Lawrence Wnuk
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Anthony Wnuk, O.Ont
(August 6, 1908, Witrogoszcz
, German Empire
(now Poland
); August 6, 2006, Windsor, Ontario
, Canada
) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and Protonotary Apostolic
.
He grew up in a Catholic and patriotic Polish family. In 1928, after completing gymnasium in Nakło nad Notecią, Poland he entered Seminary in Gniezno
, where he studied under professors Rev. Kazimierz Rolewski, Rev. Aleksander Żychliński, Father Michał Kozal (beatified martyr from Dachau). He was ordained in 1933 by Cardinal August Hlond and began work as an assistant in parishes in Inowrocław and from 1938 in Gniezno.
When the Second World War
erupted in 1939, he was arrested by the Gestapo
and sent to Piotrków Trybunalski
. On August 15, 1943 he was arrested again and taken to Oświęcim (Auschwitz
) concentration camp. There he caught the Typhus
and fought for weeks with death.
In June 1944, the Soviet
offensive prompted the Germans to evacuate the camp to cover up their atrocities. Together with a couple of thousand of other Poles and Russians he was moved to Buchenwald
, then Dachau. After the evacuation of Dachau, with a group of 380 other surviving prisoners he found himself in Kleinmuhlingen
, where he was finally freed (a friend of his, stated in a eulogy that he was found barely clinging to life after being tossed for dead by the escaping Germans onto a pile of corpses) by the American Seventh Army on April 29, 1945.
After a period of convalescence he began his pastoral work in the camps for displaced persons in Westphalia
, Germany. In 1947 he was appointed chaplain in Allied prison in Werl
near Soest
. In 1949 Archbishop Józef Gawlina appointed him a chief coordinator for pastoral work in the British zone of occupied Germany
.
In 1951 the Church authorities requested that he move to the USA. He worked in the St. Władysław (St. Ladislaus) Parish in Hamtramck
in the Archdiocese of Detroit
. There he also led the Polish Veterans’ Association.
In 1957 he was transferred to build a church and to establish new Polish Parish (Our Lady of Victory) in Chatham
, in the Archdiocese of London, Ontario
, Canada. Four years later, in 1961, he took over the pastoral duties in the Holy Trinity Polish Parish in Windsor, Ontario. He worked there for 22 years until his retirement in 1983. Through his efforts in 1965, first Convent of Polish Ursuline Sisters, Congregatio Sororum Ursulinarum a Sacro Corde Iesu Agonizantis
, was established in Windsor.
He contributed to numerous initiatives and supported various foundations, stipends at universities, helped religious charities, and helped many persons privately.
In 1977, he founded the Polish Canadian Centre Association of Windsor. A year later, he helped found the Polonia Centre of Windsor, a non-profit charitable organization that conducts cultural activities in the Polish community.
In 1979, he was instrumental in creating the Polonia Park Housing Project that built 342 townhouses and apartments for low-income families in Windsor. In 1986, he once again influenced the construction of 69 apartments for low-income families at the Villa Polonia Housing Project in Windsor.
He was a Prelate
Monsignor
and in 1985 he received the title of Protonotary Apostolic
for Pope John Paul II
. In recognition of his achievements, Msgr. Wnuk received numerous citations and awards. These include:
... the list is incomplete
24 August 2006 was buried in sanctuary of Saint Urszula Ledóchowska
in Pniewy
, Poland.
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
(August 6, 1908, Witrogoszcz
Witrogoszcz
Witrogoszcz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Łobżenica, within Piła County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Łobżenica, north-east of Piła, and north of the regional capital Poznań....
, German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
(now Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
); August 6, 2006, Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and Protonotary Apostolic
Protonotary apostolic
In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside of Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pope has conferred this title and its special privileges.-History:In later antiquity there were in...
.
He grew up in a Catholic and patriotic Polish family. In 1928, after completing gymnasium in Nakło nad Notecią, Poland he entered Seminary in Gniezno
Gniezno
Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
, where he studied under professors Rev. Kazimierz Rolewski, Rev. Aleksander Żychliński, Father Michał Kozal (beatified martyr from Dachau). He was ordained in 1933 by Cardinal August Hlond and began work as an assistant in parishes in Inowrocław and from 1938 in Gniezno.
When the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
erupted in 1939, he was arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and sent to Piotrków Trybunalski
Piotrków Trybunalski
Piotrków Trybunalski is a city in central Poland with 80,738 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , and previously was the capital of Piotrków Voivodeship...
. On August 15, 1943 he was arrested again and taken to Oświęcim (Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
) concentration camp. There he caught the Typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
and fought for weeks with death.
