Józef Cyrek facts for kids
Józef Cyrek (born September 13, 1904; died September 2, 1940) was a Polish writer and a Catholic priest. He was a member of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. He worked in religious publishing.
After the Nazi invasion of Poland, he was arrested by the Gestapo. He was held in several prisons and then sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he died. The Catholic Church has given him the title of Servant of God. This means he is being considered for beatification, which is a step towards becoming a saint.
His Life and Work
Józef Cyrek was born in Bysina, a village in Poland, on September 13, 1904. At that time, Poland was under Austrian rule. His father was a farmer. His mother passed away when he was very young. Józef learned to work hard from an early age, helping with farm tasks.
He went to school in Bysina and nearby Myślenice. He continued his studies in Kraków and Pińsk. In 1924, he joined the Society of Jesus in Stara Wieś. He studied philosophy at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Later, he studied theology in Belgium. He became a priest on August 24, 1934.
After returning to Poland in 1935, Cyrek worked for a Catholic publishing house in Kraków. It was called Wydawnictwo Apostolstwa Modlitwy. This was the oldest Catholic publisher in Poland. In 1938, he became the editor of a magazine called Hostia. He also became the chief secretary of the Eucharistic Crusade movement. In May 1938, he attended a large Catholic meeting in Budapest.
Józef Cyrek's Writings
Józef Cyrek wrote two biographies. One was about Piotr Skarga, an important religious figure from the 1500s. This book was published in 1936. The other biography was about Stanislaus Kostka, a Polish saint from the 1500s. Stanislaus became a priest at a young age and died at 18. Cyrek's book about him came out in 1937.
His most praised work was a simple catechism (a book of religious teachings) he wrote for children in 1938. The Polish government even gave it an award. He also wrote many articles for various religious magazines. These included Przegląd Powszechny, Wiara i Życie, and Posłaniec Serca Jezusowego.
Arrest and Death
On November 6, 1939, just over two months after the Nazis invaded Poland, the Gestapo carried out a special operation. It was called Sonderaktion Krakau. They arrested almost all the professors from Jagiellonian University in Kraków. This was part of the Nazi plan to remove all Polish leaders and thinkers.
Four days later, on November 10, 1939, Józef Cyrek was arrested. He was taken by the Gestapo along with 24 other Jesuits from the Jesuit College in Kraków. Eight of these Jesuits worked at the publishing house with Cyrek. They were all imprisoned in the Montelupich Prison in Kraków. The Jesuits were never told why they were arrested. But it was clear that the Nazis saw them as enemies because they opposed Nazi ideas.
After about 43 days in Montelupich Prison, Cyrek and the other Jesuits were moved. Around December 23, 1939, they were transferred to another Gestapo prison in Nowy Wiśnicz. This was a very harsh camp where prisoners were forced to work until they died.
On June 20, 1940, after six months in Nowy Wiśnicz, Cyrek was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. This camp was still being built at the time.
At Auschwitz, Cyrek was treated very cruelly. He was put in a special group called the Strafkompanie. These prisoners had to do extremely hard tasks. One task was pushing a huge road roller to flatten the camp's main assembly ground. He was also singled out for harsh treatment because of his Christian faith.
Józef Cyrek died in the camp's infirmary on September 2, 1940. He died from exhaustion, starvation, and severe beatings. He was only 35 years old, just eleven days before his 36th birthday. He was the first of the 25 arrested Jesuits to die in captivity.
A fellow prisoner, Adam Kozłowiecki, who later became a cardinal, wrote about Cyrek. He described Cyrek's "extraordinary goodness and his kindness towards others."
Józef Cyrek is one of 122 Polish martyrs from World War II. Their beatification process began in 1994. When someone is nominated for beatification, they are called a "Servant of God." If they are beatified, they are called "Blessed." This is a step before becoming a saint.
Cyrek's name is on a bronze plaque at Rockhurst University in the United States. This plaque remembers 152 Jesuit victims of the Nazis during World War II.
His Published Works
- Wielki sługa Boży ks. Piotr Skarga Towarzystwa Jezusowego ("Piotr Skarga of the Society of Jesus"; 1936)
- Twój wzór św. Stanisława Kostka: dla młodzieży polskiej ("St. Stanislaus Kostka as an Example for the Polish Youth"; 1937)
- Katechizm dla polskich dzieci ("Catechism for Polish Children"; 1938)
- Adoracje dla Krucjaty Eucharystycznej ("Prayers of Adoration for the Eucharistic Crusade", 1939)
- Katechizm: wydanie nowe katechizmu Józefa Cyrka dostosowane do wymagań Soboru Watykańskiego II ("Cyrek's Catechism revised in the light of the Second Vatican Council"; edited by Jan Charytański, et al.; 1968)
See also
- 108 Martyrs of World War II
- List of Nazi concentration camps
- List of Servants of God
- Sonderaktion Krakau
- Servant of God
- The Holocaust in Poland
