Blessed Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski

Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski (22 January 1913 – 23 February 1945) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest. He was part of the scouts and was affiliated with several other groups during the course of his ecclesial education though maintained strong links to these groups after his ordination to the priesthood. He was arrested not long after World War II began and the Gestapo moved him to several concentration camps before sending him to Dachau where he died from disease. Frelichowski was beatified in Poland in 1999. Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski was born on 22 January 1913 in Chełmża as the third of seven children to the baker Ludwik Frelichowski and Marta Olszewska. His siblings were: Czesław, Leonard (called Leszek) (then himself after), Eleanor, Stefania and Marcjanna Marta. In 1923 he began his high school studies at Pelpin where on 26 May 1927 he was admitted into the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin. He joined the scouts on 21 March 1927 and he later Frelichowski served as its patrol leader and later as the troop leader; on 26 June 1927 he was promoted to a different scout rank. In June 1931 he graduated from high school and then went on to commence his studies to become a priest. He was an active member of the Scout Club while he underwent his ecclesial studies. Furthermore, he was an active member of the Christian Life group in Chełmża. Since he was nine he had been an Altar server. During his education for the priesthood in Pelpin he was active in the temperance movement and collaborated with Caritas. On 14 March 1937 he received his ordination to the priesthood in the Pelpin Cathedral from Bishop Stanisław Wojciech Okoniewski. He first served the bishop as an aide and then served as a priest in Pelpin and in Toruń before continuing his studies at the Lwów college. In Toruń he was responsible for the parish press and from 1 July 1938 was the vicar of the Assumption parish church.