A CARD FROM THE CALENDAR - FR TEODOR POPCZYK
Father Popczyk was beloved by the young people. He organised youth societies, taught, supported, and helped. He was the curate in the St. Barbara Church in Częstochowa and the catechist in the Częstochowa Public School No. 1. The outbreak of the Second World War and Nazi occupation changed the priest’s circumstances. From then on, he was teaching clandestine classes and spent his evenings issuing false documents for the Jewish populace. He understood the peril of what he was doing, especially after the Germans murdered Father Kurczyński for similar actions. He used to say: “If they come for me, I’ll run as fast as I can”. He didn’t have a chance. Early in the morning on 16 June 1943, the Germans surrounded the church and the presbytery. They murdered two priests, including Father Teodor Popczyk.
