杏MAP导航

By Fr. Marek Weresa

“Now that Stanis?aw Streich is beatified, this Church knows it has in him a friend of God, to whom it can entrust its concerns and anxieties, its desires and needs,” said Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

He celebrated Mass celebrated outside the Cathedral of Poznań, Poland, for the beatification ceremony of a “priest and martyr for the faith, apostle of fraternity, and benefactor of his nation.”

“Let us ask him together to speak to the heart of God about our desire for peace in the world and peace at the gates of our Europe,” he added.

In the manner of the Good Shepherd

In his homily, Cardinal Semeraro emphasized that Jesus the Good Shepherd was the model for Blessed Streich’s priestly and pastoral ministry.

“He was a man who loved life, lived it with simplicity and dignity, and above all, dedicated it with a joyful heart to the communities entrusted to him. This disposition and determination of spirit found its fullest expression in his self-sacrifice,” he said.

The Cardinal stressed that the sacrifice of Fr. Streich’s life is a call to deepen human relationships, to welcome others with their needs and struggles—even when it requires the “effort of mercy.”

“Whenever we welcome one another, whenever we set aside mistrust and fear and are willing to pay the price for the good of others, we become ‘good shepherds,’ just as Jesus Christ was the Good Shepherd of our lives—and as our new Blessed became His faithful image,” he said.

A call to inspiring service in the Church

“We gather for this solemn celebration to petition His Holiness 杏MAP导航 Leo to graciously inscribe the venerable Servant of God, Father Stanis?aw Streich, among the blessed, turning in grateful prayer to God,” said Archbishop Zbigniew Zieliński, Metropolitan of Poznań, at the beginning of the Mass.

He invited Cardinal Marcello Semeraro to preside over the beatification Mass and expressed his hope that the new blessed would serve as “a guide in faith” for the faithful.

The Archbishop described the martyr as “a leaven of vitality in building up the Church community.” He voiced his desire that Blessed Streich would inspire priests to dedicated ministry and help those discerning vocations to respond to the call of the Master from Nazareth.

Archbishop Zieliński also expressed gratitude for the support shown to the Archdiocese of Poznań throughout the beatification process.

A martyr of communism

Blessed Stanis?aw Streich, pastor of St. John Bosco Parish in Luboń near Poznań, was shot and killed by Wawrzyniec Nowak during Sunday Mass on February 27, 1938.

Contemporary newspapers reported that the assailant shouted: “Long live communism! I did it for you! Get out of the church!”

The murderer belonged to a militant wing of the Military Division of the Communist Party of Poland. He viewed the Catholic Church as an enemy of progress and revolution.

Testimonies indicate that Fr. Streich was a humble man who quietly helped those in need. He cared deeply for others, particularly for those distant from God, who were close to his heart.

A community organizer, he helped establish numerous religious associations in the parish, supported the poor and unemployed, organized catechism for children, and aided struggling families.

Witness accounts of Fr. Streich’s death and early investigations into his murder confirmed the Church’s conviction in the Archdiocese of Poznań that he had died a martyr’s death.