” Before any activity or productivity, let there be—first of all—peace. We live fragmented lives: juggling a thousand things at once, only half-present in our conversations. Jesus sends us forth to bring peace. Mind you: this is not the superficial peace born of the illusion that we have everything under control but is, rather, true, profound peace—the kind that comes from knowing we’re sustained by God, even amid chaos.

This peace serves as a countercultural witness. It’s evident when our colleagues are stressed yet we remain steadfast—not through denial, but through trust. It’s evident when our neighborhoods are gripped by anxiety yet we offer a calm presence—not through naiveté, but through hope.

Consider the everyday “houses” you enter: your workplace, your own home, the gym, your children’s school, your neighborhood. Bringing peace might mean: refraining from workplace gossip and instead speaking with respect; cultivating an atmosphere in our home where people can breathe freely and where there’s room for silence; or being the neighbor who listens without judgment.

This peace becomes particularly powerful and meaningful when shared with those who are struggling. How many people carry invisible burdens—battles with mental health, financial anxiety, relational crises, or existential despair? They don’t need answers. They need someone who can stand with them in their pain without being destabilized—someone who radiates a peace that suggests solid ground beneath the chaos.

Our Christian witness is primarily about who we are: people who have found a peace that the world can neither give nor take away.

3. Healing and Proclamation: Making the Kingdom Visible

“Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you.’” Word and deed are inseparable. This means recognizing the wounds around us and responding with concrete acts of empathy. It means acknowledging the sense of emptiness and meaninglessness that some bear, the ruthless competition, or the burnout experienced by others—offering them the gift of a presence that knows how to listen without judgment. It means standing close to those who feel isolated—especially the elderly—through small, simple gestures that nevertheless leave an imprint on a suffering heart.

The Kingdom draws near when people can say: “I encountered something different here. I was welcomed, valued, and restored.”

This is how the early Church grew—not primarily through eloquent sermons, but through communities that lived so differently that people were compelled to ask: “What do you have that we don’t? Why do you love in this way? Where does this hope come from?”

Our lives become the proclamation. And when people ask, we’re ready to name the Source: “The Kingdom of God has come near you. The love you have experienced doesn’t come solely from us; it comes from Christ, who has made all things new and who invites you into this new reality.”

Homily for Trinity Sunday

Homily for Trinity Sunday

May 31, 2026
Collect
John 3: 16-18
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

The Trinity with the Saints
(from the Breviary of Mattia Corvino)

In the course of salvation history, God made himself known gradually, revealing himself to Abraham, Moses—e.g., as we heard in the 1st reading (Ex 34:4-9)—and the prophets.  He revealed himself most fully “by sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification” (Collect).

Not that we can comprehend God’s essence, the full mystery of his being.  But in the Word made flesh, the Son given to us, we begin to understand that God loves us, is close to us, and wills to draw us ever closer to himself.  “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16), and he did that entirely out of love, a love that we sinners in no way deserve.  That’s truth in the flesh, Jesus Christ, the truth that God loves us.

The Father and the Son send us the Spirit of sanctification.  “Send” is in the present tense because they do so continually, moment by moment joining us to themselves, “the source of all holiness” (EP II) so long as we keep our hearts open to them.  The Spirit wondrously transforms us from sinners into saints, friends of God who are worthy to enter his presence, destined to “acknowledge the Trinity of eternal glory” (Collect), sharing in that glory by “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God [the Father] and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor 13:13).

Fr. Wlodzimierz Szembek, Polish Salesian Martyr

Fr. Wlodzimierz Szembek, Polish Salesian Martyr

(ANS – Krakow – May 29, 2026) – Wlodzimierz was good from childhood. Not because he had everything. He was good because he chose to be. God was for him the source of life and happiness. Like Don Bosco, he wore strings dyed with ink in his shoes instead of laces, because he chose poverty. Like St. Francis, he chose the poor and the least. Like St. Maximilian Kolbe, he gave his life for his neighbor. And what would he have said about it? When the Gestapo arrived, he said, “It’s a shame that we had to wait so long for this.”

Childhood and Youth

Fr. Wlodzimierz Szembek was born on April 22, 1883, in the village of Poreba Zegoty near Krakow, son of Count Zygmunt and Klementyna Szembek. His grandfather was Wlodzimierz Dzieduszycki, marshal of the Galician Sejm and a member of the House of Lords of the Austrian Council of State. [Until 1919 Poland did not exist as a state. Its territory had been divided in the 18th century among Prussia, Austria, and Russia.]

