num. 378 - April 1999

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FATHER JOZEF CEBULA, OMI (1902-1941) WILL BE BEATIFIED IN WARSAW ON JUNE 13

Fr. Jozef Cebula, a martyr for the faith, will be the third Oblate to be raised to the honor of the altars. This is another moment of celebration for the Congregation! After the Founder, and then the father of the Church in Lesotho, we will now celebrate a son of Poland. It is true that Fr Jozef Cebula is less known to us than Saint Eugene de Mazenod or Blessed Joseph Gérard and his beatification comes as a surprise to most Oblates, but what a pleasant surprise. May we live fully this time of celebration and grace. May we both personally and as a Congregation draw from its riches.

It is now a fact: the Church officially recognizes an Oblate as a martyr. Is it surprising that the third Oblate to be beatified is a martyr? During this 20th Century now drawing to a close, persecutions have been and still are very frequent. Those who have borne witness with their blood are still many. Statistics show that today Christians are persecuted in no less than 40 countries, and the Christians living in these countries number close to 200 million (Paul Marshall). The last 70 years have seen no less than 1,300 missionary martyrs. As for Oblates, the names of 63 "martyrs" have been presented for a list that the Vatican intends to publish: 22 from Spain, 15 from Poland, 7 from Laos.... One who is well known is probably Bishop Benjamin de Jesus, assassinated at Jolo in the Philippines on February 4, 1997. We probably remember a few other names, but many of our martyrs have remained in the shadows of our memory. Is this because tales of martyrs are not very pleasant? Or is it because martyrs are generally given little publicity? Fr Jozef Cebula is one of these many witnesses who is now very slowly coming out of the shadows. He will be beatified June 13 along with 106 other men and women, all victims of Nazism.

What was the future Blessed's life like, and what does the Lord want to tell us through his witness? Let's have the simple facts of his life speak to our hearts.

1. An ordinary life
Jozef Cebula was born into this world on March 23, 1902 and was born into heaven on May 9, 1941. There is nothing exceptional about these brief 39 years except his martyrdom. Bearing witness with his blood crowns an existence like any one of us could have had. His humble, peasant, origins make him close to us. His poor health makes him a brother to all those who do not enjoy an iron constitution. Because of circumstances beyond his control it was with much hardship that he finished his studies, like many of today's poor. It was in such ordinary circumstances that his discreet, and even slightly timid personality was formed, but one not lacking in some outstanding qualities. It was not long before his maturity, sound judgment and good heart drew people's attention.

He nurtured deep within himself the hidden treasure of faith, and amidst the difficulties of his life young Jozef asked where God was calling him. After a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine at Piekary, served by the Oblates, he turned to the missionary life: juniorate and novitiate in Poland, philosophy in Belgium. Because of his human qualities and supernatural spirit it was not long before he was entrusted with positions of responsibility. Still a scholastic, he had to teach at the juniorate in Lubliniec, while continuing his own studies. He was ordained a priest at the end of this period. Considered to be "the best Oblate" available, he was appointed Superior of this house, although only 29 years old. Six years later, he was sought as a candidate for Provincial, but refused for reasons of health. He did accept, however, to become novice master and superior of the novitiate at Markowice. Then came martyrdom. What his brother Oblates noticed above all in Jozef Cebula was the man of faith. He lived God with little external display. An Oblate who knew him says, "His particular charism was his love of prayer."

2. The Missionary Oblate
Jozef Cebula is a member of our religious family and practically a contemporary. Oblates who knew him are still alive, some like Fr J. Pielorz, who wrote his biography, had even been his novices. How did Fr Cebula carry out his Oblate mission in his day, a day that is so close to ours? It is worth taking a brief look at the two main ministries that he has in common with many of us: that of formator and that of pastor of souls as a priest.

Already during his formation he was seen as a future educator. He would in fact spend eleven years as teacher or Superior at the juniorate and four years as novice master. His contemporaries describe his style as an educator this way: "kind but demanding"; "a model for the candidates, a model of the ideal Oblate, a man of God"; "he respected the young men's personalities and did not impose anything by force"; "he looked after them well, for example, seeing that they had good food"; "he was easy to speak to." Here is certainly something to think about. What might such a formator not have done if he had lived longer? But his ministry was cruelly interrupted by Hitler's racism. He saw the fathers, brothers and novices of his house led off to the concentration camps, then came his own turn.

There is another point concerning Fr Jozef's priestly life that merits our attention: it was his pastoral ministry as a priest that brought him to martyrdom. The year of his death, he continued to say Mass at night in secret, despite the prohibitions, he blessed marriages, baptized, assisted the sick. He knew the risks. He could have gone away, but he stayed because there was no other priest. Finally, he was denounced for the "crime" of administering sacraments to the sick, arrested and brought to a concentration camp. That is where he bore his crown of thorns with Christ; he was mocked because he was a priest. But he kept his dignity, even to the point of shedding his blood. To Jozef Cebula, priestly ministry was worth his life.

