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On August 27, 1902, a boy named Stanisław Streich was born in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, then part of the Kingdom of Prussia.
A young man who was ordained a priest at the age of 22
Stanisław was the eldest of three children born to Franciszek Streich and Władysława Birzyńska. The family was Catholic, and the boy was baptized on September 30, 1902, at the Parish Church of St. Marcin and Mikołaj in Bydgoszcz. He completed his primary education under Prussian rule and completed his secondary education in Bydgoszcz on May 15, 1920, after Poland had regained its independence and was deeply involved in the Polish-Soviet War (1919–1921). On June 28 of that same year, Stanisław applied to be admitted to the theological seminary in Poznań. He was finally ordained a priest on June 6, 1925.
In the following two years, he studied Classical Philology at the University of Poznań, soon after becoming the parish priest of St. Florian's Church in the same city, and in the following years he went on to become the parish priest of Corpus Christi Church and later of St. Marcin's Church, both in Poznań. On 1 October 1935, he became the parish priest of the newly founded St. John Bosco Church in Luboń. At that time, he did not know that it would be his last parish.
“He had a unique gift: a pleasant way of dealing with everyone”
Stanisław Błażejak, one of his first communion students, remembered this young priest thus: "He had a unique gift: a pleasant manner with every person. From babies, children, young people to the elderly. Regardless of whether the person was poor or rich. Handsome or senile. Educated or just an ordinary simpleton? He would stop and talk to each and every one of them. That is why he was generally very loved and respected." Błażejak added:
During religious education classes, Father Streich paid special attention to the commandment to love God and neighbor. He told us to trust completely in God and respect every person, regardless of their age, appearance, and behavior. He also recommended that those who do evil be rebuked gently, but with courage and firmness, and that we pray a great deal for them. Through this, he explained, we can gain much merit for ourselves before God.
In my opinion, he was a priest who truly followed Jesus, whose teachings he preached with words, explained with various examples, and confirmed with deeds. He was a model worthy of imitation.
Following Christ, Father Streich was especially committed to helping the poor, unemployed, sick, elderly, disabled, and those who lived alone, driven by the Christian belief that we are all children of God, regardless of our situation. This was not to everyone's liking. The Polish Communist Party, following Stalin's orders, attempted to provoke an uprising among Polish workers, with little success, not only because of the Catholic religious beliefs of the Polish people, but also because of the unpopularity of the communists in that country following the Polish-Soviet War.
The murder of Stanisław Streich at the hands of a communist
On Sunday, February 27, 1938, Father Streich began celebrating the ten o'clock morning Mass. Stanisław Malepszak, who was 11 years old at the time and attended that Mass, explained what happened as follows:
After leaving the altar, the priest removed his chasuble and went to the pulpit to read the Gospel and preach the sermon. He walked, clutching the books to his chest with his hand, and with his right hand, he touched the children's heads, asking them to make way. Suddenly, a man dressed in a black coat appeared from behind me —it was Wawrzyniec Nowak— and fired two shots at the priest: one bullet hit him in the face, and the second lodged in the Gospel book. The priest fell back on his right side and did not move again. The assassin then approached the body and fired two more shots into the back.
There was panic in the church, with children screaming and running for the exit. After committing the crime, Nowak climbed onto the pulpit and shouted: "Niech żyje komunizm!" (Long live communism) and "Wynoście się z kościoła, to za waszą wolność!" (Get out of the church, this is for your freedom).
The parish sexton, Franciszek Krawczyński, ran out of the sacristy and tried to arrest the killer, who struggled with him, firing more shots, wounding Krawczyński in the temple and shoulder. These more shots ended up wounding 12-year-old Ignacy Pacyńsk in the left leg, and Katarzyna Ciesielska, who was hit in the shoulder. Although he tried to escape through an unfinished nave of the church, Nowak was finally captured by three men.
On March 21, 1938, after the trial of Streich's killer, a Poznań court sentenced Nowak to death. Malepszak recalls about the killer: "I believe that this ill-tempered man was an agent of the NKVD", Stalin's infamous secret police, which, among other crimes, committed the Katyn Massacre in 1940. Malepszak adds: "He did not act alone, as there was a car parked on a side street called Kościelna, which quickly drove away after the attack."
The memory of Father Streich was banned by the communist dictatorship
A few months after the priest's murder, on August 16, 1938, the Polish Communist Party was dissolved as part of Stalin's purges. Many followers of that party who had settled in the Soviet Union were eventually murdered by the very Stalin they worshipped. It is unclear what happened to Nowak, or even whether he was ultimately executed. Malepszak comments:
This is what Father Spachacz, former prison chaplain at Młyńska, had to say. And during the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Fr. Stanisław's death, Stefan Żygulski spoke in our church and remembered his friend Józef Banaszkiewicz from Luboń. At the end of the war, during his stay in the hospital, he met Soviet Lieutenant Nowak, who told him: "I am worth as much as your two clergymen." Perhaps Nowak was exchanged for priests imprisoned by the Soviets? This is difficult to determine, since I have searched in vain for court records; they were "cleaned up," and only the case number remained, with a laconic note.
Following the Soviet occupation of Poland in 1945 and Stalin's establishment of a communist dictatorship in that country, the new communist authorities banned commemorations of Father Streich and threatened clergy who attempted to hold memorial services. However, the memory of the murdered priest remained alive within the Church and in the families who knew him.
The beatification process of Father Streich
Already after the fall of communism, in 1998, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his assassination, various celebrations were organized in memory of Stanisław Streich, which finally led to his beatification, a process that officially began on October 28, 2017. On January 20, 2024, the exhumation, canonical recognition and transfer of Father Streich's remains to Luboń took place. He was buried in the Church of St. John Bosco, where he was parish priest and where he was murdered.
Leo XIV: “His work on behalf of the poor and workers irritated the followers of communist ideology”
On May 13, 2025, Pope Leo XIV signed an Apostolic Letter concluding the beatification process for Father Streich, referring to him as a "diocesan priest, martyr, courageous pastor, fruitful creator of works of love for one's neighbor and faithful witness to the Gospel to the shedding of blood." The beatification ceremony was held on May 24 in Poznań, presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, as papal legate. On Sunday, May 25, Pope Leo XIV stated in a speech in St. Peter's Square:
Yesterday in Poznań (Poland), Stanislaus Kostka Streich, a diocesan priest killed in hatred of the faith in 1938 because his work on behalf of the poor and workers irritated followers of the Communist ideology, was beatified. May his example inspire priests in particular to give themselves generously in the service of the Gospel and their brothers and sisters.
Here you can listen to the Pope's words about Stanisław Streich, spoken in Italian:
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Main photo: Church in Poland.
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