Stanisław Wiórek

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Public execution by the Nazis of Polish hostages in Bydgoszcz's Old Market Square 9 September 1939 Bydgoszcz 1939 Polish priests and civilians at the Old Market.jpg
Public execution by the Nazis of Polish hostages
in Bydgoszcz's Old Market Square
9 September 1939
The moment of death Bydgoszcz's Old Market Square 9 September 1939 Bydgoszcz-rozstrzelanie zakladnikow 9.09.1939.jpg
The moment of death
Bydgoszcz's Old Market Square
9 September 1939

Stanisław Wiórekor alternativelyStanisław Wiorek (12 December 1912 – 9 September 1939) was a Polish theologian and Catholic clergyman, member of the Congregation of the Mission, publicly murdered by the Nazis on the ninth day of the Second World War.

Contents

He has in recent years been accorded the title of Servant of God and is in the process of being beatified by the Catholic Church.

Life and death

Wiórek was born on 12 December 1912 in Bottrop in the extreme south-west corner of the then Province of Westphalia on 12 December 1912, and joined the Lazarists at Kraków in Poland in 1930. He studied theology at Kraków and subsequently at the Angelicum in Rome, where he took holy orders in 1938, the year before his death. According to some sources, he was ordained at Kraków in 1938, during the period of his studies in Italy, which were briefly interrupted for the purpose. [1]

He returned from Rome to Poland in 1939, going directly to Bydgoszcz where he was supposed to take up ministry in the local church, in the Bielawki area of the city (see Bielawy). [2] As after the Nazi invasion of Poland the Germans issued an ordinance requiring the registration of the population, Wiórek left the premises of his religious institute on Saturday, 9 September 1939, in company with another priest, Piotr Szarek (1908–1939), in order to complete the required formalities. [3] While in a street outside, he was caught in a łapanka , a random rounding-up of Polish hostages in reprisal for what the Nazi prop­a­gan­da portrayed as anti-German events of the so-called Bloody Sunday of 3 September 1939, six days earlier. [4] The randomly detained passers-by were brought to Bydgoszcz's historic Old Market Square (the Stary Rynek ), a prominent central place where they were displayed and harassed before twenty-five of them were summarily executed in public by a firing squad at about 12 noon. [5] [6] Wiórek was killed together with his companion, Piotr Szarek who, having shown signs of life after the salvo of shots rang out, was dealt an individual coup de grâce . [7] [8] Their bodies were displayed in the Old Market Square for six hours, from about 12 noon to 6 p.m. [9] Stanisław Wiórek was twenty six years' old.

There is an eyewitness account of Wiórek's martyrdom given by Helena Kozłowska, a pharmacist who was working at the time in the Stary Rynek (Old Market Square). [10] Wiórek's body, together with that of Szarek, is buried in the Cemetery of the Heroes of Bydgoszcz ( Cmentarz Bohaterów Bydgoszczy ) in Bydgoszcz.

Stanisław Wiórek is currently one of the 122 Polish martyrs of the Second World War who are included in the beatification process initiated in 1994, whose first beatifica­tion session was held in Warsaw in 2003 (see Słudzy Boży ). A person nominated for beatification receives within the Roman Cath­o­lic Church the title of "Servant of God"; once he is actually beatified he is accorded the title of "Venerable" and "Blessed", which are a prerequisite for saint­hood conferred in a process known as canonization.

Wiórek's likeness is depicted pictorially in the stained-glass windows of the Church of Our Lady Revealing the Miraculous Medal located in the Olcza district of the city of Zakopane (the Parafia Najświętszej Maryi Panny Niepokalanej Objawiającej Cudowny Medalik ). [11]

Bibliography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piotr Szarek</span>

Piotr Szarek was a Polish Catholic clergyman, member of the Congregation of the Mission, publicly murdered by the Nazis on the ninth day of the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casimir the Great Park</span> Urban park, 17th century, Bydgoszcz, Poland

Casimir the Great Park is the oldest park in Bydgoszcz, Poland, covering an area of 2.24 ha. The park is located in a central part of downtown Bydgoszcz, bordered by Gdańska Street, Konarski Street, Jagiellońska street and Freedom Square. Its area represents a rectangle of 100m by 200m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drukarnia shopping mall, Bydgoszcz</span> Shopping Center in Bydgoszcz, Poland

Drukarnia Dom Mody is a shopping mall in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Timm House</span> Tenement in Poland, Poland

Alexander Timm House is a tenement located in Bydgoszcz, Poland, at 17 Gdańska street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagiellońska Street, Bydgoszcz</span> Street in Bydgoszcz, Poland

Jagiellońska street is a historic street from downtown district in Bydgoszcz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernardyńska Street (Bydgoszcz)</span>

Bernardyńska street is an historic axis of Bydgoszcz Old Town. It bears many historical buildings, of which several are listed on Kuyavian-Pomeranian Heritage list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomeranian Philharmonic</span> Orchestra in Bydgoszcz, Poland

The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic has been at its present site in Bydgoszcz, Poland, since 16 November 1953. It bears the name of Polish pianist and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The Pomeranian Philharmonic is the musical center of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and also features an outdoor art gallery. It is registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossoliński Alley, Bydgoszcz</span>

Ossoliński Alley is a large dual carriageway road located in downtown Bydgoszcz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voivodeship and Municipal Public Library, Bydgoszcz</span> Library in Bydgoszcz, Poland

The Voivodeship and Municipal Public Library "Dr. Witold Bełza" in Bydgoszcz is housed in historical buildings located between the Stary Rynek and Długa street, registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List. It is the oldest (1903) library in activity in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Since 2002, it bears the name of Witold Bełza.

