• OUR LADY of CZĘSTOCHOWA: st Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland; source: own collectionOUR LADY of CZĘSTOCHOWA
    St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland
    source: own collection
link to OUR LADY of PERPETUAL HELP in SŁOMCZYN infoSITE LOGO

Roman Catholic
St Sigismund parish
05-507 Słomczyn
85 Wiślana Str.
Konstancin deanery
Warsaw archdiocese, Poland

  • St SIGISMUND: St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland; source: own collectionSt SIGISMUND
    St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland
    source: own collection
  • St SIGISMUND: XIX c., feretory, St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland; source: own collectionSt SIGISMUND
    XIX c., feretory
    St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland
    source: own collection
  • St SIGISMUND: XIX c., feretory, St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland; source: own collectionSt SIGISMUND
    XIX c., feretory
    St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland
    source: own collection
  • St SIGISMUND: XIX c., feretory, St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland; source: own collectionSt SIGISMUND
    XIX c., feretory
    St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland
    source: own collection
  • St SIGISMUND: XIX c., feretory, St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland; source: own collectionSt SIGISMUND
    XIX c., feretory
    St Sigismund parish church, Słomczyn, Poland
    source: own collection
LINK to Nu HTML Checker

full list:

displayClick to display full list

wyświetlKliknij by wyświetlić pełną listę po polsku


Martyrology of the clergy — Poland

XX century (1914 – 1989)

personal data

review in:

po polskuKliknij by wyświetlić to bio po polsku

link do KARTY OSOBOWEJ - POLSKA WERSJAKliknij by wyświetlić to bio po polsku
  • WITT Gerard, source: olsztyn.gosc.pl, own collection; CLICK TO ZOOM AND DISPLAY INFOWITT Gerard
    source: olsztyn.gosc.pl
    own collection
  • WITT Gerard, source: www.bildarchiv-ostpreussen.de, own collection; CLICK TO ZOOM AND DISPLAY INFOWITT Gerard
    source: www.bildarchiv-ostpreussen.de
    own collection

religious status

Servant of God

surname

WITT

forename(s)

Gerard

forename(s)
versions/aliases

Gerhard

function

diocesan priest

creed

Latin (Roman Catholic) Church RCmore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2014.09.21]

diocese / province

Warmia diocesemore on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2018.09.02]

date and place
of death

19.05.1945

Elblągtoday: Elbląg city pov., Warmia–Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.04.12]

details of death

During Russian winter 1945 advance at the end of World War II, started by German and Russian invasion of Poland in 09.1939, Russians captured Lidzbark Warmiński on 31.01.1945.

Arrested by the Russians on 06‑07.02.1945.

On c. 18.02.1945 transported to Górowo Iłowieckie and next to Bartoszyce where was held in military camp.

At the beginning of 03.1945 forced to march, with c. 500 POWs in cold and snow, 120 km north to transit camp in Georgenburg (10 km north from Insterburg) where was held in stables.

From there at the end of April 1945 unexpectedly — most of the Insterburg prisoners Russians transported out into Russia, to Russian concentration camps — moved through Olsztyn and Morąg to Elbląg.

There forced to slave at dismantling of Schichau–Werke factory and shipyard prior to sending machinery to Russia.

During the epidemic that spread among prisoners contracted typhoid and soon perished.

cause of death

extermination: exhaustion and disease

perpetrators

Russians

date and place
of birth

03.07.1912

Reszeltoday: Reszel gm., Kętrzyn pov., Warmia–Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28]

presbyter (holy orders)
ordination

07.03.1937

positions held

1937 – 1945

vicar — Lidzbark Warmińskitoday: Lidzbark Warmiński gm., Lidzbark Warmiński pov., Warmia–Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.07.29]
⋄ St Peter and St Paul the Apostles RC parish ⋄ Lidzbark Warmińskitoday: Lidzbark Warmiński gm., Lidzbark Warmiński pov., Warmia–Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2021.07.29]
RC deanery

1937

vicar — Leginytoday: Reszel gm., Kętrzyn pov., Warmia–Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28]
⋄ St Mary Magdalene RC parish ⋄ Reszeltoday: Reszel gm., Kętrzyn pov., Warmia–Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.01.28]
RC deanery

till 1937

student — Braniewotoday: Braniewo urban gm., Braniewo pov., Warmia–Masuria voiv., Poland
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.02.14]
⋄ philosophy and theology, Theological Seminary

1933 – 1934

student — Munichtoday: Bavaria state, Germany
more on
en.wikipedia.org
[access: 2022.04.12]
⋄ theology

others related
in death

PREUSCHOFFClick to display biography Eric, THATERClick to display biography William

murder sites
camp 
(+ prisoner no)

Insterburg: Russian transit camp, set up after capture on 21‑22.01.1945 of Insterburg by the Russians, for German population of East Prussia — on the site of the DL Insterburg camp, i.e. the German prisoner of war camp Germ. Durchgangslager der Luftwaffe (Eng. Air Force Transit Camp), managed by the German Luftwaffe Air Force, where the Germans held, among others, French and British — one of concentration centers of defeated Germans marked for slave work in Russia. In Insterburg (now: Chernyakhovsk) and in nearby Yurbork c. 60,000 people were held: men, women, girls and old. All were transported — in rail transfers lasting 4‑7 weeks, without hot food, proper sanitation — to Russians slave labour camps. Many perished before reaching destination… (more on: bazhum.muzhp.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.09.02]
)