Wlodzimierz was raised and educated in a Catholic spirit by his pious mother. In 1907, he obtained a degree in agricultural engineering from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. He completed agricultural training in Greater Poland and forestry training in Lesser Poland. At the age of 24, he became the plenipotentiary and administrator of his mother’s estate, covering 7,500 acres in Wegierka, Pruchnik, and Kramarzowka near Jaroslaw. He chose, however, a life among the poor and simple people, engaging in lay apostolate. He traveled 3d class, spent time with the servants on his estate, and did not create distance between himself and others. He generously gave to everyone, choosing for himself a life of poverty.

Perhaps his spiritual portrait was most faithfully described by the pastor of Pruchnik:

“Wlodzimierz Szembek lived in this parish for 20 years. Thruout that time, he was generous to others and strict with himself. No one left him without support; he lived very modestly. He supported religious congregations, orphanages, and educational institutions. He never gave scandal to anyone—he edified all with patience and kindness, and above all with his religious life. He recited the breviary and, in recent times, frequently received the sacraments. He was surrounded with respect and was even regarded as a saint.” It became clear that a vocation was slowly maturing within him.

Salesian Path

On February 4, 1928, he was an aspirant in Oswiecim, in order to observe the work and vocation of the Salesians. Assured that this was his life’s path, at the end of 1928 he began the novitiate in Czerwinsk on the Vistula, which he completed with religious profession on August 10, 1929.

After making his vows, he completed his practical training in Aleksandrow Kujawski, then studied theology in the Salesian seminary in Oswiecim and Krakow, where on June 3, 1934, he received priestly ordination from his relative, Prince Archbishop Adam Stefan Sapieha.

He then worked in Krakow as provincial secretary, later in Kopiec near Czestochowa, where, thanks to his agricultural education, he taught agronomy, and again worked in Krakow at the Salesian major seminary, where he was responsible for financial matters. The outbreak of World War II found him in Skawa.

Arrest

On July 9, 1942, Gestapo officers entered the Salesian house in Skawa and intended to take the superior of the community, the 72-year-old Fr. Walenty Kozak, as a hostage in place of an escaped aspirant. Fr. Wlodzimierz stood in his defense and said that they should take him instead of Fr. Kozak, since the latter was the superior and should remain. The scene is reminiscent of the well-known story of Fr. Maximilian Kolbe. This time it ended differently, however—both Salesians were taken. Fortunately, Fr. Walenty was released after 2 weeks. The heroic act of Fr. Szembek did not go unnoticed.

Martyrdom and Death

Fr. Szembek was taken to prison in Nowy Targ, and then to Zakopane, where he spent over a month. He was tied to a post in shackles; his persecutors beat him, mocked him, ridiculed him, and broke his ribs. He was held in a concrete cell—damp and cold—without a mattress or blanket, constantly interrogated and subjected to torture.

A fellow prisoner from that time testified that Fr. Wlodzimierz returned from interrogations calm, without sadness or fear, without anger toward his enemies and without curses; moreover, he urged others to pray for their persecutors, as Christ had done. In this one matter, the fellow prisoners could not agree with Fr. Szembek.

From Zakopane—his shoulder joints dislocated, his ribs fractured, and with gangrene in his leg—he was transported to Tarnow, and later to Auschwitz. In that camp, he was assigned to heavy labor pulling a roller used to compact the camp grounds. Exhausted, destroyed, beaten, and tortured, he died on September 18, 1942. He bore the camp number 60019.

Beatification Process   

For Fr. Szembek’s beatification process, see the end of the article on Fr. Karol Golda below.

Fr. Szmebek – Video

Video I:

EN https://youtube.com/shorts/5kOFCRpU6fw

Video II:

EN https://youtu.be/GmviTyGmEGk

Homily for Thursday, Week 8 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 8 of Ordinary Time

May 28, 2026
Mark 10: 46-52
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

“He followed him on the way” (Mark 10: 52).

Yesterday’s gospel began, “The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them” (10:32).  The word way is prominent in Mark ch. 10.  Jesus is leading the way, and the disciples—those supposed to be learning from him—are following.  The beggar Bartimaeus sits along the way, and when healed is told, “Go your way” (10:52).  He chooses Jesus’ way and follows among his disciples.

In yesterday’s gospel, James and John lost their way.  When Jesus asked, “What do you wish me to do for you?” (10:36), they responded with a request for glory and power (10:37), and the other 10 apostles “became indignant” at them (10:41), presumably because they all want what the 2 brothers want.  Jesus, on the other hand, is walking a different way, toward his passion, death, and resurrection.  The cup of suffering must precede the glory.

