Brooklyn, N.Y. .. Polish Americans will observe the 25th anniversary of the murder of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, the charismatic young priest with Poland’s Solidarity movement which challenged the communist system the Russians forced on Poland and helped bring on its downfall in 1989.
A solemn mass in his memory is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 18th at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Brooklyn.
Following the mass, a delegation from the Polish American Congress will lead a march to the Father Popieluszko monument at McCarren Park for a commemorative service.
During Poland’s darkest moments when the communist regime declared martial law and imposed a reign of terror in the country, Father Jerzy’s fervent sermons from the pulpit of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Warsaw inspired the Polish people not to relent in their struggle for freedom and human rights.
His persistent message of hope and the ultimate triumph over the evils of communism so enraged the authorities that they ordered a gangland-type killing to silence him.
He was murdered October 19, 1984 and the order to kill him is believed to have come directly from Moscow.
The City of New York agreed to name the section of McCarren Park where Nassau and Bedford Avenues converge, “Rev. Jerzy Popieluszko Square” in 1986.
The Polish American community then took it upon itself to raise funds and erect a monument there shortly after.
“Father Popieluszko was just as much a victim of World War II as I was,” said Michael Preisler who was president of the Downstate New York Division of the Polish American Congress at the time of the murder.
Mr. Preisler lived in Poland when the Germans and Russians invaded in 1939. The Gestapo then arrested him and sent him to Auschwitz where he spent more than three years.
“For everyone else, the war officially ended in 1945. But not for Poland. The Russians never left but stayed on and continued to make us live under their cruel communist system. Thousands of Poles were victims of their terror during the post-war years, just like Father Jerzy,” said Preisler.
Contact: Frank Milewski
(718) 263-2700 – Ext. 105
