Blessed Józef Cebula
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Martyr

History of the Cause

Blessed Fr. Józef Cebula belongs to the group of “The 108 Blessed Polish Martyrs”, killed during World War II by the Nazis between 1939 and 1945.

The group consists of three Bishops: Antoni Julian Nowowiejski, (1858-1941), Leon Wetmański, (1886-1941) and Władysław Goral, (1898-1945).

The biggest group among the 180 martyrs are the 150 priests: Adam Bargielski (1903-1942), Aleksy Sobaszek (1895-1942), Alfons Maria Mazurek, OCD (1891-1944), Alojzy Liguda, SVD (1898-1942), Anastazy Jakub Pankiewicz, OFM (1882-1942), Anicet Kopliński, OFM Cap (1875-1941), Antoni Beszta-Borowski (1880-1943), Antoni Leszczewic, MIC (1890-1943), Antoni Rewera (1869-1942), Antoni Świadek (1909-1945), Antoni Zawistowski (1882-1942), Bolesław Strzelecki (1896-1941), Bronisław Komorowski (1889-1940), Dominik Jędrzejewski (1886-1942), Edward Detkens (1885-1942), Edward Grzymała (1906-1942), Emil Szramek (1887-1942), Fidelis Chojnacki, OFM Cap (1906-1942), Florian Stępniak, OFM Cap (1912-1942), Franciszek Dachtera (1910–1942), Franciszek Drzewiecki, FDP (1908-1942), Franciszek Rogaczewski (1892–1940), Franciszek Rosłaniec (1889-1942), Henryk Hlebowicz (1904-1941), Henryk Kaczorowski (1888-1942), Henryk Krzysztofik, OFM Cap (1908-1942), Hilary Paweł Januszewski, OCarm (1907–1945), Jan Antonin Bajewski, OFM Conv (1915-1941), Jan Franciszek Czartoryski, OP (1897-1944), Jan Nepomucen Chrzan (1885-1942), Jerzy Kaszyra, MIC (1910-1943), Józef Achilles Puchała, OFM Conv (1911-1943), Józef Czempiel (1883-1942), Józef Innocenty Guz, OFM Conv (1890-1940), Józef Jankowski, SAC (1910-1941), Józef Kowalski (1911-1942), Józef Kurzawa (1910-1940), Józef Kut (1905-1942), Józef Pawłowski (1890-1942), Józef Stanek, SAC (1916-1944), Józef Straszewski (1885-1942), Karol Herman Stępień, OFM Conv (1910-1943), Kazimierz Gostyński (1884–1942), Kazimierz Grelewski (1907-1942), Kazimierz Sykulski (1882-1942), Krystyn Gondek, OFM (1909-1942), Leon Nowakowski (1913-1939), Ludwik Mzyk, SVD (1905-1940), Ludwik Pius Bartosik, OFM Conv (1909-1941), Ludwik Roch Gietyngier (1904-1941), Maksymilian Binkiewicz (1913-1942), Marian Gorecki (1903-1940), Marian Konopiński, OFM Cap (1907-1943), Marian Skrzypczak (1909-1939), Michał Oziębłowski (1900-1942), Michał Piaszczyński (1885-1940), Michał Woźniak (1875-1942), Mieczysław Bohatkiewicz (1904-1942), Narcyz Putz (1877-1942), Narcyz Turchan (1879-1942), Piotr Edward Dankowski (1908-1942), Roman Archutowski (1882-1943), Roman Sitko (1880-1942), Stanisław Kubista, SVD (1898-1940), Stanisław Kubski (1876-1942), Stanisław Mysakowski (1896-1942), Stanisław Pyrtek (1913-1942), Stefan Grelewski (1899-1941), Wincenty Matuszewski (1869-1940), Władysław Błądziński, CSMA (1908-1944), Władysław Demski, (1884-1940), Władysław Maćkowiak (1910-1942), Władysław Mączkowski (1911-1942), Władysław Miegoń (1892-1942), Włodzimierz Laskowski (1886-1940), Wojciech Nierychlewski, CSMA (1903-1942), Zygmunt Pisarski (1902-1943) and Zygmunt Sajna (1897-1940).

There were also seven Religious Brothers killed: Brunon Zembol, OFM (1905-1942), Grzegorz Bolesław Frąckowiak, SVD (1911-1943), Józef Zapłata, CFCI (1904-1945), Marcin Oprządek, OFM (1884-1942), Piotr Bonifacy Żukowski, OFM Conv (1913-1942), Stanisław Tymoteusz Trojanowski, OFM Conv (1908-1942), Symforian Ducki, OFM Cap (1888-1942)

The following eight Nuns and Religious Sisters also belong to this group: Alicja Jadwiga Kotowska, CR (1899-1939), Ewa Noiszewska, CSIC (1885-1942), Julia Rodzińska, OP (1899-1945), Katarzyna Celestyna Faron, NMP (1913-1944), Maria Antonina Kratochwil, SSND (1881-1942), Maria Klemensa Staszewska, OSU (1890-1943), Marta Wołowska of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (1879-1942), Mieczysława Kowalska, OSC Cap (1902-1941).

Finally there are eleven Roman Catholic lay men and women in the group:  Seminarian Bronisław Kostkowski (1915-1942), Czesław Jóźwiak (1919-1942), Edward Kaźmierski (1919-1942), Edward Klinik (1919-1942), Franciszek Kęsy (1920-1942), Franciszek Stryjas (1882-1944), Jarogniew Wojciechowski (1922-1942), Marianna Biernacka (1888-1943), Natalia Tułasiewicz (1906-1945), Seminarien Stanisław Starowieyski (1895-1941) and Seminarien Tadeusz Dulny (1914-1942).

The diocesan inquiry for the cause of Blessed Józef Cebula, as part of the 108 Blessed Polish Martyrs, began in Warsaw, Poland, on January 26, 1992. An independent Postulation Office was established by the Polish Bishops’ Conference. In 1994, the diocesan inquiry came to an end. The Roman process of the cause started the same year. The “Positio super martirio” of the 108 Martyrs was presented in 1998. The decree of the ecclesiastical recognition of their Martyrdom was promulgated in March 1999. The Beatification by Pope John Paul II took place in Warsaw on June 13, 1999. – For Blessed Jósef Cebula´s canonization, a miracle is required.