NC - 2023 - Spring

MISSION
80 Years Later,
THE BLESSED MARTYRS OF NOWOGRÓDEK
Editor’s Note: This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the
Martyrdom of Blessed M. Stella and her Ten Companions,
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Blessed Martyrs
of Nowogródek, who sacrificed their lives on Aug. 1, 1943,
in Nowogródek, Poland. The Sisters were declared Blessed
by virtue of martyrdom on March 5, 2000, by Pope St. John
Paul II. Sept. 4 marks the Feast Day for the Blessed Martyrs
of Nowogródek, a significant date as it reflects the day when
the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth first came to
Nowogródek in 1929. Each issue of Nazareth Connections
this year will contain a story or reflection on these heroic
witnesses.
In this issue, we share with you text from a presentation
entitled “Vindication & Glory” by the late Sr. Rita Kathryn
Sperka, CSFN (1934-2014), given at Holy Family University’s
two-day conference, “70 Years Later: The Global Impact of
the Holocaust,” in 2009.
We invite you to read along and have a “mini-view” into the
story of the Blessed Martyrs of Nowogródek:
On Sept. 4, 1929, when the Sisters of the Holy Family
of Nazareth first came to Nowogródek, it was home to
various communities, including Catholic Poles, Russian
Orthodox Christians, Tartars, and Jews.
Though a portion of the townsfolk did not welcome
the Sisters, members of the Jewish community helped
the Sisters move into their residence. That beginning
period of strained relations with the townsfolk initially
led the Sisters to consider withdrawal from the
mission; however, as the Sisters became known in the
community, cordial relationships gradually replaced
the tension.
NAZARETH CONNECTIONS // SPRING 2023
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