Deportation of Germans to Russia in 1945: On 06.02.1945 Russian State Defence Committee issued an order to intern all Germans, mainly men, able to work from the German territories captured by Russian army and transport them into Russia — to slave labour camps in Donbas region in Ukraine, to industrial centers in Ural mountains, to Russian occupied Belarus, etc. — in order to rebuild destroyed by the war Russia. It was planned to use c. 500,000 Germans, 17‑50 years old, although in practice much older were also arrested. From Upper Silesia only c. 90,000 Germans and Poles were deported 20% of which returned after many years. Among the victims were members of Polish clandestine Home Army AK (part of Polish Clandestine State) fighting with Germans. Tens of thousands were deported from Warmia and Mazurian regions. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18]
)

Ribbentrop‑Molotov: Genocidal Russian‑German alliance pact between Russian leader Joseph Stalin and German leader Adolf Hitler signed on 23.08.1939 in Moscow by respective foreign ministers, Mr. Vyacheslav Molotov for Russia and Joachim von Ribbentrop for Germany. The pact sanctioned and was the direct cause of joint Russian and German invasion of Poland and the outbreak of the World War II in 09.1939. In a political sense, the pact was an attempt to restore the status quo ante before 1914, with one exception, namely the „commercial” exchange of the so‑called „Kingdom of Poland”, which in 1914 was part of the Russian Empire, fore Eastern Galicia (today's western Ukraine), in 1914 belonging to the Austro‑Hungarian Empire. Galicia, including Lviv, was to be taken over by the Russians, the „Kingdom of Poland” — under the name of the General Governorate — Germany. The resultant „war was one of the greatest calamities and dramas of humanity in history, for two atheistic and anti‑Christian ideologies — national and international socialism — rejected God and His fifth Decalogue commandment: Thou shall not kill!” (Abp Stanislav Gądecki, 01.09.2019). The decisions taken — backed up by the betrayal of the formal allies of Poland, France and Germany, which on 12.09.1939, at a joint conference in Abbeville, decided not to provide aid to attacked Poland and not to take military action against Germany (a clear breach of treaty obligations with Poland) — were on 28.09.1939 slightly altered and made more precise when a treaty on „German‑Russian boundaries and friendship” was agreed by the same murderous signatories. One of its findings was establishment of spheres of influence in Central and Eastern Europe and in consequence IV partition of Poland. In one of its secret annexes agreed, that: „the Signatories will not tolerate on its respective territories any Polish propaganda that affects the territory of the other Side. On their respective territories they will suppress all such propaganda and inform each other of the measures taken to accomplish it”. The agreements resulted in a series of meeting between two genocidal organization representing both sides — German Gestapo and Russian NKVD when coordination of efforts to exterminate Polish intelligentsia and Polish leading classes (in Germany called «Intelligenzaktion», in Russia took the form of Katyń massacres) where discussed. Resulted in deaths of hundreds of thousands of Polish intelligentsia, including thousands of priests presented here, and tens of millions of ordinary people,. The results of this Russian‑German pact lasted till 1989 and are still in evidence even today. (more on: en.wikipedia.orgClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2015.09.30]
)

Pius XI's encyclicals: Facing the creation of two totalitarian systems in Europe, which seemed to compete with each other, though there were more similarities than contradictions between them, Pope Pius XI issued in 03.1937 (within 5 days) two encyclicals. In the „Mit brennender Sorge” (Eng. „With Burning Concern”) published on 14.03.1938, condemned the national socialism prevailing in Germany. The Pope wrote: „Whoever, following the old Germanic‑pre‑Christian beliefs, puts various impersonal fate in the place of a personal God, denies the wisdom of God and Providence […], whoever exalts earthly values: race or nation, or state, or state system, representatives of state power or other fundamental values of human society, […] and makes them the highest standard of all values, including religious ones, and idolizes them, this one […] is far from true faith in God and from a worldview corresponding to such faith”. On 19.03.1937, published „Divini Redemptoris” (Eng. „Divine Redeemer”), in which criticized Russian communism, dialectical materialism and the class struggle theory. The Pope wrote: „Communism deprives man of freedom, and therefore the spiritual basis of all life norms. It deprives the human person of all his dignity and any moral support with which he could resist the onslaught of blind passions […] This is the new gospel that Bolshevik and godless communism preaches as a message of salvation and redemption of humanity”… Pius XI demanded that the established human law be subjected to the natural law of God , recommended the implementation of the ideal of a Christian state and society, and called on Catholics to resist. Two years later, National Socialist Germany and Communist Russia came together and started World War II. (more on: www.vatican.vaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2023.05.28]
, www.vatican.vaClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2023.05.28]
)

sources

personal:
ekai.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2012.11.23]
, www.reszel.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.12.04]
, encyklopedia.warmia.mazury.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18]
, files.bildarchiv-ostpreussen.deClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18]

original images:
olsztyn.gosc.plClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2013.05.19]
, www.bildarchiv-ostpreussen.deClick to attempt to display webpage
[access: 2018.11.18]

LETTER to CUSTODIAN/ADMINISTRATOR

If you have an Email client on your communicator/computer — such as Mozilla Thunderbird, Windows Mail or Microsoft Outlook, described at WikipediaPatrz:
en.wikipedia.org
, among others  — try the link below, please:

LETTER to CUSTODIAN/ADMINISTRATORClick and try to call your own Email client

If however you do not run such a client or the above link is not active please send an email to the Custodian/Administrator using your account — in your customary email/correspondence engine — at the following address:

EMAIL ADDRESS

giving the following as the subject:

MARTYROLOGY: WITT Gerard

To return to the biography press below:

Click to return to biographyClick to return to biography