„The value of the family and the great faith of the Poles, the formed hearts of my compatriots show the whole world, as once the Ulma family did, the love of those who welcomed refugees from Ukraine into their homes,” emphasized the auxiliary bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia, Jan Sobiło, who took part in the beatification of the Ulma family on Sunday, September 10. The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, proclaimed Wiktoria and Józef Ulma and their seven children blessed in Markowa in the Subcarpathian region.

Photo credit: Mirek Krajewski / FNS

Bishop Jan Sobiło pointed to the importance of the beatification in the context of the war in Ukraine. „For Ukraine and us, Poles in Ukraine, today’s beatification is a significant day.” In the opinion of Bishop Sobiło, this ceremony „shows that the Gospel is alive, and when the Gospel lives in our people, it will make the whole world even more beautiful.”

There was a live broadcast from the Vatican, and participants in Sunday’s beatification prayed the Angelus with Pope Francis. Talking about the Ulma family, Francis mentioned the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. „Following their example, let us feel called to oppose the power of arms with the power of mercy and the rhetoric of violence with perseverance in prayer. Let us do this above all for the many countries that are suffering from the war,” the Pope said and asked for an even more intense prayer for „martyred Ukraine.”

The Holy Father recalled that „the whole family was killed by the Nazis on March 24, 1944, for giving shelter to some of persecuted Jews. „They opposed the hatred and violence that prevailed during that period by demonstrating Gospel love.” As the Pope noted, the Ulma family „was a ray of light in the darkness of World War II.” He encouraged the faithful to use their example as a model „to follow in the pursuit of goodness, in the service of those in need.”

The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro also mentioned in his homily that there is a war near the border of Ukraine with Poland. He stressed that „the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing for 18 months, has forced a large number of refugees to flee, who knocked on the door of Poland in search of a haven.” He noted that during this difficult time, „various government and local government institutions and thousands of people from simple families spontaneously opened the doors of their homes to welcome those who had to flee.” „Welcoming one’s neighbor has become urgent, given the violence and devastation caused by war,” Cardinal Semeraro added.

On September 9, at 6:00 p.m., a concert dedicated to the new blesseds was held at the stadium in Markowa, with the participation of outstanding artists. Caritas of the Archdiocese of Przemysl organized this beautiful event on the eve of the beatification. The next day, Sunday, September 10, at 10:00 a.m., the solemn beatification Mass began, presided over by the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro.

Over 30 thousand people from Poland and worldwide attended the celebration, including from Bermuda. At the same time, Markowa has a population of only around 4,000 residents. „The beatification was also attended by the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Representatives of the Jewish community were also present. Presidents and prime ministers of European countries and episcopates of countries neighboring Poland were also invited to the ceremony. Over a thousand people prepared the beatification event, and over 200 journalists from Polish and foreign media accredited themselves for it. Two weeks after the beatification, on September 24, the peregrination of the relics of the new blessed in Poland will begin.

The beatification of the Ulmas is an unprecedented event in the history of the Universal Church. For the first time, the whole family was beatified. The Ulmas were martyred by German gendarmerie officers on March 24, 1944, for hiding Jews. Their liturgical memorial will be celebrated on July 7, the day of the marriage of Victoria and Joseph.

Photo credit: Mirek Krajewski / FNS