Assassinated in Poland by communists because of their hatred for the Faith.

Michal was born on September 16, 1904, in the village of Tenczyn, near Krakow, Poland, to a family of farmers.

After elementary and high school, he entered the Major Seminary of Krakow and was ordained a priest at the age of 26. In a unique situation, his graduating seminary class included 2 others who are venerable.

His 1st assignment was in the village of Ploki not too far away, a mining and industry working class community. During the Great Depression, many of Father Rapacz’s parishioners lost their jobs and turned towards communism.

His response was to share his zealous faith by catechizing particularly among the young. He started a Catholic Association of Male Youths.

He prayed the Stations of the Cross daily, and was known to spend entire nights in Eucharistic Adoration.

In 1933, he was sent to a parish in Rajcza, a little further South in Poland, and 4 years later became the apostolic administrator of his previous parish in Ploki. While he was visiting his old parish, World War II broke out, and the area around Ploki was directly incorporated into the Reich of Nazi Germany. Strict and harsh conditions were imposed on religious life and 3,000 Polish priests were murdered.

In the 1st few weeks of the war, he was arrested on false charges but later released.

He risked his live to provide shelter for a family, and provided food to the parishioners from his own modest acreage. Under severe threat of death or concentration camp, he defied a Nazi order to fly a swastika flag on parish grounds.

As the Soviet Red Army entered Ploki in the Spring of 1945, he directly experienced a new wicked ideology. He kept his deep prayer life and aided those in need, even if they were indifferent or even hostile towards the Church.

Still he was a positive witness and tried to show people the way, the beauty of life in the Church but regardless, the Workers’ Party issued a death warrant for him. Parishioners had gotten word and tried to warn him, but he refused to abandon his congregation.

On the night of May 11, 1946, about 20 men stormed the presbytery, beat and tortured him for about an hour and then led him into a nearby forest to execute him.

He was beatified in Krakow on June 15, 2024.

“His example is relevant and can help us priests to notice what is most important in our ministry: rather than fighting against anti-Christian ideologies, we should show a concern for the spiritual needs of those we are sent to serve, for their good conscience and to help them to implement the Christian values embodied in the Gospel” – Father Ptasznik

For God’s Glory.