The Cost of Saying Yes

July 2, 2026

The martyrdom and beatification of the Ulma family continue to inspire growing devotion in Poland and the United States

By Megan Stibley

July 2, 2026

Members of the Knights of Columbus Kraków office in front of the altar containing the remains of the Ulma family at St. Dorothy Church. — Father Wiesław Lenartowicz (left), Poland state chaplain, and Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch, director of chaplains and spiritual development, stand with members of the Knights of Columbus Kraków office in front of the altar containing the remains of the Ulma family at St. Dorothy Church in Markowa, Poland. (Photo by Jarosław Herman)

Who is my neighbor?

This question from the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 is underlined in the Ulma family’s Bible, which Józef and Wiktoria read to their children at night. In the margin beside the passage, they wrote a single Polish word: “tak,” meaning “yes.”

“We should continually be asking ourselves that question in every moment of our lives,” said Jason Staas, a general agent in Columbus, Ohio, and a member of Father William O’Connor Council 3730 in Dayton. “When the answer is yes, especially when it costs something, that is when we grow in a way we didn’t even know was possible. It’s painful, but it is an act of faith that God never ignores.”

This simple yet profound “yes” transformed the Ulma family’s ordinary life into an extraordinary witness.

Józef and Wiktoria were farmers in Markowa, Poland, and had six children, with a seventh on the way, when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. In December 1942, the Ulma family welcomed eight Jewish people into their home, knowing that the punishment for helping Jews was death.

For more than a year, the Ulma family sheltered these neighbors — Saul Goldman and his four sons; Layca Didner and her daughter, and Layca’s sister, Gołda Grünfeld — in their attic. But on March 24, 1944, German police raided their farm after learning of the arrangement and shot and killed the eight Jewish people before killing Józef and Wiktoria in front of their children and neighbors. During the execution, Wiktoria went into labor with her unborn child. Their six children — Stanisława, Barbara, Władysław, Franciszek, Antoni and Maria — were then shot and killed after their parents.

Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch, director of chaplains and spiritual development, places an icon of the Ulma family at their burial site at St. Dorothy Parish Cemetery in Markowa, Poland. (Photo by Jarosław Herman)

“They knew what they were doing, and they knew they faced death if they were caught,” said Dominican Father Jonathan Kalisch, director of chaplains and spiritual development. “Yet they still did it. Their Catholic Christian identity guided them to stand for this truth in the face of death.”

The Ulma family was beatified by Pope Francis in September 2023, marking the first time the Catholic Church beatified an entire family, including an unborn child. Their feast day is celebrated July 7 — Józef and Wiktoria’s wedding anniversary.

“It’s a horrific and tragic story. Evil seemed to triumph on that day, but from a Catholic perspective, there’s a different story,” said Father Kalisch. “A story of true heroism and inspiration.”

ULMA FAMILY PILGRIMAGE IN POLAND

More than 80 years after their martyrdom, pilgrims continue to travel to Markowa to experience the places where the Ulma family lived and died.

In July 2025, Knights in Kraków, Poland, organized a pilgrimage to Markowa attended by Father Wiesław Lenartowicz, Poland state chaplain, and Father Kalisch. They visited The Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II, prayed at St. Dorothy Church — the Ulma family’s parish — celebrated Mass with relics of the Ulma family and more.

While the Ulma family home no longer exists, many World War II-era homes that sheltered Jews in their attics still stand, and the pilgrims were able to enter one of them and experience what such conditions would have been like.

“You cannot truly put yourself in that situation. You couldn’t understand what it was like to live through hell there,” said Grand Knight Sebastian Izdebski of Blessed Michał Sopoćko Council 17667 in Kraków. “At any moment, with every breath, with a whisper that is too loud, you could lose your life or the hope of surviving. The silence was unbearable.”

The pilgrimage allowed participants to better understand the radical act of charity performed by the Ulma family and others who made similar heroic sacrifices. These examples of holiness, family life and charity truly exemplified the Order’s principles.

“They were and are an outstanding example of Catholic virtue,” said Angelika Kowalska, a staff member in the Order’s office in Poland who participated in the pilgrimage. “True virtue is more than simply following God’s laws; it is love that gives everything, even one’s own life.”

TELLING THEIR STORY IN OHIO

The Ulma family’s witness has also inspired growing devotion in the United States.

Father Kalisch first encountered the Ulma family’s story following their beatification. Having lived and worked as a layman in Poland before joining the Dominican Order, he felt a personal connection to their witness.

“I just want to tell their story and make their faithful witness known,” said Father Kalisch. “How beautiful that they persevered all the way to sharing in the victory of Christ. Their story is one of victory.”

