(ANS – Ląd nad Wartą) – On Friday 14 October, to celebrate Education Day, the Salesian Studentate of Ląd nad Wartą, organised a Symposium on the life and martyrdom of  the 5 beatified young men from the Salesian oratory of Poznań, who died under the nazis.

Organised under the patronage of the Poznań section of the Institute of National Memory (IPN), the Symposium “Faithful until death” gave a  presentation of the strong faith and the joy even in difficulties of Edoardo Klinik, Jarogniew Wojciechowski, Edoardo Kaźmierski, Czeslao Jóźwiak and Francesco Kęsy, youth leaders in the Poznań oratorio, proclaimed Blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1999, with 103 other Polish martyrs.

Taking part were experts and scholars of the two world wars from the IPN and also Salesians. The talks were in three parts: the first dealing with the setting in which the oratorians grew up; the second describing the historical aspects of their martyrdom  including the situation of Salesian works in the region of Warta and the history of the Church at Poznań; the third finally described the  circumstances of their beatification process.

Following the talks which were very well received and gave those attending the opportunity to reflect on the faith, behaviour and the example of the martyrs who were able to make their executioners ashamed as they went to their deaths with a smile on their lips, there was a social gathering.

Published 18/10/2011