Today was different from all the others we have experienced thus far on our pilgrimage. It will be one of those days that we never forget; one of those days that is memorable in a disturbing sort of way.
Today we visited the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II, also known as Birkenau. All of us knew what we were heading into. No high school or college history curriculum would dare skip its horrors. Therefore, many of us probably knew general facts and figures, but none of us knew the reality. Today that changed. Although we will never know the reality of he concentrations camps as the prisoners themselves did, today history came to life as we followed their footsteps.
Today we visited the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II, also known as Birkenau. All of us knew what we were heading into. No high school or college history curriculum would dare skip its horrors. Therefore, many of us probably knew general facts and figures, but none of us knew the reality. Today that changed. Although we will never know the reality of he concentrations camps as the prisoners themselves did, today history came to life as we followed their footsteps.
We first visited Auschwitz I, which was the original concentration camp established in the Polish town of Osweicim. The Germans confiscated Polish army barracks in the city and converted them into prison cells and sites of many other atrocities. Our tour guide was a nice Polish lady, named Anna, who was Catholic herself. She was a well-informed guide, telling us many stories that helped bring history to life. As one of the sisters pointed out, talking about this part of history we usually just toss around numbers. But those who suffered and died in these camps were not numbers, but people, human beings created by God, redeemed by Christ, and called to share eternal life. Anna's stories helped us remember the human side of Auschwitz's history.
While touring Auschwitz I we learned about the selection process for choosing those who died and those forced to live like slaves. We learned about the living conditions, which survivors deemed "hell on earth". We came face-to-face with the personal items left behind: shoes, clothes, pots, luggage, and the most gripping of all, human hair.
You don't look forward to what you will see if you visit a concentration camp, but at Auschwitz I we looked forward to one thing alone: visiting the cell of St. Maximilian Kolbe. In the midst of so many depressing sights, visiting Block 11, Cell 18 was a moment of hope. We were only allowed a few seconds each, but all of us were able to pray at the door of the cell made holy by his heroic charity. Although the cell was closed off by an iron gate, there was still enough room to stick a hand in touch our rosaries to the walls, so that the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe may accompany us everytime we use them.
While touring Auschwitz I we learned about the selection process for choosing those who died and those forced to live like slaves. We learned about the living conditions, which survivors deemed "hell on earth". We came face-to-face with the personal items left behind: shoes, clothes, pots, luggage, and the most gripping of all, human hair.
You don't look forward to what you will see if you visit a concentration camp, but at Auschwitz I we looked forward to one thing alone: visiting the cell of St. Maximilian Kolbe. In the midst of so many depressing sights, visiting Block 11, Cell 18 was a moment of hope. We were only allowed a few seconds each, but all of us were able to pray at the door of the cell made holy by his heroic charity. Although the cell was closed off by an iron gate, there was still enough room to stick a hand in touch our rosaries to the walls, so that the intercession of St. Maximilian Kolbe may accompany us everytime we use them.
Upon leaving the Block in which St. Maximilian Kolbe was held we saw many pictures of prisoners on the walls leading to the exit. Each photo gave the prisoner's name, identification number, date of birth, nationality and occupation. Some of them we found were labelled "monk", "seminarian" or "clergyman". In preparing for this blog I came across one such photo, that Br. Mariano snapped a picture of as he passed through. The name on it read, "Jozef Kowalski" and his occupation, "clergyman". In doing a little research, I found out that is more than just "Jozef" but "Blessed Jozef Kowalski", a Salesian priest from Krakow. He was taken prisoner along with a other Salesians for organizing illegal youth programs. Most priests were sent to Dachau, but not Kowalski, he was sent to Auschwitz and forced to work as a political prisoner. In 1942 he was drowned in a cesspool by SS guards. Because of his fidelity to Christ even under presecution, he was declared "blessed" in 1999, by Pope John Paul II, along with 107 other Polish victims of Nazi terror.
