Poland: Ulma family beatified

Photo of his family taken by Josef Ulma

Source: Vatican News

On Sunday, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, presided over the Beatification Mass on the Ulma family in Markowa, a village in southeastern Poland. Seven Cardinals and 1,000 priests, concelebrated the Mass. Poland's Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich attended. More than 32,000 faithful were in the congregation.

The new Blesseds are: Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma, and their children Stanisława, Barbara, Władysław, Franciszek, Antoni, Maria, and an unnamed child who was born at the moment of Wiktoria's martyrdom.

In his homily Cardinal Semeraro said the Ulma's family home became "an inn where the despised, outcast, and death-stricken was welcomed and cared for."

He said Jozef and Wiktoria lived "a holiness that was not only marital but was fully embedded in their entire family."

Cardinal Semeraro also upheld the Christian witness of the newly-beatified unnamed child: "Without ever having uttered a word," he said, "today the little Blessed cries out to the modern world to welcome, love, and protect life, especially that of the defenseless and marginalized, from the moment of conception until natural death."

He said the child's "innocent voice seeks to shake the consciences of a society where abortion, euthanasia, and contempt for life seen as a burden and not a gift are rampant."

"The Ulma family," said the Cardinal, "encourages us to react to that throwaway culture, which Pope Francis denounces."

Speaking during the Angelus Pope Francis praised the heroism of the Ulma family. He said they were "a model to imitate in our efforts to do good and serve those who are in need."

"In response to the hatred and violence that characterized those times, they embraced evangelical love," he said.

The Pope added that the Polish family "represented a ray of light in the darkness of the Second World War" and invited everyone to offer a round of applause for the new Blesseds.

Pope Francis went on to urge Christians to follow their example by "opposing strength of arms with charity, and violent rhetoric with tenacious prayer... May we pray especially for the many countries that suffer due to war," he said. "In a special way, let us intensify our prayers for martyred Ukraine… which is suffering greatly."

When the announcement of the beatification was made last week, Raphael Schutz, Israel's Ambassador to the Holy See, commented: "The extreme sacrifice of the Ulma family recalls the debt that humanity owes this family and all Righteous Among the Nations who stood up to evil to the extent of losing their lives." "Their sacrifice lights the path that we all should follow and should not be used for any kind of historical revisionism."

Speaking earlier in the week, Archbishop Gądecki, President of the Polish Bishops' stressed that the Ulmas were aware of the risks they were taking by hiding Jews.

"This family must have realized that even though they lived at some distance from the village, they put themselves in great danger from the Germans by sheltering several people in the attic of their house.. The Ulma children did not fully understand the situation and may have accidentally told the wrong people. The need to make larger food purchases at the store may have also drawn the interest of outsiders."

He pointed out that other families also assisted, resulting in 21 survivors in the village, highlighting the solidarity of the community.

Archbishop Gądecki noted that the Ulmas' actions were rooted in their Christian love and upbringing in the Catholic faith, which is deeply rooted in Polish tradition.

"Their actions also confirm their respect for every life from conception to natural death," he added. "They knew that every life must be protected, and they made the ultimate sacrifice for it."

He asserted that the Ulma family represent all the Poles who rescued Jews during World War II, pointing out that almost 1,000 Poles were executed for doing so.

"The situation in Poland was incomparable to other countries," said Archbishop Gądecki. "Poles faced the death penalty for helping Jews. Clearly, there were also infamous attitudes and deeds. However, these cannot overshadow the heroism of those who risked their lives to help others. In the end, the measure of society is not what some criminals do, but the deeds of noble people."

Archbishop Gądecki emphasized that the beatification of the Ulma family contributes to deepening Catholic-Jewish relations and strengthening the bond between Poles and the Jewish people.

"These were crucial issues for St John Paul II," he said. "He grew up in a school that Jewish children also attended. Also, in his later years, he had many Jewish acquaintances and friends. He also met with them as Pope, and we saw the fruits in the commitment to Catholic-Jewish dialogue."

Watch a documentary (with English translation) about the Ulma family on Polonia TV: https://polonia.tvp.pl/72483512/premiera-filmu-dokumentalnego-tvp-polonia-przykazanie-milosci-historia-rodziny-ulmow-z-markowej