Blessed Józef Stepniak
Also known as
- Father Florian
- prisoner 22738
- 12 August
- 12 June as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II
Profile
Born to a farm family, the son of Paul and Anna Misztal; he was baptized at the age of one day. Jozef’s mother died when the boy was very small. Studied at the Capuchin college of Saint Fidelis in Lomza, Poland; he was a mediocre student, succeeded through simple determination and hard work. Franciscan tertiary. Entered the Capuchin novitiate at Nowe Miasto, Poland on 14 August 1931, taking the name Florian; he made his profession on 15 August 1935. Ordained on 24 June 1938, he continued his studies at the Catholic University of Lublin. When the Nazi anti–Catholic persecutions began soon after the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, Father Jozef refused to flee the area, preferring to take his chances so he could continue ministering to his brother frars and the local Christians. Arrested by the Gestapo on 25 January 1940 he was first imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and then Dachau where he was worked and starved until he was of no more use in the fields. Martyr.
Born
- gassed on 12 August 1942 in the death chambers of Dachau concentration camp, Oberbayern, Germany
- 26 March 1999 by Pope John Paul II (decree of martyrdom)
- 13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw, Poland
MLA Citation
- “Blessed Józef Stepniak“. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 February 2022. Web. 30 April 2024. <>