Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski

After his ordination, Father Frelichowski served as chaplain and secretary to his bishop, then became vicar of the parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Toruń on July 1, 1938. He was also a scout chaplain and directed the parish bulletin Wiadomości Kościelnych. His ministry was distinguished by his devotion to the young and the sick. After the invasion of Poland in September 1939, he was arrested by the Gestapo on September 11, released, and then arrested again on October 18, 1939. He was interned at Fort VII in Toruń, then transferred to Nowy Port (Gdańsk), Stutthof, Sachsenhausen, and finally deported to Dachau on December 14, 1940 (prisoner 22492). In the camps, he continued his ministry clandestinely, celebrating Mass in secret, hearing confessions, and comforting the prisoners.

At the turn of 1944 and 1945, a typhus epidemic broke out in Dachau. Father Frelichowski volunteered to care for the sick isolated in the death barracks, to clean them, and to administer the sacraments, leading 32 other priests to follow him. He contracted typhus, complicated by pneumonia, and died on February 23, 1945, at the age of 32. His reputation for holiness prompted the authorities to authorize the viewing of his body. Before the cremation, Stanisław Bieńka created a plaster death mask and removed two phalanges from his right ring finger, which constitute the only first-class relics of a Dachau victim whose body was burned.

The cause for beatification began on April 11, 1964, in Toruń. The decree of validity for the diocesan inquiry was published on May 12, 1995. On March 26, 1999, Pope John Paul II recognized his martyrdom in odium fidei. He was beatified by John Paul II on June 7, 1999, in Toruń. On September 20, 2002, the Congregation for Divine Worship approved his designation as patron of Polish Scouting, which was celebrated on February 22, 2003. His cause for canonization is currently underway.

The spirituality of Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski rests on the union with the Heart of Jesus and his ordination motto: 'Through the cross of suffering and the darkness of mundane life, with Christ, to the glory of the Resurrection'. He integrated the scout values of fraternity, service, and joy into his priestly life. Nicknamed the 'Merciful One of Dachau' or 'Druh Wicek', his relics are venerated in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Toruń. He remains the official patron saint of the Polish scouts.