Dec. 13, Bl. Pius Bartosik, Priest, Conventual religious, Martyr 1941 Ludwik Bartosik was born on August 21st, 1909, at Kokanin, near Kalisz. He was the firstborn of Wojciech, shoemaker, and Wiktoria …More
Dec. 13, Bl. Pius Bartosik, Priest, Conventual religious, Martyr 1941
Ludwik Bartosik was born on August 21st, 1909, at Kokanin, near Kalisz. He was the firstborn of Wojciech, shoemaker, and Wiktoria Tomczyk. His parents were very poor. Thanks to the efforts of the family, of the acquaintances and of the parish priest of the village, the young Ludwik was so well intellectually prepared that he could begin his studies in the gymnasium "Tadeusz Kosciuszko" of Kalisz. Here, he attended the classes of the inferior gymnasium.
In 1926 he was accepted in the Conventual Franciscan Order. He began his novitiate on September 7th, 1926, at Kalwaria Paclawska, near Przemyl, and at Pagiewniki, near Lodz. He received the name Pius. On September 8th, 1927, he pronounced his temporary vows. He started his studies again in the Franciscan minor seminary, at first at Sanok and then in Lwow (now Lviv, Ukraine), crowning them in 1931 with a diploma. Afterwards, he began to study philosophy and theology in the major seminary of Krakow, where the Bishop, Msgr. Stanislaw Rospond, ordained him priest on June 23rd, 1935.
His first destination was the friary of Krosno, where he distinguished himself for his devotion and especially for his thoughtful ministry in the confessional. In August 1936 he was moved to Niepokalanow, by explicit request of Father Maximilian Kolbe, just elected guardian of that friary, after six years of mission in Japan. Perceiving in Father Pius a lot of spiritual and intellectual qualities, Father Kolbe entrusted him with many tasks of responsibility, appointing him editor of the monthly reviews Rycerz Niepokalanej (Knight of the Immaculata, 1936-39), Rycerzyk Niepokalanej (Young Knight of the Immaculata, 1937-38) and the quarterly review in Latin Miles Immaculatae (1938-39). Father Bartosik wrote many articles and a book with a Marian theme, which remained in print.
The friars remember Father Pius as a thoughtful priest, who spent a lot of time in the confessional, and treated his collaborators with extraordinary kindness and respect.
On September 19th, 1939, together with Saint Maximilian Kolbe and about forty brethren, the Germans imprisoned him and he spent nearly three months in the concentration camps of Lamsdorf, Amtitz and Ostrzeszow. He patiently bore hunger and sufferings, repeating: "Until now we wrote and told someone else how to bear suffering, now it is our turn to get over all this, otherwise what value could our words have?"
On February 17th, 1941, he was arrested for the second time, together with Father Maximilian Kolbe, Father Antonin Bajewski and other two friars, and taken to Warsaw in the Pawiak prison, where he patiently bore every oppression. During Holy Week, on April 4th, 1941, he was transported with Father Antonin to Auschwitz, where he was registered with the number 12832. At the beginning, he was assigned to building works. Afterward, because of his bodily breakdown, due to strokes, a skin infection and a painful injury to the leg, he was sent to the hospital of the “lager” (barrack). There, with extreme dedication he helped the other patients, he cleaned their wounds, he assisted them both bodily and spiritually, above all with the sacrament of penance. He repeated: "The sufferings of this moment can't be compared with the future glory, with the future happiness that we are going to have near God, in Heaven".
Father Pius, notwithstanding his hard bodily sufferings, patiently bore the situation that he was compelled to undergo. He died, after receiving Extreme Unction by Fr. Konrad Szweda, in the night between the 12th and 13thDecember, 1941. "So died the editor of the Rycerz Niepokalanej, of the Rycerzyk Niepokalanej and of the Miles Immaculatae, a knight of the Immaculata and an authentic apostle of the suffering, as he was called in the concentration camp. He got over the most terrible torments with heroic patience, following the example of the divine Master Jesus Christ, crucified for our salvation. ‘Blessed are they that suffer, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven!’" with these words, ends the testimony of Fr. Konrad Szweda, ex-prisoner of Auschwitz and Dachau.
