P. Hilarius Januszewski O.Carm. (1907–1945)
According to a letter sent to all communities of Carmelites by the General Prior of the Order, P. Josef Chalmers, Pope John Paul II will declare the Polish Carmelite P. Hilarius Januszewski blessed on Sunday, June 13, 1999, in Warsaw. He died at the end of World War II in the Dachau concentration camp. To help everyone "get acquainted" with the new blessed and to spiritually connect with him, we bring at least a short biography.
When the world-renowned psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl described in his book "And Yet Say Yes to Life" how the environment of the concentration camp, which he experienced during World War II, deeply affected the psyche of those who were imprisoned there, reducing them to the level of hunted animals struggling for survival – often at the expense of others, he asks himself in his book:
"Where does human freedom remain? (…) Does it really turn out (…) that man must succumb to these influences? That 'under the pressure of circumstances,' the circumstances prevailing in the camp, 'cannot do otherwise'?
And he answers: "Life in the camp showed us that man can remarkably well 'do otherwise'. (…) Who among those who experienced the concentration camp could not speak of people who walked through the roll call areas or barracks, handing out kind words or the last morsel of bread? Although they were few, they are still evidence that everything can be taken from a person in a concentration camp except for one thing: the last human freedom… (This book was published by the Carmelite publishing house in Kostelní Vydří in 1996 (see quoted place on p. 63) and can be a very good tool for us to accept the testimony of P. Hilarius's courage in the camp and how he devoted his life with a mature understanding.)
Father Januszewski was born on June 11, 1907, in the village of Krajenki in Poland. At his baptism, he was given the name Paul. At the age of twenty, he entered the Carmelite Order and took the religious name Hilarius. He made his vows on December 30, 1928. He completed his preparatory studies in philosophy at the Carmelite seminary in Krakow, where he was then a member of the community and a teacher – perhaps also his direct teacher – P. Prokop Valena, who was only five years older! Both left Krakow in 1931 – Brother Hilarius went to Rome to study theology, and P. Prokop went to Kostelní Vydří to take care of the parish and the pilgrimage site.
In Rome, Hilarius made his solemn vows on December 3, 1931. At the international Carmelite college of St. Albert, he found among professors and fellow students not only teachers and friends but also models for his spiritual life. He was taught, among others, by P. Jan Brenninger, whose beatification process had also been initiated. Among his classmates was also the later general of the order, Kilian Healy, from the USA. On the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16, 1934, Brother Hilarius was ordained a priest in Rome. When he then chose the topic for his dissertation in moral theology, he deliberately chose the question concerning the sacrament of the Eucharist. This decision had been made earlier and was led by his deep conviction about the importance of the Eucharist – both in the work of salvation as a whole and in the practical spiritual life of the faithful.
After obtaining the licentiate in theology, he returned to Poland in 1935 to the convent in Krakow to teach dogmatics and church history at the order's seminary, as well as to serve as the prefect of student brothers. In addition to other tasks entrusted to him within the community, he also worked in the Carmelite Church of Our Lady "On Piasku".
During the difficult times at the beginning of World War II, the provincial father appointed him prior of the Krakow convent on November 1, 1939. At that time, Father Hilarius was thirty-two years old. According to testimonies from his fellow brothers, he combined strictness towards himself with a sense of the needs of other brothers, especially in sickness and hardship. He was a just but also patient and kind superior.
The hatred of the Nazis focused primarily on Jews in occupied Poland, but also on priests. On the night of September 18 to 19, 1940, the Krakow monastery was raided by the Gestapo, and several Carmelites were imprisoned: sub-prior P. Leo Koza, P. Albert, who succeeded P. Hilarius in the role of student prefect, and other priests and students. There was no factual reason for this; the only motivation was Nazi terror. The prior's attempts to secure the release of the brothers were unsuccessful. The Gestapo returned to the monastery with the intent to imprison another priest. Prior P. Hilarius tried to defend him, pointing to his illness and offering the police that if they were truly looking to obtain labor, he himself – being younger and stronger than his fellow brother – would be a better option. They accepted his proposal, and so he was imprisoned on December 4, 1940.
The following months of his life took place in places whose names have become infamously famous worldwide: Auschwitz, Dachau. Fellow brothers who ultimately survived the horrors of the concentration camps testified that the example of Father Hilarius was a great encouragement to them. They perceived his firm faith and the power of prayer, encouraging them with words as well as sharing pieces of bread from his ration. He did everything possible to help the brothers in the sufferings of camp life and experienced the death of friends (even though the death of comrades was an everyday occurrence in the camp) as a great loss. He did not give up hope, telling the brothers: "You must return to Krakow and work in the Lord’s vineyard." In their eyes, he was a person both physically and spiritually strong; they were convinced that he would return and perhaps they would return with him.
In March 1945, the situation in Dachau became dramatic. The American army was approaching, and the Germans escalated the number of executions. Those sick with typhus were isolated from the others. This also happened to block number 25, where Russian soldiers were placed. During one morning assembly in the camp, the commander turned to the Polish priests and mockingly offered them the opportunity to finally demonstrate the love they had preached so many times. He gave them the option to volunteer to serve the sick Russians in block 25. There was great psychological pressure: it meant risking death at the very dawn of liberation and, in addition, serving soldiers of the nation from whom the Poles had suffered greatly throughout history and which had also invaded their homeland in this war.
Father Hilarius immediately volunteered and encouraged his fellow brother P. Albert, who was hesitant. In the end, he also joined. Thus, they could serve the sick and dying as caregivers, while approaching them as men of faith, as priests. According to the testimony of one of the fellow prisoners who survived the service in block 25, Father Hilarius was convinced that he would not come out of there alive. He also contracted typhus and died on March 26, 1945, just a few days before the camp was liberated by the Americans. That summer, he would have been thirty-eight years old.
Are you already beginning to sense – even with just such fragmented information – the legacy of this brother of ours for us in general or for you personally? Surely the Lord wants to speak to us through him and the beatification of this priest and Carmelite and to inspire us.
I will not add more, just remind you of the words of John Paul II from his letter Tertio millenio adveniente (item 37):
"The Church of the first millennium was born from the blood of martyrs: 'Sanguis martyrum - semen christianorum' (The blood of martyrs is the seed of new Christians). The events that took place during the time of Constantine could hardly have brought progress to the Church had it not been for the sowing of martyrs and the treasure of holiness that formed the first Christian generations. At the end of the second millennium, the Church once again became a Church of martyrs... This testimony must always be kept in mind."
Processed by P. Gorazd O.Carm.
