Bienheureuse Célestine Faron
Religieuse polonaise martyre à Auschwitz (+ 1944)
Jeune religieuse polonaise, elle était entrée à 16 ans
chez les Petites Servantes de l'Immaculée Conception. Elle avait offert sa vie
pour le retour d'un prêtre qui s'était éloigné de la foi. Dieu l'entendit.
Arrêtée en février 1942 par la Gestapo allemande, elle fut déportée à Auschwitz
où elle mourut le jour de Pâques 1944, des suites des tortures qu'elle avait
courageusement supportées.
Au camp de concentration d’Auschwitz (Oswiecin), près
de Cracovie en Pologne, l’an 1944, la bienheureuse Célestine Faron, vierge, de
la Congrégation des Servantes de l’Immaculée Conception et martyre, qui, sous
le régime nazi d’occupation, fut mise en prison à cause de la foi et succomba
aux sévices.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/6479/Bienheureuse-Celestine-Faron.html
Bienheureuse Célestine Faron
(Publié: janvier 20, 2013)
Cette année, chaque mois, nous publierons les articles
sur les saints ou des bienheureux, qui d’une manière spéciale étaient liés à
l’idée de la prière pour les prêtres.
Célestine (Catherine) Faron a été née le 24 IV 1913.
Elle était éduquée dans tres religieuse polonaise famille. Elle perdait sa mère
à l’âge de 5 ans.
Elle était une étudiante honnête et studieux. Jeune religieuse polonaise, elle
était entrée à 16 ans chez les Petites Servantes de l’Immaculée Conception.
Elle participait à un certain nombre de cours et de formation. Elle était une
catéchiste. En plus: elle aidait les personnes âgées qui habitaient près du
monastère. Elle avait soin des enfants dans la maternelle.
Un jour elle renseignait qu’il avait le prêtre avec le
même nom – ce prêtre abandonnait la prêtrise. Elle avait offert sa vie pour le
retour d’un prêtre qui s’était éloigné de la foi. Elle priait pour son
conversion. Dieu l’entendit. Arrêtée en février 1942 par la Gestapo allemande,
elle fut déportée à Auschwitz. Elle était aimée – elle aidait tous prisonniers,
qui avaient besoin. Dans le camp de concentration, les gens avaient les
conditions terribles: beaucoup d’insectes, de rats; une capable de prendre soin
de l’hygiène était négligeable. Les prisonniers en Auschwitz souffraient, parce
que ils étaient malade (c’ était possible d’observer les maladies: le froid, la
fièvre typhoïde, la gale). Elle mourut le jour de Pâques 1944, des suites de
souffrance, qu’elle avait courageusement supportées.
Le prêtre, Wladyslaw Faron, retournait à l’église – il
était le prêtre encore. Son ministère devenait fidèle, sérieux, digne, pieux,
dévoué et zélé.
Célestine (Catherine) Faron devenait bienheureuse le
13.06.1999 (elle était parmi les 108 martyrs polonais, qu’ils étaient béatifiés
à cette jour à Varsovie).
Les sources: http://www.gron.com/
http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/6479/Bienheureuse-Celestine-Faron.html
SOURCE : https://frddak.wordpress.com/les-articles/
KATARZYNA CELESTYNA FARON
Religieuse, Martyre, Bienheureuse
1913-1944
Katarzyna Celestyna Faron naquit le 24 avril 1913 dans
la ville polonaise de Zabrzez.
Plus tard, elle entra chez les Petites Servantes de
l’Immaculée Conception et, après ses vœux perpétuels et après avoir acquis une
maturité spirituelle indéniable, elle devînt supérieure de la communauté de
Brzozow.
Après l’avènement du régime nazi et, comprenant les
conséquences que cette utopie pourrait engendrer, elle offrit sa vie pour un
prêtre qui en était devenu adepte. La Gestapo ayant eu connaissance de
l’aversion de sœur Katarzyna envers le nazisme, l’arrêta et l’envoya aux
travaux forcés à Auschwitz.
Dans ce camp de concentration de triste
mémoi-re ― situé tout près de la frontière polonaise ― sœur
Katarzyna affronta héroïquement les souffrances les plus horribles, venant à
mourir des suites de celles-ci le jour de Pâques, 9 avril 1944, alors qu’elle
allait bientôt (le 24 avril) fêter ses trente-et-un ans.
