Saints & Blesseds
Witnesses of Faith, Hope, and Charity
The Pallottine Family has been blessed with men and women whose lives reflect heroic virtue, unwavering faith, and complete dedication to Christ. Their witness continues to inspire the Church and all who seek to live the Gospel with courage, generosity, and love.
Our Pallottine Blesseds
The Society of the Catholic Apostolate has been enriched by the lives of members who faithfully embraced the Gospel, serving Christ and His Church even in times of great difficulty. Their witness reminds us that holiness is possible in every vocation and every stage of life.
Blessed Elizabeth Sanna
1788 – 1857
Collaborator of St. Vincent Pallotti, was born in Codrongianos, Sardinia, on April 23, 1788. As a three-month-old, she contracted smallpox, which paralyzed her arms. Although physically disabled, she married and raised five children; she helped other mothers, teaching their children the catechism and preparing them for the sacraments.
After her husband's death in 1825, she raised her children alone and ran the farm. Enamoured of God, she decided to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She only reached Rome, where she met Father Vincent Pallotti. She became a member and spiritual mother of the Union of the Catholic Apostolate.
Despite her disability, she performed works of mercy, especially among the sick. She died in Rome on February 17, 1857. She was beatified by Pope Francis on September 17, 2016, in Codrongianos, Sardinia.
Her Words
“I wish heaven were full, purgatory empty, and hell closed.”
Blessed Richard Henkes
1900 – 1945
A German Pallottine martyr, was born in 1900 in Ruppach-Goldhausen. He was ordained a priest in 1925. He worked in Katscher, Frankenstein, and Branitz (Upper Silesia) in the eastern part of the then German Reich.
After an anti-Nazi sermon on March 7, 1937, an investigation was initiated against him. Later he was arrested for another sermon and eventually imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp.
At the end of 1944 he volunteered to care for prisoners suffering from typhus, contracted the disease himself, and died on February 22, 1945. Pope Francis beatified him on September 15, 2019, in Limburg.
His Words
“Every day I want to hear what you want from me, God, what you call me, where you are sending me.”
Blessed Józef Stanek
1916 – 1944
A Polish Pallottine martyr, was born on December 4, 1916, in Łapsze Niżne in the Diocese of Kraków. He was ordained a priest on April 7, 1941, and began studies at the clandestine Faculty of Sociology of the University of Warsaw.
When the Warsaw Uprising began on August 1, 1944, he served as chaplain to the Sisters of the Family of Mary and later became chaplain of the Home Army Group "Kryska" under the pseudonym "Rudy."
Captured by German forces, he was executed by hanging on September 23, 1944. Pope John Paul II beatified him on June 13, 1999, in Warsaw.
His Words
“My life's goal is to climb to the top of the mountain, and that will require a lot of work and effort.”
Blessed Józef Jankowski
1910 – 1941
A Polish Pallottine martyr, was born on November 17, 1910, in Czyczków near Brusy in Pomerania. He was ordained a priest on August 2, 1936, and served as prefect of schools, chaplain to soldiers and civilians, and treasurer of the Pallottine seminary.
Arrested by the Gestapo in May 1941, he was imprisoned, tortured, and transferred to Auschwitz. Exhausted by forced labour, starvation, and brutal treatment, he died on October 16, 1941. His body was cremated in the camp. He was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II on June 13, 1999.
His Words
“It is not dignity, not power that gives happiness, but drawing closer to God – love.”
Candidates for Beatification
The Pallottine Family continues to pray for and promote the causes of members whose lives reflected heroic faith, missionary zeal, and faithful service to God and His people.
Servant of God, Fr. Stanisław Szulmiński
Servant of God, Fr. Franciszek Kilian
Servant of God, Fr. Jan Szambelańczyk
Dedicated his life to reconciliation between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Arrested by Soviet authorities, he remained voluntarily in a labour camp to minister to fellow prisoners until his death from exhaustion on November 27, 1941.
Professor of Sacred Scripture and former Secretary General of the Pallottines. Imprisoned in Auschwitz, he comforted prisoners, heard confessions, and secretly preached until he died by starvation on March 2, 1942.
A professor of philosophy and theology whose strong faith and hope sustained him in Auschwitz, where he died on July 2, 1941, after ministering faithfully even in the concentration camp.
Servant of God, Fr. Norbert Pellowski
Known as the “Good Samaritan” of Auschwitz for his constant care of the sick. Despite his own illness, he continued helping fellow prisoners until his death on March 15, 1942.
Servant of God, Fr. Franciszek Bryja
Arrested during the German occupation and eventually sent to Dachau, where he died in the gas chamber on May 4, 1942. Before his death, he entrusted his priestly life and hopes to God and the Queen of Apostles.
Servant of God, Br. Paweł Krawczewicz
Voluntarily went to Germany to help fellow Poles subjected to forced labour. Arrested and imprisoned in Buchenwald, he died from tuberculosis and exhaustion on March 11, 1945, after faithfully serving others in their suffering.
Called to Holiness
The lives of these Blesseds and Servants of God remind us that holiness is the vocation of every Christian. Through faith, charity, courage, and perseverance, they continue to inspire future generations to follow Christ and to live the Pallottine charism in everyday life.
“Revive Faith and Rekindle Charity.”
— St. Vincent Pallotti
