Lived: 1891-1944
Feast Day: N/A
Pope Blessed Under: John Paul II
"You have conquered with God’s victory....We do not pray for you: because
the enemy has snapped the thread of an innocent’s life; since, when the earth
bled, the Lord looked for the victim who had overcome hatred by love."
--Inscription on a
memorial to Alphonsus Mazurek
An outstanding
organizer and
educator, Mazurek
was also destined to become a
martyr. He was born in
Poland on March
1st, 1891. He studied hard in
seminary school throughout his youth, and
then joined the
Carmelite order in 1912. He continued his studies, growing
spiritually and mentally. His organizational ability was renowned, and he
was set in charge of the Minor Seminary. In 1930 he was elected Prior for
the
Czerna Monastery. Here he took on the responsibility of the
choir
program, which flourished under his guidance.
On the 24th of
August, 1944, however, this all changed.
Nazis took over the monastery, killing
resistants and forcing the rest
to dig
ditches. Mazurek was seperated from the rest and tortured. Later
he was taken on a dirt path via a military
car. He was kicked out and forced
to walk a fair distance. After walking, the Nazis shouted at him. Turning
around, he was shot at and mortally wounded. The guards approached him, kicked
him, and filled his mouth with dirt. Some of his
brothers came from digging
ditches and happened upon him: he was given absolution shortly before his
death. The date was August 28th, vigil of the Martydom of
St. John the Baptist,
of whom Mazurek was particularly devoted.
Like so many of the great
Catholic martyrs and
saints, he was devoted to
Mary. This devotion brought out personal
piety and a special sympathy in him for the sick and poor. Strict and often
stringent on details, he was able to carry his religious philosophy to practical
ends, giving his
pupils a better education and his order a honorable
hero.
Source(s): http://www.catholic-pages.com/
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