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Venerable Franciszek Blachnicki | |
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Priest | |
Born | Rybnik, Second Republic of Poland | 24 March 1921
Died | 27 February 1987 Carlsberg, Bad Dürkheim, Germany | (aged 65)
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Patronage | Light-Life |
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]