This little church in the small Polish town of Markowa has become an important pilgrimage site due to its connection to the Ulma family, who were killed by the Nazis in 1944 for hiding a group of Jews in their house.
FR. ROMANO
Pastor, St. Dorothy Roman Catholic Church
We are in the parish church in Markowa where the Ulma family's life of faith practically began.
In this church, all the members of the family were baptized, that is, Wiktoria and all the children. Józef, Wiktoria’s husband, was baptized in the previous church because in Markowa, there were two other wooden churches before this one.
Prior to their beatification, the family was interred in the local cemetery. But now, the relics of the family have been moved to a special place in St. Dorothy Church.
FR. ROMANO
Pastor, St. Dorothy Roman Catholic Church
There's a big reliquary that holds all the relics of every member of the Ulma family.
They are the bones that were taken from the grave located at the cemetery during exhumation.
Since the beatification process was opened in 2003, devotion to the Ulma family has grown both in the local Catholic community of Markowa and around Poland.
FR. ROMANO
Pastor, St. Dorothy Roman Catholic Church
We are thinking, as a parish, to choose the 24th of each month as the day we will celebrate a permanent novena, a prayer for the family. Why the 24th of each month? Because they were killed on March 24, 1944.
Requests are already arriving from other parts of Poland to celebrate Holy Mass for the intercession of this blessed family.
Following the beatification ceremony, this small town parish church has welcomed thousands of pilgrims, asking for the intercession of this blessed family.
KG
