Did you read about the historic event that took place in a village called Markowa in Poland on 10 September 2023? For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church an entire family of nine was beatified on that day – the husband, the wife and their seven children. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, presided over the beatification Mass.
Józef Ulma, the head of the family, was born in 1900 in Markowa. As a teenager, he was active in the Catholic Youth Association. In 1935 Józef married Wiktoria Niemczak who was also from Markowa. She was a talented amateur actress. During their nine years of marriage, the couple had six children. Józef loved to take pictures of his wife and children and the photographs show the deep emotional bonds among the members of the family.
The Ulmas were deeply religious and were active members of their parish. Their family Bible had two verses underlined. The first one was “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” (Matthew 6:32). Then you see the title of chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke underlined in red:“The Good Samaritan.” And next to it is a note with a single word: “Yes.”
M.A. Joe Antony, SJ
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