19 October, every year since 2018, is celebrated in Poland as the National Day of Remembrance of the Unbroken Clergy. It was on 19 October 1984 that officers of the communist secret police, the Security Service, abducted Father Jerzy Popieluszko, who was later cruelly tortured and murdered.
Father Jerzy Popiełuszko was born on 14 September 1947 in Okopy near Suchowola in the Podlasie region. After passing his secondary school-leaving exams in 1965, he joined the Higher Metropolitan Seminary in Warsaw. A year later he was called up for military service, during which he was repressed for wearing a Catholic medallion and organising prayers for soldiers.
He was ordained a priest on 28 May 1972 by the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. He celebrated his first Mass in his family parish in Suchowola, where he went to secondary school. Then he was sent as a curate to Ząbki near Warsaw, and later to Anin and, in 1987, to the parish of the Child Jesus in Warsaw Żoliborz. In May 1980, Father Jerzy Popiełuszko became a priest-resident at St Stanislaus Kostka parish, also in Żoliborz.
In 1980-1981, it was time when the communists had to allow Solidarity (Polish independent trade union) to operate and St Stanislaus Kostka Church became an important meeting place for workers.
This period ended on 13 December 1981, when martial law was imposed in Poland.
At that time, in his sermons full of passion and love for God and the Homeland, Popieluszko kept the spirits of society terrorised by the authorities up and gave aid to the repressed. Unfortunately, in September 1983, the public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation against him, which resulted in thirteen interrogations and one arrest. In addition, a massive media campaign was waged against him, notably by government spokesman Jerzy Urban, who referred to Popiełuszko’s masses for the Fatherland as “seances of hatred”.
On 19 October 1984, after a mass in Bydgoszcz, on his way to Warsaw, the priest was abducted by three SB officers (Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek Pękala, Waldemar Chmielewski). About 10 days later, the priest’s body was caught from the river lagoon in Włocławek. It was mutilated to such an extent that it was barely recognizable. His solemn funeral took place on 3 November 1984.
The communist-controlled trial of the perpetrators of the murder which took place at the turn of 1984/1985 and was also, paradoxically, an opportunity for the communists to attack Father Popieluszko. It ended with guilty verdicts. G. Piotrowski and Adam Pietruszka (who did not participate directly in the abduction) were each sentenced for 25 years imprisonment, L. Pękala – 15, and W. Chmielewski – 14 years. However, it was never possible to convict the real principals of the murder.
On 6 June 2010, Father Jerzy Popiełuszko was beatified.