Blessed Father Stephen
Vincent
Frelichowski
Blessed Father Stephen Vincent Frelichowski (Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski) was born on 22 January 1913 at Chelmza in today’s Torun diocese. After he had left primary school, Vincent continued education at a boys high school, where on March 1927 he joined the 2nd Chelmza Scout Troop. Three months later he took the Scout Promise. Soon he became a Patrol leader, and later on a Troop leader, before he entered the Seminary. After entering the High Seminary of Pelplin Diocese he started the service as member and president (1933-1936) of the Seminarians’ Scout Club. On 14 March 1937 he was ordained. He worked as an chaplain to a bishop and as a parish priest in Torun. As a Scout Chaplain his particular concern was that all who attended Mass entered fully into the Liturgy. He was especially devoted to working with children and young people, took care of the sick, and organized the parish press. After the seizure of Torun by the Nazi troops he was arrested. He passed along the martyrs’ way through the concentration camps of Stutthof, Sachsenhausen and Dachau, where he experienced hunger, pain, humiliation, physical and moral torture. As a prisoner he put his life in God’s hands. He even found enough strength to serve fellow-prisoners as a priest. Father Stephen initiated common prayer and sacramental service and encouraged fellow priests to serve to the prisoners. He willingly shared his meagre food rations and he was always ready to devote his time even endangering his life. He caught typhus when voluntarily undertaking service on behalf of the sick fellow prisoners. He died a martyr’s death on 23 February 1945. On 7 June 1999 John Paul II proclaimed Fr. Frelichowski blessed.
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