Relics of Blessed Michael McGivney and the Ulma family are displayed in the home of Knights of Columbus Field Agent Christopher Copley in Marion, Ohio. — Relics of Blessed Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, and the Ulma family, Polish Catholics martyred during World War II, are displayed in the home of Knights of Columbus Field Agent Christopher Copley in Marion, Ohio, on March 14. His family prayed the rosary in the presence of the relics. (Photo by Spirit Juice Studios)

In 2025, Father Kalisch requested and received relics of the Ulma family from the bishop of the Diocese of Przemyśl, Poland. Since then, it has accompanied him to many retreats and gatherings.

After discussing the relics with Staas at a meeting, the two decided to arrange a relic tour featuring relics of the Ulma family and Blessed Michael McGivney in Columbus from March 13-15.

“As Knights, we can look to the Ulma family to learn about charity and what it means to be part of the Knights of Columbus,” said Staas. “Father McGivney started an organization to protect families, and here is a Catholic family that was willing to sacrifice everything for the well-being of other families.”

Father Kalisch and Staas collaborated with many people and groups to make the tour possible, including Ohio State Deputy Mike Felerski, the Diocese of Columbus, local parishes and the Order’s marketing team.

The relics were displayed at St. Michael School, administered by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, before traveling to three churches — St. Patrick Church, Sacred Hearts Church and St. Mary Church — over the course of three days. More than 1,500 pilgrims venerated the relics during the tour, and Knights from local councils and assemblies assisted at the events and provided honor guards.

“There were so many families and mothers pressing the relics to their children, venerating them and praying,” said Father Kalisch. “That image will stay with me.”

FAMILIAL ENCOUNTER

When Staas first heard the Ulma family’s story, he thought of Christopher Copley, a field agent in Ohio and a member of Father William J. Spickerman Council 671 in Marion, whose youngest child was stillborn a few days after the due date in May 2025.

Knights of Columbus Field Agent Christopher Copley prays the rosary with his wife, Destiny, and children at their home in Marion, Ohio. — Knights of Columbus Field Agent Christopher Copley prays the rosary with his wife, Destiny, and children Thomas, 10, Mary Clare, 3, and Margaret, 6, at his home in Marion, Ohio, on March 14. The family prayed the rosary in the presence of relics of Blessed Michael McGivney and the Ulma family. (Photo by Spirit Juice Studios)

“Part of my job is to look after the agents and their families who are on my team,” said Staas. “I wanted to provide some sort of consolation within the realm of my ability, and I knew the story of the unborn Ulma child could provide that hope.”

The Copley family hosted the relics of the Ulma family and Father McGivney overnight. During that time, they prayed a family rosary in their presence.

“We hope in God’s mercy, and we have a reasonable hope that these infants are with Our Lord and cradled in Our Lady’s arms,” said Copley. “We were in the presence of this family that endured such pain, but they did it with grace and the strength that comes from faith in God and knowing he’s going to carry you through it.”

The Knights provide a $5,000 death benefit for families who lose children through stillbirth after 20 weeks’ gestation, which Copley received.

“There were a lot of small consolations that came from the Knights of Columbus during this difficult time. I experienced the support of the Order in a very real and tangible way,” said Copley. “Many families experience hardship and loss; the Knights of Columbus exist to serve, support and protect those families. Just like the Ulmas, we are here to care for and love our neighbors.”

A GROWING DEVOTION

The beatification of the unborn Ulma child has made the Blessed Józef and Wiktoria Ulma and their family an important symbol for the pro-life movement. An image and relics of the Ulma family from the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., have been present at Life Fest, hosted by the Sisters of Life in the Washington area, in recent years.

A family processes with relics and an image of the Ulma family during Life Fest at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md., on Jan. 23. (Photo by Matthew Barrick)

“From the beginning of their marriage, Józef and Wiktoria were open to the gift of life, which resulted in seven children,” said Father Kalisch. “Life is a gift and a grace. The Church calls marriage a partnership for the whole of life, and the Ulma family shows us the importance of family, the gift of life and openness to life.”

The Saint John Paul II National Shrine has hosted a temporary exhibit and relic veneration opportunities related to the Ulma family several times, drawing thousands of pilgrims.

The exhibit includes panels telling the Ulma family’s story, photos of the family, and a photograph of two of the Jewish women sheltered by the Ulmas, along with drops of blood from the day of the massacre. The reliquary includes remains from all nine members of the family, arranged so that each member is connected by the branches of the Tree of Life.

“The Ulma family’s witness isn’t one of earth-shattering faith. They were an ordinary family living an ordinary life who did an extraordinary thing, and they are now enjoying their eternal reward,” said Copley. “They had a firm devotion to the faith, and their quiet witness speaks volumes.”

*****

MEGAN STIBLEY is associate editor of Columbia.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City leads bishops in consecrating the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Fla.

The Cost of Saying Yes

ULMA FAMILY PILGRIMAGE IN POLAND

TELLING THEIR STORY IN OHIO

FAMILIAL ENCOUNTER

A GROWING DEVOTION

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