Saint of the Day: Bl. Boniface Zukowski

Special Note: In 2022, April 10 is celebrated as Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord and the beginning of Holy Week. As a way of honoring the Passion of Christ and the witness of the martyrs, all of the saints highlighted during this Holy Week will be chosen from those who offered their lives for Christ. The reflections and prayers will be taken from the liturgical texts of the corresponding day of Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum.

His life

+ Piotr Zukowski was born in Rapaa-Baran, Lithuania. He became a Conventual Franciscan friar in Poland when he was 16 years old and was known as “Boniface” in religious life.

+ Following his solemn profession of vows in 1935, he worked as a printer, helping his community publish The Knight of the Immaculate, assisting in the mission of Saint Maximilian Kolbe.

+ Father Boniface was arrested by the Gestapo on October 14, 1941, for the “crime” of his work in publishing and his efforts to protect his community’s printing apostolate.

+ Imprisoned in Warsaw, Poland, he spent time ministering to other prisoners before being shipped to the concentration camp at Dachau.

+ After months of abuse and mistreatment and being forced to work outdoors in all kinds of weather, he died on April 10, 1942. He was beatified in 1999.

For prayer and reflection

“Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, / Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.”—Verse before the Gospel for Psalm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (Philippians 2:8-9)

Spiritual bonus

On this day the Church also remembers the Trinitarian friar Saint Michael of the Saints. He is especially remembered for his work in helping to reform the Trinitarian Order and for his devotion to the Eucharist. He died in 1625 and was canonized in 1862. He is honored as a patron saint of those suffering from cancer.

Prayer

Almighty ever-living God,

who as an example of humility for the human race to follow

caused our Savior to take flesh and submit to the Cross,

graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering

and so merit a share in his Resurrection.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Collect for Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.