(ANS – Kraków) – The beatification ceremony for nine Salesians—educators and martyrs—will take place on June 6, 2026, at the Shrine of St. John Paul II in Kraków. This beatification is a public recognition of their witness to the faith, a witness that proved stronger than violence, fear, and death.
Amid the totalitarian hatred of World War II, they remained faithful to Christ, to the Church, and to their Salesian vocation until the very end. Their lives and martyrdom demonstrate that faith is not merely an idea, but a choice—one that, in times of trial, requires courage and fidelity.
This solemn occasion is not only a remembrance of tragic history, but also a celebration of the victory of love over evil. It is a testimony to the beauty of the Salesian vocation, lived out in the many places where they served young people. Their martyrdom was not an act of despair, but a conscious acceptance of the Cross as the path of fidelity to God and to humanity—a continuation of their offering of life to Christ and of their consecration, fulfilled at the time of their profession.
In the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau, their witness became a sign of hope, demonstrating that even in such conditions a person can remain inwardly free and faithful to their conscience. To those who condemned them, it may have seemed that power belonged to the oppressors; yet in reality, those who appeared to be losing were the true victors.
The Future Blesseds
– Fr. Ignacy Antonowicz, SDB – age 51
– Fr. Ignacy Dobiasz, SDB – age 61
– Fr. Karol Golda, SDB – age 27
– Fr. Franciszek Harazim, SDB – age 56
– Fr. Franciszek Miśka, SDB – age 43
– Fr. Ludwik Mroczek, SDB – age 36
– Fr. Włodzimierz Szembek, SDB – age 59
– Fr. Jan Świerc, SDB – age 64
– Fr. Kazimierz Wojciechowski, SDB – age 37
Their biographies will be presented in detail by ANS in the coming days. As early as Friday, May 8, 2026, further coverage will explore the connections between Karol Wojtyła, later John Paul II, and these Servants of God and future Salesian martyr Blesseds.