Jesus asked Bartimaeus the same question he asked James and John:  “What do you want me to do for you?” (10:51).  He already sees who Jesus is with at least as much clarity as the 12 have, namely that Jesus is the Son of David and has the kingly power of mercy:  “have pity on me” (10:47).  In his blindness, he sees what others don’t.  Yes, he wants something for himself:  “I want to see” (10:51), not for personal glory but in order to see where Jesus is leading.  He who sat by the road now can see the way to go, for his faith has saved him (10:52).

The way to our salvation isn’t the way of self-aggrandizement, the way the 12 are pursuing, but the way of suffering, self-denial, and service.  Jesus came not to be served but to serve and to give his life for others (10:45).  We don’t know what eventually happened to Bartimaeus, but we do know which way will lead us to the salvation that Jesus offers.

Ebola Emergency in D.R.C.

Ebola Emergency
Salesians Step Up Prevention and Raise Awareness

Source: Misiones Salesianas (Madrid)

(ANS – Goma, DRC – May 28, 2026) – The Ebola outbreak affecting the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to spread and has the whole country on high alert. According to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), over 750 suspected cases and more than 170 deaths have already been recorded. Although no cases have been detected in the rest of the country, or at least only isolated incidents, the Salesians in the DRC have stepped up prevention measures to protect the thousands of vulnerable young people who attend their centers every day.

Concern over the spread of Ebola is growing daily. The WHO maintains an international alert for an outbreak whose figures are rising daily due to health and security challenges in the eastern part of the country.

Most of the infections are concentrated in the Congolese province of Ituri, in the northeast DRC. There is also concern, however, regarding North Kivu, due to the constant movement of people and the commercial and human links with the affected areas.

The city of Goma, where the Salesian community is present, is marked by violence, forced displacement, and extreme poverty, and the situation remains under health surveillance. For the time being, the authorities have reported only a few isolated cases, involving people from the affected areas, with no widespread outbreak recorded in the city.

Nevertheless, fear and uncertainty are very much present among the population. “Thousands of families are surviving in very precarious conditions, and a health emergency such as this represents an additional threat to those who have already lost almost everything,” explain Don Bosco sons working in Goma.

Furthermore, the epidemic is already having significant economic and social consequences. The borders with neighboring countries, Rwanda and Uganda, remain closed, and this has severely affected thousands of people who used to cross them every day to work, study, or stock up on supplies. The health threat has also disrupted trade and transport routes to Uganda, which are vital for the supply of food and essential goods to the eastern part of the DRC.

“The most important thing now is to keep people well informed and avoid panic”

In this context, the Salesians have stepped up preventive measures in their social and educational works. Every day, thousands of children and families pass through centers such as Don Bosco Ngangi, Bosco Lac, or the Goma Technical and Industrial Institute to receive education, food, support, and basic medical care. In addition, awareness-raising initiatives are being carefully carried out to ensure the population knows how to prevent infection and how to react if symptoms appear.

“The most important thing now is to keep people well informed and avoid panic,” explain the Salesians in Goma. In recent weeks, new handwashing stations have been installed, hygiene campaigns have been stepped up, and young people and their families are being made particularly aware of basic preventive measures.

But the Salesian presence extends far beyond Goma: the Salesians also work in other parts of the country, where they support vulnerable communities and run educational, social, and health projects.

In cities such as Lubumbashi, Kinshasa, Mbuji-Mayi, and Tshikapa, they run schools, youth centers and child support programs. In more isolated and impoverished areas such as Kasenga, Mokambo, Sakania, and Kipushya, they carry out educational and social projects.

Furthermore, they are also present in Uvira, Bukavu, Nyakadaka, and Kalemie, in the eastern part of the country, one of the regions most affected by armed violence and mass displacement. There, in addition to education, the Salesians provide humanitarian aid, protection for displaced children, and support for families who have been living for years amid conflict and a constant succession of new emergencies.

The Salesians stand by those most in need

“The population is tired of constantly living with emergencies: war, displacement, hunger—and now also the fear of Ebola,” explains Salesian Domingo de la Hera, who has been working for decades in the DRC.

The WHO has reiterated that the risk remains “very high” in the country, due to the fragility of the healthcare system, insecurity, and the constant movement of the population. Furthermore, there is still no approved specific vaccine for the strain identified.