Elle fait partie de la “cohorte” des 108 martyrs des
camps de concentration nazis, durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, que le 13 juin
1999, à Varsovie, sur la place Pilsudski, le Pape Jean-Paul II l’éleva aux
honneurs des autels, “ad perpetuam rei memoriam”.
« Les martyrs du nazisme sont morts pour la
plupart dans les camps de concentration. Des prêtres diocésains et religieux
furent arrêtés parce qu’ils refusaient de renoncer à leurs activités
pastorales, défendaient les Juifs ou les communistes, des prêtres furent
fusillés par raillerie le Vendredi Saint. »
Mais, ce n’est pas tout. Un chroniquer explique
que, « le nombre élevé de prêtres est lié au fait que le nazisme
s’acharnait tout particulièrement contre les hommes d’Église qui par leur
témoignage dénonçaient un système basé sur la violence et la haine ».
Ce même jour, fut aussi celui de la glorification du
fondateur de la Congrégation à laquelle appartenait sœur Katarzyna, le
laïc Edmund
Bojanowski.
Le martyrologe romain fait mémoire, le 9 avril, de la
bienheureuse polonaise, martyre, victime du nazisme, Célestine
Faron (1913-1944).
Célestine (Catherine) Faron est née le 24 IV 1913.
Cette jeune polonaise perdit
sa mère à l’âge de 5 ans.
Elle fut une étudiante honnête et studieuse. Elle entra dès l'âge de
16 ans chez les Petites Servantes de l'Immaculée Conception. Elle participa à
un certain nombre de cours et fut catéchiste. Elle exerça par la suite la
charge de maîtresse à la crèche où avait soin des enfants. En plus, elle
aidait les personnes âgées qui habitaient près du monastère. Elle devint plus
tard supérieure de la maison religieuse de Brzozow.
Elle s'était donné ce
programme de vie consacrée: "Par le moyen de la profession
(religieuse), devenir un holocauste pour Jésus sur le chemin de l'amour et du
sacrifice, et suivre l'Agneau immaculé".
Elle avait aussi le souci des
vocations sacerdotales.
Elle apprit qu'il y avait un prêtre qui portait
le même nom qu'elle. Ce prêtre allait abandonner la prêtrise. Elle décida
d'offrir sa vie pour le retour à la foi de ce prêtre. Elle se mit à
prier pour sa conversion.
Dieu l’entendit. Après
l'invasion de la Pologne par les troupes du IIIe Reich, elle fut arrêtée le 19
février 1942 par la Gestapo et finalement déportée à Auschwitz. Elle y fut
très aimée – elle aidait tous prisonniers qui en avaient besoin. Dans le camp
de concentration, les gens vivaient dans des conditions terribles : beaucoup
d’insectes, de rats ; les conditions d'hygiène étaient déplorables.
A Auschwitz, les
prisonniers souffraient, parce qu' ils étaient malades (le froid, la
fièvre typhoïde, la gale).
Célestin Faron mourut le jour de Pâques 1944, des suites des tortures qu’elle avait
courageusement supportées.
Le prêtre, Wladyslaw Faron,
retourna à l’église – il resta prêtre. Son ministère devint fidèle,
sérieux, digne, pieux, dévoué et zélé.
Célestine (Catherine) Faron fut béatifiée, en tant que
martyre, le 13 juin 1999, à Varsovie, par le pape Jean-Paul II, avec 107
autres martyrs polonais du XXe s.
Katarzyna Celestyna Faron (nr obozowy KL Auschwitz
27989)
Also known as
- Celestyna Faron
- Catherine Faron
- Celestine Faron
- prisoner #27989
Profile
Orphaned at age five, Katarzyna was raised by childless relatives.
Entered the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate
in 1930, taking the name Celestyna and making pertual
vows on 15
September 1938. Catechist and kindergarten teacher. During World War II she ran an orphanage, led a religious house, and continued to work as a catechist. Arrested by the Gestapo on 19
February 1942 at Brzozów, Poland, charged with conspiracy against the Nazi regime. Imprisoned in Jaslo, Poland, then Tarnów, Poland, and finally shipped to Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp
where she was put to work digging ditches. Developed tuberculosis and typhoid, and her health finally collapsed completely. Martyr.