<i>The Archer</i> (Lepcke)

The sculpture The Archer stands in the Jan Kochanowski Park in Bydgoszcz, facing the Polish Theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bogdan Raczkowski</span> Polish architect (1888–1939)

Bogdan Feliks Raczkowski was an influential engineer, builder and urbanist in Bydgoszcz from the 1920s till the outbreak of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old water tower of Bydgoszcz</span> Historic water tower in Poland

The old water tower is a historic water tower belonging to the municipal water supply network of Bydgoszcz, Poland. Its importance in the local history has been acknowledged in 1986 by a registering on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Turwid</span> Polish painter and writer (1905–1987)

Marian Turwid-Kaczmarek, also known as Marian Turwid was a Polish writer, painter and cultural activist in Bydgoszcz, and member of the National Committee of the National Unity Front in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Grzymała-Siedlecki</span> Polish literary and theater critic, playwright, translator, prose writer and director

Adam Franciszek Józef Siedlecki or Adam Grzymała-Siedlecki (AGS) (1876–1967) was a Polish literary and theater critic, playwright, translator, prose writer and director.

Witold Stanisław Kazimierz Bełza was a Polish librarian, writer, publicist and cultural activist. He was the director of the Provincial and Municipal Public Library of Bydgoszcz from 1920 to 1939 and from 1945 to 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomeranian Leather Company "Kobra"</span> Former shoemaker in Bydgoszcz, Poland

The Pomeranian Leather Factory "Kobra" is a former shoe producing company based in Bydgoszcz. The firm was one of the largest in Poland in its domain. It went bankrupt in 1992. Starting with felt shoes, the company then manufactured leather footwear, mainly for men and for uniformed services; it provided as well production and repair services for the leather industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernardine Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Bydgoszcz</span> Catholic Church, Bydgoszcz, Poland, Mid-16th century

The Bernardine Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace is a historic church from 1557, located in Bernardyńska street, in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Its patron was initially Saint George: in 1971, Polish primate Stefan Wyszyński changed its title to the current one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów's Church, Bydgoszcz</span> Catholic Church, Bydgoszcz, Poland, 20th century

Saint Stanislaus's Church is a wood and brick Catholic church, situated on the eastern side of Bydgoszcz, Poland. Located at 1 Kapliczna street, its patron saint is Stanislaus of Szczepanów. The building and part of its surroundings have been registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List since 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bydgoszcz Cable Factory</span> Cable Production Factory, 1920, Bydgoszcz, Poland

Bydgoszcz Cable Factory is a factory founded in 1920, in Bydgoszcz. It has been owned since 2003 by "Tele-Fonika Kable S.A." Corporate group, located in Myślenice. The plant is the oldest existing cable factory in Poland, producing up to 25,000 km of cables per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babia Wieś Street, Bydgoszcz</span> Street, Bydgoszcz, Poland, 19th–20th century

Located in the Babia Wieś District, the Babia Wieś Street is a half-kilometre-long alley extending along the Brda River, close to downtown Bydgoszcz in Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Poland. The street runs between Toruńska Street and the Brda River, running parallel to the East-West direction. It has a curved shape, and crosses Toruńska Street at both tips.

References

  1. ↑ Biography of the Servants of God on the Biuletyn Męczennicy ("Martyrs' Bulletin") website of Pelplin, Poland (see online). Archived 2013-04-16 at archive.today
  2. ↑ Z okupacyjnych dziejów Bydgoszczy, Warsaw, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1977, p. 64.
  3. ↑ Kazimierz Borucki, Tablice pamiątkowe Bydgoszczy, Bydgoszcz, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe (Bydgoskie Towarzystwo Naukowe), 1963, p. 45.
  4. ↑ Włodzimierz Jastrzębski, Dywersja czy masakra? : cywilna obrona Bydgoszczy we wrześniu 1939 r., Gdańsk, Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1988, p. 132. ISBN   8303021931.
  5. ↑ Prace Komisji Historii — Seria C, ed. Z. Grot, Poznań, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1969, p. 148.
  6. ↑ Janusz Gumkowski & Rajmund Kuczma, Zbrodnie hitlerowskie: Bydgoszcz 1939, Warsaw, Polonia, 1967, p. 18.
  7. ↑ Jerzy Ślaski, Polska walcząca, vol. 2, 3rd ed., augm., Warsaw, Oficyna Wydawnicza Rytm, 1999, p. 554. ISBN   8387893315.
  8. ↑ Janusz Kutta, "Rola Kościoła katolickiego w dziejach Bydgoszczy" (The Role of the Catholic Church in the History of Bydgoszcz), Kronika Bydgoska, vol. 19, ed. W. Jastrzębski, et al. , Bydgoszcz, Towarzystwo Miłośników miasta Bydgoszczy, 1998, p. 14. ISSN 0454-5451.
  9. ↑ Ryszard Wojan, Bydgoszcz: niedziela 3 września 1939 r., Poznań, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie (Towarzystwo Rozwoju Ziem Zachodnich. Rada Okręgu Bydgoskiego w Toruniu), 1959, p. 68.
  10. ↑ "Symbol przetrwania: legenda krwawej ręki" (A Symbol of Endurance: The Legend of a Bloody Handprint); in: Rajmund Kuczma & Jerzy Derenda, Legendy i przypowieści (Biblioteka Bydgoska series), Bydgoszcz, Towarzystwo Miłośników miasta Bydgoszczy, 1992, pp. 67–68.
  11. ↑ Sanktuarium MB Objawiającej Cudowny Medalik, os. Piszczory 13, 34-502 Zakopane-Olcza (see online). Archived 2013-01-13 at the Wayback Machine


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.