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Melchior Grodziecki

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Saint

Melchior Grodziecki

17th-century drawing
Martyr and Saint
Bornc. 1582
Cieszyn
Died7 September 1619
Kassa, Kingdom of Hungary
(today Košice, Slovakia)
Venerated inSlovakia, Roman Catholic Church, Society of Jesus
Beatified15 January 1905, Vatican City by Pope Pius X
Canonized2 July 1995, Košice by Pope John Paul II
Major shrinePremonstratensian Church (Košice)
Feast19 January
PatronageArchdiocese of Katowice, Diocese of Bielsko–Żywiec

Melchior Grodziecki (c. 1582 – 7 September 1619) was a Silesian Jesuit priest. He is considered a martyr and saint by the Catholic Church. He was canonized in 1995 and is liturgically commemorated on 19 January.

Biography

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He was born in Těšín into the noble Grodziecki family, and received his education in the Jesuit college of Vienna. In 1603 he entered the Jesuit novitiate of Brno. After making his first religious profession in 1605, he went on to the Jesuit College in Kłodzko (1606–1607). To be able to teach in high schools, he spent a year in the seminary in České Budějovice. In 1608, he returned to Kłodzko to complete his education in music. He graduated from philosophy and theology in the Clementinum of Prague and in 1614 was ordained a priest. From 1616, he was entrusted with the management of a hostel in Prague for poor students.[1]

After the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), he was sent to Kassa, Kingdom of Hungary (today Košice, Slovakia) with Hungarian István Pongrácz, a colleague from the Jesuit seminary. When the army of the Prince of Transylvania, George Rákóczi, took Kassa, Melchior stayed at the castle, together with István Pongrácz and canon Marko Krizin.[2] On 7 September 1619, the Transylvanian army stormed the castle and arrested the priests.[3] They gave them a death sentence on charges of treason; accusing them of inviting the Polish army into Kassa. They were tortured and then beheaded that day.[1]

The bodies of the martyrs were recovered, after negotiations with Gabriel Bethlen, and were buried in the vicinity of Kassa.[4] In 1636, they were moved to Nagyszombat (today: Trnava, Slovakia).

Veneration and Canonization

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The cause of beatification of the Kassa (Košice) martyrs was opened in 1628 and they were finally beatified on 15 January 1905 by Pope Pius X. They were canonized on 2 July 1995, in Košice itself by Pope John Paul II.[5] The Jesuits celebrate a feast day on 19 January for the Martyrs of the Reformation in Europe.[6][7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Parish of Bielsku-Białej". Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  2. ^ Informacyjne, Marek Robak, Robak.pl Systemy. "Dziedzictwo :: kultura religijna - tradycja - duchowość". dziedzictwo.ekai.pl. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Jesuit saints and blesseds". 11 October 2007. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Saint Mark (Marko) of Križevci", Archdiocese of Zagreb
  5. ^ "Diecezja – Diecezja Bielsko-Żywiecka". www.diecezja.bielsko.pl. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  6. ^ Calendar Archived 2022-09-28 at the Wayback Machine from JesuitInstitute.org, retrieved 8 September 2020
  7. ^ Just, Felix (31 August 2013). "Supplement to the Lectionary for Solemnities and Feasts Proper to the Society of Jesus: Including Suggested Readings for Memorials". The Catholic Lectionary Website. Retrieved 7 September 2023.