Born
Blessed
Katarzyna Faron
Katarzyna Faron’s
early life was filled with sadness and loss as she was orphaned at the age of
just five years old. She was brought up by an aunt who was unable to have
children. As a teenage girl she developed a vocation to the religious life. It
was in 1930 that she entered the Congregation of the Sister Servants of Mary
Immaculate and made her final profession eight years later. Her name in
religion was Celstyna. She was encouraged to train as a teacher and developed a
particular heart for the younger children. Because of her own difficult and
traumatic experiences in early life, Katarzyna cared greatly for those who had
lost her parents. During the occupation of Poland she was the local superior of
a religious house and oversaw the running of an orphanage.
As with Blessed
Bronislaw Koskowski, the Gestapo arrived one day and searched the orphanage.
Katarzyna was arrested and charged with conspiracy. After imprisonment in two
camps she was transported to Auschwitz where she was given hard manual work to
complete which included ditch digging. Weakened by this back breaking labour,
she developed tuberculosis and typhoid. She died on Easter Sunday in 1944.
Katarzyna provides a wonderful model for those who have experienced a traumatic
childhood. Despite a difficult start in life she achieved a great deal and
cared for the most vulnerable. Her invincible faith brought her through her
early life and sustained her throughout her final suffering.
The blessed sister Celestine (Katherine) Faron
Sister
Katherine (Celestine) Faron was born 24 VI 1913 in Zabrzez in Poland. When she
was 5 years old, her mother died. Katherine was brought up by relatives, who
didn’t have their own baby. These relatives were very religious people and they
shared all religious and moral rules with Katherine. Little Katherine was
especially impressed by Mary and saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. In 1920 she
began her education in primary school; she took Holy Communion for the first
time in the first year of her education in this school. She was always faithful
to her vocation, so when her father and her aunt gave her permission, Katherine
submitted a request to join the congregation of the Little Servant Sisters of
the Immaculate Conception in Stara Wies. In April 1929 she got permission to
join the congregation. She took final vows in 1938. Katherine participated in
many courses in Lviv, Poznan and Przemysl – with such qualifications she could
work as a teacher, tutor and catechist.
She was said to be a devoted, united with God person, who had prayed with a
great faith. Katherine worked in kindergartens for kids from poor families, so
she cared especially about children and called them “treasures”. She wanted to
know what is going on in fatherland and in Church. She was interested in a
service for the conversion of human souls. In Lviv she got an information that
there was a priest with the same name as her; this priest decided to abandoned
a priesthood. Katherine resolved to devote her life in the intention of his
conversion. In January 1938 she worked in the kindergarten in Brzozow. What is
more: she looked after old people, who lived in the vicinity.
Katherine lived in Brzozow in September 1939, when the Second World War
began. In this period, she managed a monastic house for nuns from Brzozow, she
worked in kindergarten (in this time there was an additional task of fatten
children). Somebody informed against her. On 19th February 1942 sister
Celestine got a directive to come to the headquarters of gestapo in Brzozow.
When a nun from their monastic house advised her to escape and to hide
somewhere, Katherine said that it wouldn’t be a good solution, because it could
result in many troubles for congregation. She preferred to suffer on her own.
She went to the headquarters of gestapo and never came back. From the moment of
being arrested, she began her Stations of the Cross (God accepted her request
to become “a burnt offer for Jesus Christ and to devote her life in the
intention of a conversion of the priest”). Till August 1942 she have been in
prison in Jaslo, then in prison in Tarnow. On 6th January 1943 she was
transported to concentration camp in Auschwitz – Birkenau. Her number in
concentration camp was 27989; she got stripped uniform and wooden shoes. She
was to live in barrack number 7. Katherine dug trenches – it was extremely hard
work for her, because she had to stand in deep pool and throw away heavy sand.
Soon, she became ill – a cold, a spotted fever, a scabies. She was moved to the
barrack number 24 (she rested there until she died).
Because of bad conditions in concentration camp, Celestine’s illness
developed and eventually it turned out that she had a tuberculosis and
hemorrhages. From time to time she got some packages from nuns from
congregation – she shared received things with other prisoners. The hygienic
conditions in concentration camp were a hard experience – there were: fleas,
bedbugs and a plague of rats. Ill prisoners were in the worst situation, so
Katherine (because of her health problems) had to suffer a lot. Her companions
tried to do as much as possible to help her – many times they tried to hide
Celestine, because they were afraid that she would be destined to crematory.
