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Sister Stella and Companions
Sacrifice Offered - Sacrifice Accepted
During the Second World War (1939 - 1945) people living on Polish
soil were persecuted for their national identity and faith. At the Easternmost end
of the Republish of Poland in Nowogrodek (presently Belarus), twelve Sisters of the Holy
Family of Nazareth experienced the dark nights of military occupation: first the Russian
and then the German. It was during the German invasion (1941 - 1945) that hatred of
the enemy culminated in the dramatic execution of eleven Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth. They were killed on August 1, 193, in the woods, 5 km (about 3 miles)
beyond Nowogrodek. Soon after this incredible event, Sister M. Malgorzata Banas, the
sole survivor of the community, located the place of the Sisters' execution. Until
her death (April 26, 1966) she remained the guardian of their common grave, and of the
Church of the Transfiguration, known as Biala Fara (White Church). this
Church was entrusted to the care of the Sisters and it is there that the earthly remains
of these martyrs now rest.
How did the martyrdom of Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions
come about?
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth arrived in Nowogrodek in
1929 at the invitation of the Servant of God, Bishop Zygmunt Lozinski, to assume the
responsibility of caring for the Fara and for the education of children. As
a community, the Sisters became and integral part of the life in Nowogrodek and served the
multicultural residents of the town. Open to the needs of the people in time of
peace, they gave themselves still more completely during the occupation, by encouraging,
helping, praying and empathizing with families who were coping with oppression,
imprisonment, and murder. The Sisters invested great effort in preparing for the
religious services heldin the Fara. Hence, liturgical prayer
became a haven of hope for the people living amid the overpowering darkness of
Evil. |
Terror,
associated with he German occupation of Nowogrodek, began in 1942 with the extermination
of the Jews, and was followed by a surge of arrests of the Polish people, then the
indiscriminate slaughter of 60 persons, including two priests. A similar situation
was repeated on July 18, 1943, when more than 120 members of families were arrested and
were destined to be executed. Aware of this tragic situation, the Sisters
unanimously expressed their desire to offer their lives in sacrifice for the imprisoned
family members. Sister Stella, in the name of the community, shared the Sisters'
prayer and decision with Father Zienkiewicz, their chaplain and rector of the Fara,
saying: My God, if sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us and spare those who
have families. We are even praying for this intention.
Almost as an immediate response to the Sisters' offering
of life, the plans for the prisoners were changed. They were deported to work camps
in Germany and some of them were even released. When the life of the rector, Father
Zienkiewicz, was threatened, the Sisters renewed their offering saying: There is a
greater need for a priest on this earth than for us. We pray that God will take us
in his place, if sacrifice of life is needed.
God accepted their sacrifice. The imprisoned
including the chaplain were spared. They were the first to witness and to proclaim
the holiness of these Martyrs and their powerful intercession before God. By
offering their lives, Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions fulfilled their Nazareth
charism in the service of families to a heroic degree. In elevating the Martyrs of
Nowogrodek to the honor of Blessed, the Church presents them as models of love and
defenders against the numerous dangers that are threatening the contemporary family. |
| > Sister
M. Stella, CSFN |
| > Sister M. Imelda, CSFN |
> Sister M. Gwidona, CSFN |
| > Sister M. Rajmunda, CSFN |
> Sister M. Felicyta, CSFN |
| > Sister M. Daniela, CSFN |
> Sister M. Heliodora, CSFN |
| > Sister M. Kanuta, CSFN |
> Sister M. Kanizja, CSFN |
| > Sister M. Sergia |
> Sister M. Boromea, CSF |
PRAYER TO OBTAIN
GRACES |
O
Most Blessed Trinity, we praise and thank you for the example of Blessed Mary Stella and
Her Ten Compaions, Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, who by imitating Jesus Christ,
offered themselves as a sacrifice of love for others.
God of mercy and compassion,
throught the merits of their martyrdom and by their intercession, grant us the grace we
humbly ask..., so that like them we may witness with our lives to the presence of the
Kingdom of God's Love and extend it to the human fmaily throughout the world. We ask
this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.Blessed Martyred
Sisters of Nowogrodek, pray for us. |
| Kindly notify the Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth, Via Nazareth 400, 00166 Rome, Italy, of graces received through the intercession
of Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions. |
The Sisters of Nowogrodek |
