Ignác Stuchlý

After his religious profession, Ignác Stuchlý was sent to Gorizia (then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, today in Italy), where he studied theology while overseeing the construction work of the Salesian house. He was ordained a priest on November 3, 1901. He quickly became a highly sought-after confessor and spiritual director, particularly by pilgrims at the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart in Gorizia. In October 1910, he was sent to Ljubljana (Slovenia) to support the expansion of the Salesian mission there and to complete the construction of the Mary Help of Christians Church in Rakovnik, a task made extremely difficult by the First World War. After a stint in Veržej as prefect between 1919 and 1921, he returned to Ljubljana to finish the church, which was consecrated in 1924. In 1925, his superiors recalled him to Italy, to Perosa Argentina, to direct the formation of Salesian aspirants from Bohemia and Moravia. This was the starting point for the Salesian establishment in Czechoslovakia. In September 1927, Father Stuchlý left Italy with a group of 17 young men and 3 Salesians to open the first Salesian house in Fryšták, Moravia. Under his energetic and paternal leadership, the Salesian work developed rapidly in Czechoslovakia (with foundations in Ostrava, Prague, Brno, and Pardubice). In 1935, Czechoslovakia became an autonomous Salesian province, and Father Stuchlý was appointed its very first inspector (provincial). Within a few years, the province had nearly 400 confreres. During the division of the province into two entities (Slovakia and Bohemia-Moravia) in 1939, he retained charge of the Bohemia-Moravia province. During the Second World War, he courageously supported his confreres in the face of Nazi requisitions (the house in Fryšták was confiscated in 1943). After the war, the work resumed briefly before being brutally destroyed by the communist regime in 1950. The houses were closed, and the religious were dispersed or deported. Father Stuchlý, weakened by a stroke that occurred on March 5, 1950, was placed under close surveillance and relegated to a home for the elderly, first in Zlín and then in Lukov, where he passed away peacefully on January 17, 1953, at the age of 83.

Father Ignác Stuchlý, affectionately nicknamed "Staříček" (the little old man or grandfather) by the faithful due to his white hair and paternal kindness, left behind a profound reputation for holiness. Despite the terrible trials of war and communist persecution, his faith and trust in God remained unshakable. The diocesan process for his beatification opened in 1989 in the Archdiocese of Olomouc. The diocesan inquiry concluded successfully, and the file was transmitted to Rome to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On October 17, 2014, the decree of legal validity of the diocesan inquiry was published. The Positio was subsequently examined by theological consultants, who gave a unanimous positive opinion on November 5, 2019.

On December 21, 2020, Pope Francis received in audience Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, and authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Ignác Stuchlý. By this act, Father Stuchlý was officially declared venerable. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is now required.

The spirituality of Ignác Stuchlý is deeply rooted in the charism of Saint John Bosco: an absolute trust in Divine Providence, a filial love for the Virgin Mary (under the title of Mary Help of Christians), and a total dedication to the education and salvation of youth. He was distinguished by his kindness, his simplicity of expression, and his great sensitivity to the suffering of others. He considered Blessed Michael Rua as his model of religious life. His legacy remains alive through the Salesian province of the Czech Republic, of which he is the founding father, and in particular at the house of Fryšták (today Dům Ignáce Stuchlého), which continues to serve as a spiritual center and hub for youth activities.