Katherine’s companions wanted her to survive.
All testimonies of her companions and other prisoners, letters from
concentration camp (censored by occupation forces) gave a possibility to get to
know many things about Celestine. She praised God in suffering and she advised
other people to do the same. In her last letter she pointed out that it was
important to glorify God, irrespective of the circumstances. She didn’t feel
any grief, she didn’t look for enemies or people, who were “responsible” for
her suffering. She repeated: “this is God’s will and His will!“ She went
through many difficulties and suffering because of her persistent prayer – she
prayed for conversion of sinners, for fatherland, for congregation and
especially: for priests (they were treated badly and destined to crematories).
Katherine was sad that there wouldn’t be anybody to celebrate Holy Masses. In
addition: she prayed for Hitler – main author of this cruel plan. Development
of illness could be a sign that an end of her life was approaching. Sister
Celestine believed that she wouldn’t die without taking Holy Communion (she
celebrated nine successive First Fridays). Eventually, she took Holy Communion
as a viaticum on 8th December 1943. Holy Communion was secretly brought to
concentration camp by a priest, who came to camp with other prisoners from
Lviv. After taking Holy Communion, Katherine started to maintain that she
wouldn’t survive until the release of prisoners.
Sister Celestine died on Easter (on 9 April
1944 at 2:20 am). She was sincerely missed by her companions. Her dead body was
wrapped in a fabric – Katherine’s companions took it to special car going to
crematory. Sister Lidia wrote: “Her body became a handful of dust, but we
believe that she is participating in eternal delight with Jesus Christ”.
God answered Celestine’s prayers: father Wladyslaw Faron (with two other men,
who abandoned priesthood) came back to Church and fervently continued his
service; for many years he worked in Diocese of Szczecin.
Sister Celestine (Katherine) Faron was beatified by pope John Paul II on 13th
June 1999 (she was in a group of 108 polish martyrs).
Beata Caterina Celestina (Katarzyna Celestyna) Faron Vergine e martire
Zabrzez, Polonia, 24 aprile
1913 – Auschwitz, Polonia, 9 aprile 1944
Caterina Celestina Faron, nata nel 1913, fa parte della schiera dei
martiri polacchi del nazismo. La suora aveva offerto la sua vita per la
conversione di un sacerdote. Arrestata dalla Gestapo fu condannata ai lavori
forzati nel campo di Auschwitz. Affrontò eroicamente le sofferenze, morendo il
giorno di Pasqua del 1944. La giovane religiosa è stata beatificata da Giovanni
Paolo II in Polonia il 13 giugno del 1999 insieme ad altri 107 martiri e a
Edmund Bojanowski (1814-1871), fondatore della sua Congregazione di
appartenenza, le Ancelle dell'Immacolata Concezione. (Avvenire)
Martirologio Romano: Nel campo di sterminio di Auschwitz vicino a
Cracovia in Polonia, beata Celestina Faron, vergine della Congregazione delle
Piccole Serve dell’Immacolata Concezione e martire, che, durante l’occupazione
militare della Polonia in tempo di guerra, fu gettata in carcere per la sua
fede in Cristo e, dopo essere stata sottoposta a torture, ottenne la corona
gloriosa.
Katarzyna
Celestyna Faron nacque il 24 aprile 1913 nella città polacca di Zabrzez. Entrò
fra le Suore Ancelle dell’Immacolata Concezione e divenne superiora della
comunità di Brzozow. Con l’avvento del regime nazista, la religiosa aveva
offerto la sua vita per la conversione di un sacerdote. Arrestata dalla
Gestapo, fu condannata ai lavori forzati nel lager di Auschwitz. Affrontò
eroicamente le sofferenze, morendo in seguito alle numerose torture subite il
giorno di Pasqua 9 aprile 1944, ancora in giovane età.
Papa Giovanni Paolo II l’13 giugno 1999 elevò agli onori degli altari ben 108
vittime della medesima persecuzione nazista, tra le quali la Beata Katarzyna
Celestyna Faron, che viene dunque ora commemorata dal Martyrologium Romanum in
data odierna. In quell’occasione fu beatificato anche il fondatore della
congregazione di appartenenza di Suor Celestina, il laico Edmund Bojanowski.
Autore: Fabio
Arduino