Proclaimed "blessed" by John Paul II on June 13th, 1999.
Ludwik Bartosik was born on August 21st, 1909, at Kokanin, near Kalisz. He was the firstborn of Wojciech, shoemaker, and Wiktoria Tomczyk. His parents were very poor. Thanks to the efforts of the family, of the acquaintances and of the parish priest of the village, the young Ludwik was so well intellectually prepared that he could begin his studies in the gymnasium "Tadeusz Kosciuszko" of Kalisz. Here, he attended the classes of the inferior gymnasium.
In 1926 he was accepted in the Conventual Franciscan Order. He began his novitiate on September 7th, 1926, at Kalwaria Paclawska, near Przemyl, and at Pagiewniki, near Lodz. He received the name Pius. On September 8th, 1927, he pronounced his temporary vows. He started his studies again in the Franciscan minor seminary, at first at Sanok and then in Lwow (now Lviv, Ukraine), crowning them in 1931 with a diploma. Afterwards, he began to study philosophy and theology in the major seminary of Krakow, where the Bishop, Msgr. Stanislaw Rospond, ordained him priest on June 23rd, 1935.
His first destination was the friary of Krosno, where he distinguished himself for his devotion and especially for his thoughtful ministry in the confessional. In August 1936 he was moved to Niepokalanow, by explicit request of Father Maximilian Kolbe, just elected guardian of that friary, after six years of mission in Japan. Perceiving in Father Pius a lot of spiritual and intellectual qualities, Father Kolbe entrusted him with many tasks of responsibility, appointing him editor of the monthly reviews Rycerz Niepokalanej (Knight of the Immaculata, 1936-39), Rycerzyk Niepokalanej (Young Knight of the Immaculata, 1937-38) and the quarterly review in Latin Miles Immaculatae (1938-39). Father Bartosik wrote many articles and a book with a Marian theme, which remained in print.
The friars remember Father Pius as a thoughtful priest, who spent a lot of time in the confessional, and treated his collaborators with extraordinary kindness and respect.
On September 19th, 1939, together with Saint Maximilian Kolbe and about forty brethren, the Germans imprisoned him and he spent nearly three months in the concentration camps of Lamsdorf, Amtitz and Ostrzeszow. He patiently bore hunger and sufferings, repeating: "Until now we wrote and told someone else how to bear suffering, now it is our turn to get over all this, otherwise what value could our words have?"
On February 17th, 1941, he was arrested for the second time, together with Father Maximilian Kolbe, Father Antonin Bajewski and other two friars, and taken to Warsaw in the Pawiak prison, where he patiently bore every oppression. During Holy Week, on April 4th, 1941, he was transported with Father Antonin to Auschwitz, where he was registered with the number 12832. At the beginning, he was assigned to building works. Afterward, because of his bodily breakdown, due to strokes, a skin infection and a painful injury to the leg, he was sent to the hospital of the “lager” (barrack). There, with extreme dedication he helped the other patients, he cleaned their wounds, he assisted them both bodily and spiritually, above all with the sacrament of penance. He repeated: "The sufferings of this moment can't be compared with the future glory, with the future happiness that we are going to have near God, in Heaven".
Father Pius, notwithstanding his hard bodily sufferings, patiently bore the situation that he was compelled to undergo. He died, after receiving Extreme Unction by Fr. Konrad Szweda, in the night between the 12th and 13thDecember, 1941. "So died the editor of the Rycerz Niepokalanej, of the Rycerzyk Niepokalanej and of the Miles Immaculatae, a knight of the Immaculata and an authentic apostle of the suffering, as he was called in the concentration camp. He got over the most terrible torments with heroic patience, following the example of the divine Master Jesus Christ, crucified for our salvation. ‘Blessed are they that suffer, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven!’" with these words, ends the testimony of Fr. Konrad Szweda, ex-prisoner of Auschwitz and Dachau.
Proclaimed "blessed" by John Paul II on June 13th, 1999.