Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth

The Martyrs of Nowogrodek were eleven Roman Catholic nuns in Poland who offered to sacrifice their lives in place of Polish civilians who were scheduled to be executed by the Nazis.

Nowogrodek was in eastern Poland at the time (now it is in Belarus). When the Nazis and Soviets both invaded Poland in September 1939, Nowogrodek was in the agreed Soviet portion of Poland.

But when the Nazis began the invasion of Russia in June 1941, the Germans occupied the town.

In 1942 the Nazis exterminated the 10,000 Jews in the town, then turned on the Polish Catholics. Thousands of Poles were arrested. Relatively few Poles were executed, but two priests were among them.

The nuns, members of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, contacted the Gestapo and offered their own lives in exchange for the release of 120 Poles who had been slated for execution.

The Nazis actually took the nuns up on their offer. Most of the 120 condemned Poles were spared and sent to labor camps; a few were released.

Then on 31 July 1943, the sisters were packed into a van, driven to the forest outside of town, and gunned down. They were buried in a mass grave. 

On 28 June 1999, Pope John Paul II confirmed that the eleven sisters were martyrs, and beatified them.

After the war, the grave of the sisters was located and today their remains are in the local Church of the Transfiguration.

The word “courage” gets tossed about rather carelessly these days. This is a reminder of what real courage is.