Martyrdom of Sisters of Nazareth (Nowogródek, Poland) and Fr Aleksander Zienkiewicz

Abstract

The presented article attempts to explain martyrdom from the biblical perspective, in legalcanonization terms, moral-educational terms, and in the context of European and Polish religious pedagogy. Having specified requirements for the so-called “introduction”, the author outlines the status, paths and scope of development of religious pedagogy, as well as their objective character and basic terminology (key notions), including the notion and typologies of the presented categories. Then, objective and procedural implications of the nuns’ martyrdom are discussed.

Another vital goal of the article was to initiate a debate whether the category of martyrdom should be extended to include selected cases, which heretofore have not been subject of canonization legislation but belong to the Author’s area of research. In his opinion, this attempt to extend the scope of martyrdom consisted in presenting a martyrological paradigm manifested by “testimony of blood” which is relevant to the proposed sort of martyrdom as legal-canonization and educational categories. This testimony was borne by Catholic martyrs who were executed by a firing squad in 1943. In a non-canonization sense, i.e. not in the interpretation of the theological conception of martyrdom of Benedict XIV, yet in a heroic sense, the sacrifice was also made by their chaplain and educator of the youth (mainly university students), Prelate Aleksander Zienkiewicz. In 2010, a beatification process on his behalf was instituted, announced by Archbishop Marian Gołębiewski.