Saint Józef Straszewski

Józef Straszewski (born January 18, 1885, in Włocławek, died August 12, 1942, in Hartheim) was a Polish Catholic priest and a blessed of the Catholic Church. He was the first pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Włocławek (starting March 15, 1922) and the builder of its church. Following the outbreak of World War II, Father Józef Straszewski was arrested by the Gestapo on November 7, 1939, and transported to the Dachau concentration camp. According to accounts from fellow prisoners, he ended his life completely devoted to God. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw on June 13, 1999, as one of the 108 Polish martyrs.