RELIC OF ST. BASIL MARTYSZ RECEIVED
November 6, 2008
St. Michael’s Orthodox Church
Old Forge, PA
On Thursday afternoon, November 6, 2008, the V. Rev. Michael Oleksa arrived at St. Michael’s Orthodox Church to deliver a precious relic fragment of the Holy New-Martyr of Poland, St. Basil Martysz. The holy relic was received by Fr. John Soucek in a solemn ceremony. The newly composed troparion and kontakion for St. Basil were sung.
Fr. Michael received the relic during a recent trip to Warsaw, Poland as a gesture of gratitude for his delivering a relic of St. Herman of Alaska.
St. Michael’s expresses sincere gratitude to Fr. Michael for his prayerful thoughtfulness and gesture of love to our parish community by this precious gift.
St. Basil Martysz was rector of St. Michael’s from December 1907 to February 1910 after first serving in Alaska and Osceola Mills, PA. After serving St. Michael’s in Old Forge, he went on to serve in Waterbury, CT, West Troy, NY and then Canada before finally returning to his native land.
In 1919, he established the Orthodox chaplaincy in the Polish army where he served with great zeal and love for many years. After his retirement he settled in Teratyn, Poland, in his home region. Soon after, Nazi Germany invaded Poland.
Fr. Basil spent several years under the constant threat to his and his family’s lives as caused by the war. Days before the surrender of the Nazis, bandits broke into Fr. Basil’s home and mercilessly tortured him for several hours. With Christ-like endurance, he braved the torture and was then martyred by a gunshot.
Fr. Basil spent several years under the constant threat to his and his family’s lives as caused by the war. Days before the surrender of the Nazis, bandits broke into Fr. Basil’s home and mercilessly tortured him for several hours. With Christ-like endurance, he braved the torture and was then martyred by a gunshot.
Though he was warned by an acquaintance that very day of the impending danger to his life, he responded with great faith remarking,
"I have done no harm to anyone and I will not run away from anyone. Christ did not run away."
His daughter, Helena, was also tortured, but when she was about to be executed by the lawless bandits, she prayed fervently before an icon of Christ for heavenly protection. The bandits were compelled by an unknown force (to them) to leave, and her life was spared by the protection of our Lord.
St. Michael’s Orthodox Church is supremely privileged not only to have had St. Basil as our rector, but to now have his relics here at the place he once called home. A place where, as an earthly shepherd, he inspired the love of Christ in his spiritual flock, and now a place where he can once again inspire that same love as a heavenly shepherd through the veneration of his holy relics and by the prayers of those of us unworthy servants who honor his memory and beg his holy intercession to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ for our very own salvation.
O Holy Martyr Basil, Pray Unto God For Us!
Fr. John Soucek, November 6, 2008
