When the Nazis stormed through Europe in 1942, they made it a point to silence anyone who would cause trouble. While any voice of opposition was silenced, Catholics were specifically targeted by the Nazi government. On March 4th, 1942, three priests in Belarus— Blesseds Wladyslaw Mackowiak, Stanislaw Pyrtek, and Mieczyslaw Bohatkiewicz—were arrested by the Gestapo and executed by public firing squad. After the war ended, Communism replaced fascism in many Eastern European countries, and again it was the Catholics who were targeted. In Albania, four priests—Blesseds Giovanni Fausti, Kolé Shllaku, Daniel Dajani, and Mark Çuni—and three laymen—Blesseds Qerim Sadiku, Gjelosh Lulashi, and Fran Mirakaj—were arrested. After show trials, they were sentenced to death and shot by a machine-gun squad on March 4th, 1946 at a cemetery in Albania.
CHALLENGE
Records indicate that all ten willingly accepted being executed by their government for adhering to their faith. Today, prayerfully contemplate the similarities between these ten martyrs and Jesus Christ: the arrest of an innocent who spoke truth to power, the show trial, the willing acceptance of death, and the public execution. Then ask yourself: could you follow them?
Have you ever wondered: “How did society get so messed up?” Recipient of a Catholic Writer’s Guild 2022 Seal of Approval, Rebellion answers that question using fast-paced storytelling style, telling you the riveting true story of the war between good and evil that started in the Garden of Eden.
