Blessed Stanisław Kostka Starowieyski (1895-1941)

June 1, 2025

By Columbia staff

June 1, 2025

Blessed Stanisław Kostka Starowieyski. (Photo courtesy of Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Stanisława Kostki Starowieyskiego w Łaszczowie)

Imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps of Sachsenhausen and Dachau, Stanisław Kostka Starowieyski — a decorated Polish army veteran and Catholic leader — became an unwavering source of strength and hope to those who suffered alongside him. “Have mercy, Lord,” he wrote, “and let me, who am drowning, save others from the depths.”

Born in southeastern Poland to a devout, aristocratic family, Starowieyski was formed by a Jesuit education and a Catholic upbringing rooted in social action. He began law studies in Kraków in 1914, but they were interrupted by the outbreak of World War I . He joined the Austro-Hungarian army and, after Poland regained independence in 1918, served in the Polish army for seven years.

In 1921, Starowieyski married Maria Szeptycka — niece of Blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky and of Venerable Andrey Sheptytsky, leaders of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The couple raised their six children on their family farm, while Starowieyski organized retreats, pilgrimages and Catholic Action initiatives to address social and economic needs.

After the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, Starowieyski was targeted as a lay Catholic leader. Arrested by Soviet troops, he escaped — only to be seized by the Gestapo in German-occupied Poland in June 1940. In the camps, he became known as an apostle of mercy, offering food, prayer and encouragement to his fellow prisoners. After a brutal beating on Good Friday, he died on April 13, 1941 — Easter Sunday.

Pope John Paul II beatified Stanisław Kostka Starowieyski in 1999 as one of the 108 Polish martyrs of World War II. Their feast day is June 12.

Blessed Stanisław Kostka Starowieyski (1895-1941)

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