Once again the Salesians stand by those most in need: amid the uncertainty, their centers continue to be a refuge and a source of hope for thousands of children and families trying to get by in one of the most challenging regions of the world to live in.

Salesian Missions Builds Mawiong Chapel

Salesian Missions Builds Mawiong Chapel

(ANS – Rangblang, India – May 27, 2026) -  Salesian missionaries have completed the Mawiong Chapel in Rangblang Parish, West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, India, thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions in New Rochelle, N.Y. In this remote rural village, where families rely on farming and daily wage labor, Catholics previously lacked a proper place for prayer and liturgical celebrations. Built with the support of skilled workers and the active involvement of the local faithful, the chapel is now fully furnished with an altar, pews, liturgical items, a crucifix, and religious statues, enabling regular celebrations of Mass. The chapel has quickly become a spiritual center for Baptisms, prayer services, and community gatherings, strengthening unity among villagers. Local leaders expressed gratitude to donors, noting that the chapel stands not only as a physical structure but also as a symbol of hope, faith, and the Church’s enduring presence in the community.

Fr. Ludwik Mroczek, Polish Salesian Martyr

Fr. Ludwik Mroczek, Polish Salesian Martyr

(ANS – Krakow – May 25, 2026) – Fr. Ludwik Mroczek was born in Kety on August 11, 1905, into the family of Franciszek and Maria Mroczek. At the age of 10, he lost his father. The burden of providing for and raising 11 children fell upon his mother, who, being often in Oswiecim on various matters, had the opportunity to become acquainted with the Salesians working there. After he completed school in Kety in 1917, his mother decided to entrust her youngest son to the care of the Salesians.

Salesian Path

Four years later, he was admitted to the Salesian novitiate in Klecza Dolna, and after completing it, on August 7, 1922, he made his first religious profession. He completed his philosophical studies in Krakow, after which he undertook practical training in Kielce and, in the following year, in Oswiecim. He made his perpetual vows there on July 14, 1928. In 1928–1933, he studied theology at the diocesan major seminary in Przemysl, where he was ordained on June 29, 1933, by Bishop Franciszek Barda.

After his first Mass, which was celebrated very solemnly by the people of his hometown, who loved him dearly, he devoted himself with great zeal to work among the youths in Salesian institutions. He worked in Oswiecim, Lviv, Przemysl, Skawa, and again in Przemysl.

The young especially loved their guardian, who was devoted to them with his whole heart and tireless in fostering their wholesome activities; he knew in a particular way how to draw them to the confessional and to the Table of the Lord.

During the war, the orphanage in Przemysl was seriously damaged, and the youths were dispersed. Fr. Mroczek was transferred to pastoral work in Czestochowa, where a parish dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Stradom had been entrusted to the Salesians. After a year, he came to Krakow, to the so-called “Losiowka,” that is, to the Salesian seminary. His task was catechesis in nearby schools.

Arrest   

On May 22, 1941, solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, while Fr. Mroczek was celebrating Mass in the seminary chapel, the Gestapo arrived at the seminary to arrest him. When the Gestapo officers entered the chapel and saw him celebrating, they withdrew to the sacristy and waited for him there, searching his room in the meantime.

The reason given for his arrest was that he belonged to a military organization and supported the activities of the Polish Army in the territory of the General Government. This reason was fabricated, since Fr. Mroczek, apart from his work among the young and in the confessional, was engaged in nothing else.

Fr. Mroczek (right of center) with Cardinal Hlond

Some sources state that in 1939–1940 Fr. Ludwik was involved in the activities of the Polish underground Union of Armed Struggle as a courier of the underground press on the route Przemysl-Lviv and as a troop leader of the underground Scouting movement—the Gray Ranks—in the area of Przemysl-Zasanie. A month later, together with 11 confreres, he was transported from the Montelupich prison to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, where, among other things, on June 27, 1941, he was an eyewitness to the martyrdom of 4 of his confreres.

Martyrdom and Death  

Fr. Ludwik survived that day of severe camp trial and remained alive; however, having been brutally beaten, he suffered terrible pain, and the wounds caused by the beating did not heal—they swelled and gradually filled his entire body with infection.

Because of his heroic endurance of camp suffering, he was given the name “the titan of suffering.”

Here are fragments from the testimony of one eyewitness:

“In the evenings I visited Fr. Mroczek. Conversations with him were strengthening. He did not philosophize. With his simple faith, expressed in simple words, he won over and calmed the listener. In everything he was able to point to God’s purpose. His simplicity and goodness brought relief to people, in this sea of anger, hatred, bitterness, and suffering that afflicted this venerable priest. We came to love him.

