Quick Facts
Biography
Michael Piaszczynski (1 November 1885 – 18 December 1940) was a Polish Catholic priest who was arrested by the Nazis and killed at Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He is considered a martyr, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 13 June 1999.
Life
Michael Piaszczynski was born in Lomza, Poland, the son of Ferdynand and Anna Zientara. He was ordained to the priesthood on 13 June 1911. He was parish priest in Mikaszówka, Poland for a year before moving to Fribourg to earn a doctorate in philosophy. Father Piaszczynski served as a chaplain to a colony of Polish miners in France. From 1919 to 1935, he served at the Theological Seminary in the Diocese of Lomza and as a faculty member of the Piotr Skarga Secondary School in Lomza.
Arrest and Death
In September 1939, Father Piaszczynski became director of St. Casimir Secondary School in Sejnach. He was arrested on 7 April 1940 and was moved to Sachsenhausen on 3 May 1940. During his detention, Father Piaszczynski was in the habit of giving up his own ration of bread to elderly Jewish inmates. He died of physical exhaustion and related illness on 18 December 1940.
Beatification
On 13 June 1999, Pope John Paul II beatified Michael Piaszczynski along with 108 Polish martyrs of World War II.