Michał Tomaszek

After his priestly ordination, Father Michał Tomaszek was sent as a vicar and catechist to the parish of Pieńsk, near Zgorzelec, where he exercised his ministry from June 1987 to June 1989. He distinguished himself there by his pastoral zeal, his dedication to children and young people, and in particular by his attention to children with disabilities or special needs. In 1988, the Franciscan province of Krakow decided to open a new mission in the Peruvian Andes, in Pariacoto, in the diocese of Chimbote. Fathers Zbigniew Strzałkowski and Jarosław Wysoczański were the first to be sent there. Desirous of joining them, Father Michał petitioned his superiors. In 1989, as the need for a third missionary became apparent, he was designated to go. Aware of the dangers of this mission in a Peru then plagued by political violence, he declared before his departure that he would not hesitate to offer his life for the cause of God if it proved necessary. On July 25, 1989, the feast day of Saint James, he flew to Peru. After a brief period of learning the Spanish language, he settled in Pariacoto. The parish of Pariacoto is immense and extends over the Cordillera Negra, encompassing many isolated and poor mountain villages. With his confreres, Father Michał deployed intense pastoral and social activity. They celebrated the sacraments, trained lay catechists, visited Andean communities, and implemented humanitarian aid projects. In 1989, faced with a severe drought that struck the region, the missionaries distributed food provided by Caritas to alleviate the distress of the population. Father Michał Tomaszek became particularly beloved by the children and young people of the region. Gifted in music and singing, he used these talents to gather the youth, animate the liturgy, and teach catechism. He also founded a music group with the young people of Pariacoto.

The ministry of the Franciscans took place in an extremely tense and dangerous political context. The terrorist movement of Maoist and communist ideology, "Sendero Luminoso" (The Shining Path), sought to impose its revolution through terror and violence. The guerrillas considered the Catholic Church and the work of the priests as major obstacles to the indoctrination of the masses and the triggering of an armed revolution. They accused the missionaries of "putting the people to sleep" and hindering the revolt by preaching peace, reading the Bible, reciting the rosary, and distributing food aid (which they labeled as "imperialism"). Despite explicit death threats and the growing climate of terror, Fathers Michał Tomaszek and Zbigniew Strzałkowski deliberately chose not to abandon their flock and to remain faithful to their mission in Pariacoto. On the evening of August 9, 1991, after the celebration of Mass and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a group of about twenty armed and hooded guerrillas from the Shining Path burst into the Franciscan convent in Pariacoto. They seized the two Polish priests. To protect the young postulants present, the fathers ordered them to remain praying in the chapel. The terrorists forced the two religious into the mission's pickup trucks, along with a nun, Sister Berta Hernández Guerra (of the congregation of the Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), who had intervened to accompany them. After traveling a certain distance, the guerrillas forced the nun to get out of the vehicle and set fire to the bridge leading to Cochabamba to prevent any pursuit. They then took the two Franciscans to a place called Pueblo Viejo, located near the Pariacoto cemetery. The terrorists had also brought the village mayor, Justino Masa, whom they accused of embodying state authority, to the same location. After a mock trial where the priests were accused of deceiving the people through religion and humanitarian aid, the death sentence was carried out. Fathers Michał Tomaszek and Zbigniew Strzałkowski, as well as Mayor Justino Masa, were murdered. Father Michał was killed by a gunshot to the nape of his neck, while Father Zbigniew received two bullets (in the head and the spine). Father Michał Tomaszek thus died a martyr at the age of 30.

On August 12, 1991, the bodies of the two Franciscan martyrs were buried in the parish church of Pariacoto, in accordance with their wishes. The local population paid them a vibrant tribute, immediately manifesting their devotion to those they considered saints. The beatification process was officially opened on June 5, 1995, in the Diocese of Chimbote, after obtaining the nihil obstat from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The diocesan inquiry collected numerous testimonies, including statements of repentance from certain former members of the Shining Path. On February 3, 2015, Pope Francis ordered the promulgation of the decree officially recognizing the martyrdom of the Servants of God Michał Tomaszek and Zbigniew Strzałkowski, as well as that of the Italian diocesan priest Alessandro Dordi (also assassinated by the Shining Path on August 25, 1991). The solemn beatification ceremony was celebrated on December 5, 2015, at the stadium in Chimbote, Peru. It was presided over, in the name of Pope Francis, by Cardinal Angelo Amato, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, in the presence of tens of thousands of faithful, Polish and Italian delegations, and Sister Berta Hernández Guerra, an eyewitness to their abduction.

The spirituality of Blessed Michał Tomaszek is deeply rooted in the Franciscan charism, characterized by evangelical poverty, simplicity, joy, and fraternity. He drew inspiration from the figures of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the latter of whom also offered his life as a martyr. Father Michał was distinguished by his intense Marian piety and his absolute trust in Divine Providence. His apostolate among the most destitute, and particularly children, testifies to a faith lived out in concrete service and love for one's neighbor. Their martyrdom has become a symbol of peace and reconciliation for Peru. Posthumously, Fathers Michał Tomaszek and Zbigniew Strzałkowski were awarded the highest distinction of the Peruvian State, the Order of 'El Sol del Perú' (The Sun of Peru). In June 2023, the President of the Republic of Poland also posthumously awarded them the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. Their liturgical memorial was set for June 7 by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. This date refers to June 7, 1986, the day the two blessed received holy orders together in Wrocław (the diaconate for Michał and the priesthood for Zbigniew). The choice of June 7 avoids the anniversary of their death (August 9), which coincides with the feast of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), co-patroness of Europe. Today, the Chapel of the Martyrs of Pariacoto, erected at the site of their execution, has become an important place of pilgrimage. Their relics are venerated in numerous churches throughout the world, notably at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Krakow and at the Shrine of the New Martyrs in the Basilica of Saint Bartholomew-on-the-Island in Rome.