3. Martyr
We are shocked by the cruelty that he had to suffer during three whole weeks, and yet we are struck by the calm and steadfastness with which Fr Jozef endured it all. Beating him with clubs his SS tormentors made fun of him by having him recite prayers or sing hymns. But they could not make him lose his inner peace. He did not complain, but he did confide to his fellow captives that he had never imagined that men could be so evil. He shared with the others the little food he received. Once while working in the camp's quarry, he suddenly raised his voice like a prophet and said to the henchmen of the Gestapo: "It is not you who are in charge. God will judge you, too." At the end, he was ordered to run towards the barbed wire fencing and shot down for "attempted escape." While his body was burning in the crematorium, some witnesses say his arm was raised as if in a gesture of blessing.

In Fr Jozef we see that the strength of martyrs cannot be humanly explained. It is a sign of God whose "power is at its best in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9). Fr Jozef Cebula's life was quite ordinary, just like that of other Oblates who like him finally shed their blood. But the miracle of martyrdom helps us understand that it is God who was at work in them, and who glorified them by this supreme witness.

Martyr means "witness": in that sense, we Christians are all martyrs, even though we have not yet "resisted to the point of shedding (our) blood in the struggle against sin" (Heb 12:4). Each of us will find in Fr Jozef Cebula an inspiration to renew the holiness of our Oblate life and our ministry. I also believe that God is giving a message to the Congregation through this our third saint. I propose two points for your consideration.

a) Blessed Jozef Cebula tells us something about the meaning of our name, "Oblates". For Saint Eugene it was more than just a name. In the context of the beatification of our first Oblate martyr the Founder's words to Tempier on July 22, 1817 can be seen in a different light. "Our Lord Jesus Christ has left us the task of continuing the great work of the redemption of mankind. It is towards this unique end that all our efforts must tend; as long as we will not have spent our whole life and given all our blood to achieve this, we can say nothing; especially when as yet we have given but a few drops of sweat and a bit of fatigue. This spirit of being wholly devoted to the glory of God, the service of the Church and the salvation of souls, is the spirit that is proper to our Congregation, a small one, to be sure, but which will always be powerful as long as she is holy. Our novices must steep themselves in these thoughts, ponder them and meditate on them often." (Selected Texts, N° 7). St Eugene himself desired martyrdom, "at least the martyrdom of charity," as he used to say. For him the word "oblate" meant "consecrated with Christ," and was almost a synonym of "sacrificed victim". The martyrs show us concretely the meaning of our oblation, as St Eugene understood it, and the heights to which it can lead us.

b) The new Blessed can also become a patron saint for some of our ministries. He will clearly be one for our novice masters, local superiors and formators. He can also inspire us in a ministry which was again stressed by the last General Chapter: "In the face of a virtual explosion of poverty, we commit ourselves to a more radical way of working for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation" (Evangelizing the Poor at the Dawn of the Third Millennium, N° 41). Fr Cebula was a man of peace in the very middle of a death camp. He shared with others the little food he had as he shared in their sufferings. He let his prophetic voice be heard, and overcame the evil of men the same way that Christ did in his Passion. "May the next millennium be one of peace and fraternity," exclaimed the Holy Father during his trip to Mexico. Our Blessed will intercede for this and will be for the Oblates a patron saint of justice and peace.

Martyrdom is disturbing, it questions us. It puts us face to face with the radicality of our oblation. Would I – formator, superior, priest, or in whatever ministry – be able to crown my "career" by giving my blood as Fr Jozef Cebula did? One thing sure is that the fruitfulness of our mission is rooted in the radicality of our oblation. In my last letter I wished "the Great Jubilee Year to be a new missionary Pentecost for our Congregation." May Blessed Jozef Cebula and all the Oblates whom we may call martyrs help us by their witness and intercession to make this happen.

As the Superior General explained, next June 13 during a trip in Poland, Pope John Paul II will beatify 107 Polish martyrs who died in the Nazi concentration camps. Among them is an Oblate, Fr Jozef Cebula. The group includes an archbishop, secular priests from 18 dioceses, men and women religious from twenty or so Institutes, including Franciscans, Capuchins, Salesians, Verbites... and some lay people. Also in the group is Fr Antoni Rewera (1869-1942) from the diocese of Sandomierz. He is the Founder of the Institute of the Daughters of St. Francis the Seraphic, the Sisters who took over the kitchen, laundry and infirmary services at our General House six months ago.

"In the areas occupied by Germany the fate of Polish Catholics was unbearable. The national socialist decrees took all freedom from the Church, making it almost illegal. The clergy was decimated. Most of the bishops and priests were arrested and taken to concentration camps. All Church associations and organizations were forbidden, and worship was reduced to a minimum. At the end of the war, the Church mourned the violent deaths of 4 bishops, 1,996 priests (among whom was St Maximilian Kolbe), 113 clerics and 238 sisters. There were 3,647 priests, 389 clerics, 341 brothers and 1,117 sisters who had been in the concentration camps." (Cf. Jedin-Repgen, Handbuch der Kirchengeschichte). Eighty-eight Oblates had been imprisoned for varying lengths of time, 35 of them were sent to the camps and 13 of these were exterminated. All together 34 Oblates were killed.