In June 1944, the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
offensive prompted the Germans to evacuate the camp to cover up their atrocities. Together with a couple of thousand of other Poles and Russians he was moved to Buchenwald
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
, then Dachau. After the evacuation of Dachau, with a group of 380 other surviving prisoners he found himself in Kleinmuhlingen
Kleinmühlingen
thumb|right|100px|Coat of armsKleinmühlingen is a former municipality in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since January 2008, it is part of the municipality Bördeland.-See also:...
, where he was finally freed (a friend of his, stated in a eulogy that he was found barely clinging to life after being tossed for dead by the escaping Germans onto a pile of corpses) by the American Seventh Army on April 29, 1945.
After a period of convalescence he began his pastoral work in the camps for displaced persons in Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, Germany. In 1947 he was appointed chaplain in Allied prison in Werl
Werl
Werl is a town located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Werl is easily accessible because it is located between the Sauerland, Münsterland, and the Ruhr Area...
near Soest
Soest, Germany
Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...
. In 1949 Archbishop Józef Gawlina appointed him a chief coordinator for pastoral work in the British zone of occupied Germany
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
.
In 1951 the Church authorities requested that he move to the USA. He worked in the St. Władysław (St. Ladislaus) Parish in Hamtramck
Hamtramck, Michigan
Hamtramck is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 22,423. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion of the western border that touches the similarly surrounded city of Highland Park...
in the Archdiocese of Detroit
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne...
. There he also led the Polish Veterans’ Association.
In 1957 he was transferred to build a church and to establish new Polish Parish (Our Lady of Victory) in Chatham
Chatham-Kent, Ontario
Chatham–Kent is a unitary authority in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Mostly rural, its centres of population are Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Tilbury and Wallaceburg. Modern Chatham–Kent was created in 1998 by the merger of Kent County and its municipalities.- History :The former city of...
, in the Archdiocese of London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Canada. Four years later, in 1961, he took over the pastoral duties in the Holy Trinity Polish Parish in Windsor, Ontario. He worked there for 22 years until his retirement in 1983. Through his efforts in 1965, first Convent of Polish Ursuline Sisters, Congregatio Sororum Ursulinarum a Sacro Corde Iesu Agonizantis
Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (Grey Ursulines)
The Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, also known as the Grey Ursulines, is a Catholic order founded by Saint Ursula Julia Ledochowska in Poland. At present the Congregation consists of over 900 sisters in 12 countries...
, was established in Windsor.
He contributed to numerous initiatives and supported various foundations, stipends at universities, helped religious charities, and helped many persons privately.
In 1977, he founded the Polish Canadian Centre Association of Windsor. A year later, he helped found the Polonia Centre of Windsor, a non-profit charitable organization that conducts cultural activities in the Polish community.
In 1979, he was instrumental in creating the Polonia Park Housing Project that built 342 townhouses and apartments for low-income families in Windsor. In 1986, he once again influenced the construction of 69 apartments for low-income families at the Villa Polonia Housing Project in Windsor.
He was a Prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
and in 1985 he received the title of Protonotary Apostolic
Protonotary apostolic
In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside of Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pope has conferred this title and its special privileges.-History:In later antiquity there were in...
for Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. In recognition of his achievements, Msgr. Wnuk received numerous citations and awards. These include:
- 1992 the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada MedalThe 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada...
; - 1994 Order of Polonia RestitutaPolonia RestitutaThe Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
, from the Polish Government; - Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Polish Republic
- MEDA Charitable Trust — the Exemplary Citizenship Award for religion, from Assumption University of WindsorAssumption University of WindsorAssumption University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada has a heritage reaching back to 1857 and is the parent of the University of Windsor, administered by the Congregation of St. Basil, the Basilian Fathers. It was known as Assumption College until changing its name in 1956...
; - 1999 Medal from the University of Nicholas Copernicus, Poland for special care over stypends and financial support of the Dept. of Astronomy;
- 2001 the International Year of Volunteer Certificate of Appreciation;
- 2002 the Golden Jubilee MedalQueen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee MedalThe Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...
, from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
; - 2005 the Order of the Province of OntarioOrder of OntarioThe Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
(awarded in 2004) - Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of LuxembourgOrder of Merit of the Grand Duchy of LuxembourgThe Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a distinguished honorary order of Luxembourg. It was instituted on January 23, 1961 by Grand Duchess Charlotte. Grandmaster of the order is the Grand Duke of Luxembourg...
... the list is incomplete
24 August 2006 was buried in sanctuary of Saint Urszula Ledóchowska
Ursula Julia Ledochowska
Sister Ursula Ledóchowska , was an Austrian-born religious leader. She became a Roman Catholic nun and founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus. She is a prominent member of the Ledóchowski family.-Background:...
in Pniewy
Pniewy
Pniewy is a town in Szamotuły County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 7,477 inhabitants .Pniewy had once been flooded to make way for a reservoir.- People :...
, Poland.