BL. JAN OPRZADEK, PRIEST AND MARTYR - 18 MAY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY

Saints celebrated on the 18th of May

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

BL. JAN OPRZADEK, PRIEST AND MARTYR 

⬅️ 108 Martyrs of World War II

Blessed Jan Oprzadek, a manual labourer, was born on March 4, 1884 in Koscielec, Krakow, Poland. In 1912, he joined the Franciscan Friars Minor in the Province of Saint Mary of the Angels. 

HIS SOLEMN PROFESSION

After the First World War, he returned to the monastery and made his solemn profession on October 4, 1924. His name in religion was Martin. Later, he was ordained a priest and did charitable work.

HIS ARREST AND EXECUTION

He was arrested on August 26, 1940, along with several other brothers. Blessed Jan was deported to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. A few months later he was sent to Dachau. When he became too ill to work, he and others were transported to Hartheim, Austria, where he died on the way due to ill-usage (on May 18, 1942).

HIS FEAST DAY

Blessed Jan's feast day is May 18. He is also commemorated on June 12 as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II.

(Further reading:

https://catholicreadings.org/blessed-jan-oprzadek/)