“One evening Fr. Mroczek admitted that the wound was not healing and, what is worse, that his right thigh was swelling and causing him pain. I went to Dr. Turschmid. He promised to examine the matter. The next day he found pus in the right thigh. Again anesthesia and a surgical procedure. The suffering intensified. One day the surgeon found pus in his right arm. Again anesthesia and surgery. And after a few days, pus in the left arm. The whole of his body was filled with infection.

“Dr. Turschmid and Dr. Zablocki, with great care, tho without hope, cleaned the deep wounds, washed them with hydrogen peroxide, poured some kind of substitute over them, and carefully bandaged them—unfortunately, only with paper. After the procedure, Fr. Mroczek looked like an Egyptian mummy, bandaged from his ankles up to his neck.

“And how long will he still suffer?” I asked, not expecting an answer. He thought for a moment and replied: “The infection has already reached the lower abdomen. I think—from 3 hours to 3 days.

“After lights out that day, many shadows of prisoners gathered around Fr. Mroczek’s bunk. Groans could be heard from all sides of the ward. Many prisoners died that night.

“In the morning, when the rays of winter light tried to break through the frozen window of that dreadful hospital room—the eyes of Fr. Mroczek no longer opened. His face was full of brightness and peace.”

Thus the eyewitness.

Fr. Ludwik Mroczek died on January 5, 1942, at the age of 36, in the 19th year of his religious vows and the 8th year of his priesthood.

He bore the camp number 17340.

Beatification Process

On Fr. Mroczek’s beatification process, see the entry for Fr. Karol Golda below, May 14. 

Fr. Mroczek Videos:

video 1

EN https://youtube.com/shorts/JSTI2FewX0A  

video 2

EN https://youtu.be/ozPIGATCLAs  

Homily for Memorial of St. Philip Neri

Homily for the Memorial of
St. Philip Neri

May 26, 2026
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Painting of Sts. Michael, Philip Neri, & Francis de Sales
(Cathedral of Turin)

“O God, you never cease to bestow the glory of holiness on the faithful servants you raise up for yourself” (Collect).

At the heart of the Counter Reformation, God raised up great saints for the authentic reform of his Church.  Contemporaries included Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), and Philip Neri (1515-1595), preceded in the previous generation by Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) and Francis Xavier (1506-1552).  In a notable coincidence, 4 of those saints were canonized together on March 12, 1622—the same year Francis de Sales died, rounding off a superb sextuplet of sanctity raised up by the Lord.

Ecclesia semper reformanda refers not only to moral reform—which touches each of us daily in our striving for conversion—but also pastoral reform, which radical so-called “traditionalists” don’t admit, giving rise to the likes of the Society of St. Pius X and various sede vacantist schismatics.

The city of Rome needed both kinds of reform in mid-16th century, when Philip Neri, an outsider from Florence, arrived around 1533.  Philip’s approach to reform, both moral and pastoral, was to make authentic Christianity a joyful affair, not something heavy like Luther’s or Calvin’s nor the later perversion of Jansenism.

Using his charismatic cordiality, humility, and cheer, Philip began as a layman to tend the sick and the poor and to encourage young men and women to grow closer to God, especially thru frequent confession and Communion.  His confessor pointed him toward the priesthood, and he was ordained in 1551.  He became Rome’s apostle, opening his home to gatherings for prayer, song, discussions, games, and outings, calling his program an oratory.  Their Scripture-based musical works were called oratorios.  One of Philip’s disciples was Giovanni da Palestrina.  You could say Philip’s ministry was an early form of theology on tap.  Like-minded priests gathered around Philip, and he gave them a basic, non-monastic rule, turning his oratory into a congregation without vows that took the name Oratory.

Apart from that congregation, the program spread around Italy, offering young people prayer, catechism, and fun.  Eventually, Don Bosco adopted it, and recent convert John Henry Newman brought the association, the Oratorians, to England.

Philip Neri made “the love of God poured into our hearts” (introit) cause for rejoicing.  The Gospel, after all, is “good news.”

Pope Leo XIV's Magnifica Humanitas

Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas

A Manifesto for the Human Person in the Age of AI

(ANS – Rome – May 25, 2026) – In his new encyclical Magnifica humanitas, Pope Leo XIV places artificial intelligence at the heart of today’s social question, calling the Church and the wider human family to choose between a technological future built on domination and one grounded in dignity, justice, truth, and communion.

