Priest and Martyr (1885-1942)
His life
+ Edward was born in Mokotów, Poland, and was a priest of the archdiocese of Warsaw.
+ A chaplain for university students and personnel, he also served as rector of St. Anne’s Church.
+ Edward was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in the concentration camp at Dachau where he died in gas chamber on October 10, 1942.
+ Blessed Edward Detkens was beatified with other Polish Martyrs of World War II in 1999.
For prayer and reflection
“This holy man fought to the death for the law of his God and did not fear the words of the godless, for he was built on solid rock.”—Entrance Antiphon from the Common of Martyrs
Spiritual bonus
On October 10 we also remember Blessed Pedro de Alcantara de Forton de Cascajares. A Discalced Carmelite priest, he was killed in Barcelona, Spain, in 1936, during the anti-Catholic violence of the Spanish Civil War; he was beatified in 2007.
Prayer
Almighty and merciful God, who brought your Martyr blessed Edward to overcome the torments of his passion, grant that we, who celebrate the day of his triumph, may remain invincible under your protection against the snares of the enemy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Martyrs—For One Martyr)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
And today we celebrate...