Franciszek Blachnicki

Venerable
Franciszek Blachnicki
Priest
Born(1921-03-24)24 March 1921
Rybnik, Second Republic of Poland
Died27 February 1987(1987-02-27) (aged 65)
Carlsberg, Bad Dürkheim, Germany
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
PatronageLight-Life
Franciszek Blachnicki as KL-Auschwitz prisoner, KL Number 1201, 1940

Franciszek Blachnicki (Polish: [frant͡ɕiʂɛk blaxɲit͡skʲi] ; 24 March 1921 – 27 February 1987) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Light-Life movement, also known as the Oasis Movement, and the Secular Institute of the Immaculate Mother of the Church.[1] He founded several other movements and religious congregations that would address a range of social and ethical issues. These issues included anti-alcoholism and human rights.[2][3] His movements first came about after starting out as simple retreats designed for both altar servers and families that later began to address a series of issues in Poland at the time.[1] His concern for human rights came during the communist era in Poland as well as his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II in which he was incarcerated in Auschwitz and other concentration camps under the German Nazi regime.[3][2]

Blachnicki's beatification process opened in Poland in the 1990s and he became titled as a Servant of God upon the cause's commencement. The decisive moment in the process came on 30 September 2015 after Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue and titled him as Venerable.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "Venerable Franciszek Blachnicki". Saints SQPN. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki". Domestic Church of the Light-Life Movement. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki". The Light-Life Movement. Retrieved 6 March 2018.