Martyrs of Pratulin

The history of the martyrs of Pratulin is part of the historical context of the Union of Brest (1595-1596), by which a part of the Orthodox Church of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth decided to unite with the Church of Rome while retaining its Byzantine liturgy, its own discipline, and its married priests. These Christians were called "Greek Catholics" or "Uniates." After the successive partitions of Poland, the Russian Empire strove to systematically eradicate the Uniate Church to impose state Orthodoxy. In 1794, Tsarina Catherine II suppressed the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine; in 1839, Tsar Nicholas I did the same in Belarus and Lithuania. In the second half of the 19th century, the Eparchy of Chełm, located in the Congress Kingdom (Poland under Russian rule), was the last bastion of the Uniate Church under imperial domination. In 1873, Tsar Alexander II decided to liquidate this eparchy and forcibly integrate all its parishes into the Russian Orthodox Church. In January 1874, the Russian authorities dismissed the Greek Catholic parish priest of Pratulin and ordered the church to be closed and handed over to an Orthodox priest. Refusing to hand over the keys to their church, the parishioners gathered in large numbers to protect it. On January 24, 1874, a troop of Russian soldiers (Cossacks), commanded by Colonel Stein and accompanied by the district prefect Kutanin, arrived in Pratulin to seize the place of worship by force. Facing the armed soldiers, the faithful, unarmed, put on their festive clothes, considering it a sacred event. They knelt around the church, holding rosaries, prayer books, and a cross. Despite death threats and attempts at bribery by the military commander, the crowd refused to disperse. The commander then ordered them to open fire. Thirteen faithful were killed instantly or succumbed to their wounds in the following days. Here is the list of the thirteen martyrs of Pratulin: 1. Wincenty Lewoniuk (born in 1849 in Woroblin), 25 years old, married, the first to die. 2. Daniel Karmasz (born December 22, 1826, in Łęgi), 48 years old, married, president of the parish brotherhood, who carried the cross during the assault. 3. Łukasz Bojko (born October 29, 1852, in Zaczopki), 22 years old, single, who rang the church bells to alert the faithful. 4. Bartłomiej Osypiuk (born September 3, 1843, in Bohukały), 30 years old, married, mortally wounded, he expired at home while praying for the forgiveness of his executioners. 5. Onufry Wasyluk (born April 20, 1853, in Zaczopki), 20 years old, married, village administrator. 6. Filip Geryluk (born November 26, 1830, in Zaczopki), 43 years old, married. 7. Konstanty Bojko (born August 25, 1826, in Derło), 47 years old, married. 8. Anicet Hryciuk (born in 1855 in Zaczopki), 19 years old, single. 9. Ignacy Frańczuk (born in 1824 in Derło), 50 years old, married. 10. Jan Andrzejuk (born April 8, 1848, in Derło), 25 years old, married, parish cantor. 11. Konstanty Łukaszuk (born in 1829 in Zaczopki), 45 years old, married. 12. Maksym Hawryluk (born May 2, 1840, in Bohukały), 33 years old, married. 13. Michał Wawryszuk (born in 1853 in Derło), 21 years old, married.

After the massacre, the Russian soldiers hastily buried the bodies of the martyrs in a mass grave without any religious rites, forbidding the families from attending the burial, in the hope of making their sacrifice forgotten. However, the memory of the martyrs remained deeply alive within the local community. In 1918, after the recovery of Poland's independence, the remains of the martyrs were exhumed and solemnly transferred to the parish church of Pratulin. Popular devotion continued to grow, and their reputation for holiness was recognized by several popes, notably Pius IX, Leo XIII, and Pius XII. In 1938, Bishop Henryk Przeździecki, Bishop of Siedlce (then the Diocese of Podlachia), took the initiative to officially open the cause for the beatification and canonization of the thirteen martyrs of Pratulin, choosing them as representatives of all the faithful of the region who gave their lives for the unity of the Church. Interrupted by the Second World War and the communist period, the cause was later resumed. On June 25, 1996, the decree officially recognizing their martyrdom in hatred of the faith (in odium fidei) was promulgated in the presence of Pope John Paul II.

The thirteen martyrs of Pratulin were beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 6, 1996, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. During the ceremony, the Pope highlighted their heroic fidelity: "The martyrs of Pratulin defended not only the holy place before which they were massacred, but also the Church of Christ entrusted to the Apostle Peter, of which they felt themselves to be living stones." Their liturgical feast was set for January 23 by the apostolic letter of beatification Apprehensis servis. However, the Roman Martyrology also commemorates them on January 24, the anniversary of their martyrdom.

The spirituality of the martyrs of Pratulin is characterized by a simple faith, lived out in daily life, and by an unwavering attachment to the unity of the Church. Although deprived of their legitimate pastors, these laypeople assumed the responsibility of defending their faith and their community. Their attitude in the face of death was peaceful and profoundly Christian: they refused to use violence, choosing to kneel and sing hymns while praying for their persecutors. Today, the sanctuary of the Martyrs of Podlasie in Pratulin is an important place of pilgrimage in Poland. The martyrs are venerated as the patrons of the lay apostolate and of Christian unity. Their example continues to inspire the faithful to bear witness to the Gospel with courage and perseverance, even in the midst of trials.