“The cross is heavy, but Christ comes before us and helps everyone carry his cross. We will carry it with dignity”
Edward was born on October 14, 1885, in Mokotow, Poland, to Jozefa and Aleksandra Detkens who were noble landowners. He exhibited great piety and an inclination toward religious life from a young age.
When he was 15, the family moved to Aleksandrow and after graduating high school, he received a certificate as a pharmacy apprentice. He then entered the Seminary in Warsaw and was ordained a priest 5 years later.
He became Vicar of the Cathedral and quickly established himself as a devoted and compassionate clergyman. He was particularly drawn to the spiritual welfare of the University of Warsaw students and staff, and as such, served as their chaplain.
At the age of 41, he obtained a master’s degree in Sacred Theology and was able to teach high school students while serving as Rector of Saint Anna Church. He became Vicar and created pilgrimages for students and professors to the Jasna Gora Monastery, which was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The 1st included 20,000 young people in attendance.
WWII broke out in 1939, and with the German invasion, the capital fell in the Siege of Warsaw. He became active during the occupation by aiding and supporting the oppressed. His commitment to justice, compassion, and resistance against the Nazi regime led to his arrest and imprisonment in Pawiak, a notorious political prison. He worked in the prison hospital and took care of those in need.
After 4 months, on Ash Wednesday, he was released. In a short time, right after Easter, the Gestapo appeared at the church, and he was arrested again and taken to the Dachau concentration camp. A new number, 27831, was tattooed on his arm. Despite the cold, hunger, harassment, and cruelty, he remained resolute in his faith and provided solace and support to fellow prisoners, offering prayers, conducting clandestine Masses, and providing spiritual guidance.
On October 10, 1942, appearing as an exhausted skeleton, he was gassed in the chambers. His body was burned in the crematorium and scattered in nearby fields.
He has been declared a martyr by the Church.
The Nazis killed 868 Polish Catholic clergy at Dachau, once described as the largest priest cementery in the world. In total, 3,000 Catholic clergy were held at the camp and around 2,000 of Poland’s 10,000 diocesan priests perished during the Nazi occupation.
A week prior to the camp’s liberation, the surviving clergy consecrated themselves to Saint Joseph, out of fear that the guards would murder them prior to fleeing the Allies. If spared, they promised an annual pilgrimage to the shrine in Kalisz. 2 hours prior to being killed, a small U.S. Army patrol arrived and saved them. They held their promise and in 1970, they founded the Chapel of Martyrdom and Gratitude in the shrine’s crypt.
For God’s Glory.