Other sources show that in the vast Warta region (5 million inhabitants including the cities of Poznan and Lodz), 97% of the places of worship had been closed, 90% of the clergy arrested, deported or condemned to death. These facts seem to point to a systematic will to strike at the clergy and through them the Church and the faith.

After his first vows on August 15, 1922 at the novitiate in Markowice, Jozef left for the interprovincial scholasticate in Liège (Belgium). He was called back to Poland to finish his formation while also teaching at the juniorate in Lubliniec. Ordained to the priesthood June 5, 1927, he continued to teach at Lubliniec where he was Superior from 1931 to 1937. "During these six years, writes Fr Pielorz, he succeeded in transforming this juniorate into a real Oblate minor seminary with a very promising future." In 1936 – then 34 years old – he was considered as a candidate for Provincial.... But in 1937 he was appointed novice master at Markowice.

May 4, 1940, all the novices were taken to the concentration camp at Dachau in Bavaria. Fr Cebula, who continued to carry out his priestly ministry in the region despite the ban on it, was in turn arrested April 2, 1941. April 18, he was taken to the concentration camp at Mauthausen, near Linz (Austria). The chronology of his last days is debated. Some writers hold that he arrived at Mauthausen on April 7 and was killed on April 28. We reserve judgment on the dates, and have chosen to follow the notes from a detailed study by Fr Jozef Pielorz.

"During 21 days of detention, he was mistreated and beaten until he bled, and particularly insulted as a priest; he was even ordered to hang himself. In the end he was assigned to the punishment company. The work of those who had the ill fate of being condemned to this detail was to carry 40 to 60 kg rocks on their shoulders to a camp two kilometers away. On the way, there was a staircase with 144 steps called the Death Stairs. They had to climb it with their burdens in a hail of insults and blows from the kapos and SS. Many chose to die by throwing themselves against the electric barbed wire fence or by jumping to their death in the quarry.

After two trips Fr Cebula could not go on. Gathering his remaining strength, he railed against the guards and SS, reproaching them for their cruelty and threatening them with God's punishment. Only slightly taken aback by this outburst, they ordered him to run with the rock on his back, "Schnell, schnell... Faster, faster...." He collapsed after 50 meters near the electric barbed wire fence. The guard fired with his submachine gun and declared that Jozef "was shot while attempting to escape." Since he was still breathing, he was finished off with another burst. His body was brought to the crematorium and burnt. It was Friday May 9, 1941."

His gentleness was striking. Oblates who lived in the same community with him are unanimous in affirming that they never saw him irritated or spiteful. As Superior, he made remarks politely and with patience. For example, if he noticed someone breaking silence, he would stop and look at that person, smiling until the person concerned took notice. For him, forming did not mean taming. He walked along with you "like the shadow." He was just. He never took a decision without thinking. Even though very mortified in his personal life, he showed himself to be understanding and prudent with others. He was a man who radiated peace. When the Province was going through a time of serious discord, the Superior General wanted to appoint him Provincial, convinced that Cebula, with his gentleness, could unite it."

After inquiring of the dioceses and religious Institutes, and investigating the various causes, a list of 107 names was finally drawn up and proposed to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The Oblate Provincial proposed Fr Jozef Cebula as truly worthy of being recognized as a martyr and beatified. Fr Kazimierz Lubowicki, the Vice-Postulator for this cause, gathered the required testimony, drew up thePositio and has been pursuing the Process.

 It was with great joy that we received the news that a Polish Oblate, Father Jozef Cebula, would be numbered in the ranks of martyrs of the faith. Together with 107 other Servants of God and martyrs of the faith he will be beatified June 13, 1999 in Warsaw during John Paul II's apostolic visit to Poland. The Church in Poland, in celebrating these martyrs, wants to insist on the pastoral and spiritual character of the event. It in no way desires to reopen the wounds suffered during the Second World War, but only wishes to recall and show that unconditional attachment to Jesus Christ was a very credible style of life, especially in difficult times.

When closing the Diocesan Process, Archbishop Henryk Muszynski of Gniezno said: "We are able for the first time to have a global view of the Second World War. We see it not only as a time of terror, horror, destruction and death, but also – from another perspective, from above – as a time of a heroic harvest of Love, of holiness and good, that bore fruit even in the hell of violence and death."

We invite all the Oblates in the world who so desire to take part in the joy of the beatification of our confrere. The stay in Poland provides a good occasion to visit the places connected with the life and ministry of the Servant of God, as well as some of the more outstanding monuments of art and culture of our country, not to mention some Oblate houses.

We have prepared the following four day program for those who might be interested (13 to 16 June): Mass of Beatification in Warsaw. Visit of Poland's capital. Thanksgiving gathering of Oblates at the convent in Markowice, where Fr Cebula was Superior, then novice master, and from where he was arrested and deported to the concentration camp. Visit to the National Marian Shrine at Czestochowa, Swiety Krzyz (present novitiate), Lubliniec (where Fr Cebula studied at the minor seminary and was Superior and teacher for 14 years), Malni (his birthplace), Wroclaw (Oblate parish), Obra (Polish Province's scholasticate) and Poznan (Provincial house).

Interested parties are asked to make their reservations with the Provincial of Poland