From the Eastern Front: Fr. Franciszek Miska, Polish Salesian Martyr

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Fr. Franciszek Miska, Polish Salesian Martyr

Fr. Franciszek Miska, Polish Salesian Martyr

(ANS – Krakow – May 20, 2026) – A man of great spirit and wisdom, Fr. Franciszek was an optimist. Faith helped him overcome the hardships of occupation and persecution from the time of the camp in Lad until his martyr’s death in Dachau. Toward the end of his life, it was he who strengthened his brethren in faith and became an example of how to remain faithful unto death.

Childhood and Youth

Francik was born in Swierczyniec near Bierun Stary in Upper Silesia on December 5, 1898, as the 5th child of Jan and Zofia (née Pilorz) in a family of 11 members. The family lived in Bierun.

He was baptized on December 8, 1898, in the church of St. Bartholomew the Apostle in Bierun. The whole family had to make a living from a 25-acre farm. Yet what constituted their true wealth was the faith that filled their home.

In the Miska family home, there must have been a remarkable atmosphere. To raise a large number of children during the time of the partitions and World War I was no small achievement. It was in his family home that Franciszek learned how to be good to others, how to endure those who were difficult, how to help, and how to forgive.

The parents gave their children the best example of a good Christian life. They also cultivated patriotic traditions by distributing Polish books and magazines, singing patriotic songs, and running a circle of the Society of People’s Reading Rooms. During World War II, the family hid in their home people sought by the Gestapo, as well as prisoners who had escaped from Auschwitz.

Salesian Path

Franciszek attended secondary school in Oswiecim, and after completing it, in 1916 he was admitted to the novitiate in Pleszew. On July 24, 1917, he made his first religious vows there. After philosophical studies in Krakow, he did practical training in Przemysl and Oswiecim. He made perpetual vows in Oswiecim on July 25, 1923.He then went to Turin-Crocetta to study theology, where he was ordained on July 10, 1927. After ordination, he worked in Przemysl as a school councilor and catechist in an orphanage run by the Salesians. After 2 years of work, he was transferred to Vilnius as a catechist in the Salesian school. In 1931 he became the director of the large Salesian work in Jaciazek, leading it for five years. In 1936, he assumed the position of director of the house of the Sons of Mary—that is, men who discerned their Salesian vocation later in life—and also became pastor in Lad on the Warta River.

After the outbreak of the war in 1939, he served for several weeks as a military chaplain, and then returned to Lad to continue his ministry as parish priest.

Arrest

It was in his family home that the German persecutors arrested Fr. Franciszek. On January 6, 1941, the German authorities transformed the Salesian house in Lad into a prison for priests from Wloclawek, Gniezno–Poznan, and other dioceses, as well as for a group of Salesians present in the house. Among the temporary prisoners was Bp. Michal Kozal, now Blessed, as well as a group of seminarians from the diocese of Wloclawek. The Gestapo appointed Fr. Franciszek Msika as the superior of all the internees, making him responsible for discipline and the conduct of the prisoners. He cared for his confreres as much as he could, often at his own expense. He possessed a spirit of heroism. He strengthened the priests and seminarians who were there. All the prisoners were later transported in stages to the concentration camp in Dachau.

Martyrdom and Death

During this time, Fr. Franciszek was twice taken to Inowroclaw and Gniezno, where he was beaten until he bled and lost consciousness. From Lad, he was transferred to the transit camp in Konstantynow near Lodz on October 6, 1941, and on October 30 he was sent to the camp in Dachau. In the camp, Fr. Franciszek was assigned exhausting labor. When he was forced to carry cauldrons of soup, he broke his arm. He died of illness and exhaustion on May 30, 1942, Trinity Sunday. Before his death, he prayed and comforted others, encouraging his fellow prisoners. His body was burned in the crematorium.