Entering one of the most urgent debates of our time, the Pope speaks with the calm authority of the Church’s social tradition—explicitly situating Magnifica humanitas in the 135th-anniversary lineage of Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum—and with the prophetic resonance of Scripture. The question before humanity, he suggests, is not whether artificial intelligence will shape the future—it already does. The real question is what kind of future we are building, and what kind of human beings we are becoming.

Babel or Jerusalem

The document’s central image is striking: humanity stands at a crossroads between constructing another Tower of Babel or, like Nehemiah, rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Babel represents technological pride, uniformity, control, and self-sufficiency. Jerusalem symbolizes patient reconstruction, shared responsibility, communion, and hope.

Pope Leo does not condemn technology. On the contrary, he recognizes its immense capacity to heal, educate, connect, and serve. Yet he insists that technology is never neutral in practice. It inevitably reflects the values of those who design it, finance it, regulate it, and deploy it. Artificial intelligence can serve the human person—but it can also reinforce a technocratic culture in which people are reduced to data points, productivity metrics, consumers, or instruments of efficiency.

The Anthropological Question

One of the encyclical’s most powerful contributions is anthropological. AI may calculate, imitate, synthesize, and respond—but it does not suffer, love, hope, repent, forgive, or discern. It has no body, no conscience, no spiritual interiority, no moral responsibility. It may simulate empathy, but it cannot become a neighbor.

For this reason, the Pope warns of a subtle yet profound danger: not only that machines might replace human tasks, but that they might reshape our imagination of what it means to be human.

Concrete Fields of Concern

The encyclical applies this discernment to several critical areas:

Public communication: AI can amplify disinformation and blur the boundary between truth and manipulation. Education: It may weaken patience, attention, and the discipline of asking meaningful questions. Work: While it can free people from dangerous or repetitive labor, it may also deskill workers, intensify surveillance, and generate new forms of unemployment. Economy: It risks concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few, and gives rise to new forms of slavery and a new “data colonialism”—the hidden labor that trains AI systems, the extractive mining behind its hardware, and the commodification of personal and health data. War: It can render violence faster, more impersonal, and less accountable—thru autonomous weapons, a renewed arms industry, and the steady normalization of armed conflict that the Pope warns against.

The Pope’s language becomes particularly forceful when he speaks of the need to “disarm” artificial intelligence. This does not mean rejecting innovation; rather, it means freeing AI from the logic of domination, monopoly, manipulation, and warfare. AI must be transparent, accountable, contestable, and socially governed. Above all, it must remain subject to the judgment of human dignity—not the reverse.

A Call to Conversion

For Catholic educators, communicators, and pastoral workers, Magnifica humanitas is not merely a Vatican reflection on technology. It’s a call to conversion. The Church is invited to form persons capable of living wisely in the digital age: men and women rooted in truth, silence, critical thought, embodied relationships, solidarity with the poor, and care for creation.

The encyclical closes with a 4-part Christian itinerary: the mystery of the Incarnation, the unity of the one Body in Christ nourished by the Eucharist, the “construction site” of our time in the figure of Nehemiah, and the Magnificat as the song of hope from which the document takes its name. Against technological fantasies of transcending human limits, Pope Leo proposes the Christian vision of a God who enters human fragility. Humanity is not saved by becoming less human—more efficient, invulnerable, or machine-like—but by becoming more deeply human in Christ: capable of love, communion, responsibility, and hope.

In the end, Magnifica humanitas is not a document of fear, but of discernment. It calls humanity to stop building towers destined to collapse and to begin rebuilding the city where every person has a place.

Practical Takeaways

In concrete terms, Magnifica humanitas invites every sector of the Church and society to a renewed sense of responsibility. Educators are called to teach young people not only how to use artificial intelligence, but also when not to use it, safeguarding attention, memory, patience, creativity, and moral judgment. Communicators must rediscover truth as a common good, embracing verification, transparency, and accountability as essential commitments in the digital age. Youth ministers are urged to accompany young people within their digital environments, understanding their online world without abandoning them to it. Institutions are encouraged to examine every technological adoption with ethical clarity, asking who truly benefits, who may be excluded, how data is used, and whether decisions remain accountable and open to appeal. Communities, meanwhile, are reminded to preserve spaces of real presence — the shared table, the classroom, the chapel, the playground, visits to the sick, and service to the poor — as irreplaceable signs of authentic human communion. Ultimately, the Pope’s appeal resounds with evangelical simplicity: do not build Babel; rebuild humanity together.