After visiting Auschwitz I, we loaded the bus with our guide and drove 3 km north to Auschwitz II (Birkenau). Birkenau was part of the "Final Solution" to exterminate Jews. Between 1942 - 1944 roughly 100,000 people were held prisoner in Birkenau. This in reality was only 10% of the actual number of people who stepped foot into Auschwitz II. The other one million people never spent a night in the camp, but were immediately sent to the gas chambers where we were told they died of suffocation within 20 mintues of being locked within the chambers. By 1944, Birkenau used two large gas chamber, but in 1942 they began with two small ones in houses they had converted nearby. It was in one of these smaller chambers that St. Edith Sten was put to death. (Unfortunately, neither of these chambers are still standing. Anna told us that only a few bricks mark their foundations.)
As we walked through Birkenau I could not come to grips with how massive it really was. It was the largest of all the concentration camps, covering 175 acres of land. Roughly 20% of the actual prisoner barracks are still standing. What does remain, however, are all the chimneys these barracks used to be attached to. Trying to picture all these buildings and the people who would have occupied them filled my imagination the whole time we were there. It was my mind's attempt to come to grips with the reality of what really happened there. However, the more we heard from Anna about the living conditions, the more I came to realize that even my imagination was too innocent to reconstruct the horrific life of Birkenau.
Needless to say, today was different. You can see in the faces of the pictures the intensity of experiencing these concentration camps first hand. The entire group was somber throughout the entire trip. Somber, but hopeful at the same time. The muffled prayers that I could hear from some of our pilgrims were whispers of hope; hope that even amidst such suffering and destruction, God could still work good, that reparation could be made, that souls could still be saved, that evil would not have the last say.
...but don't worry, our entire day was not spent in sadness. Thanks to Fr. Mariano, we were treated to ice cream on our way back to our accomdations. It would not be just to the Easter Octave if we did not try to regain our spirit of joy. Ice cream certainly lifted our spirits, as did the soccer game we played when we got back to the Totus Tuus Retreat Center.
By the way, I have not said much about our accomdations here in Krakow, but I am certain that everyone will agree that the Totus Tuus Retreat Center has been a wonderful place to stay. Fr. Pawel and his staff have bentover backwards to make us feel at home. Every morning we wake up to a splendid breakfast and every night we return "home" to a delicious homecooked meal. The location itself, is also fantastic. We have been nestled on the side of a hill overlooking the nearby village; free from busy cities and worldy pursuits. Finally, the center is even blessed to have a first class relic of Pope John Paul II and probably the best statue I have ever seen sculpted of the soon-to-be-saint. We are a little sad that we have to leave tomorrow, but we are excited about heading to Rome.
Keep counting on our prayers as we continue our pilgrimage! But do remember to pray for us too.
Br. Christopher Etheridge,
IVE Seminarian
As we walked through Birkenau I could not come to grips with how massive it really was. It was the largest of all the concentration camps, covering 175 acres of land. Roughly 20% of the actual prisoner barracks are still standing. What does remain, however, are all the chimneys these barracks used to be attached to. Trying to picture all these buildings and the people who would have occupied them filled my imagination the whole time we were there. It was my mind's attempt to come to grips with the reality of what really happened there. However, the more we heard from Anna about the living conditions, the more I came to realize that even my imagination was too innocent to reconstruct the horrific life of Birkenau.
Needless to say, today was different. You can see in the faces of the pictures the intensity of experiencing these concentration camps first hand. The entire group was somber throughout the entire trip. Somber, but hopeful at the same time. The muffled prayers that I could hear from some of our pilgrims were whispers of hope; hope that even amidst such suffering and destruction, God could still work good, that reparation could be made, that souls could still be saved, that evil would not have the last say.
...but don't worry, our entire day was not spent in sadness. Thanks to Fr. Mariano, we were treated to ice cream on our way back to our accomdations. It would not be just to the Easter Octave if we did not try to regain our spirit of joy. Ice cream certainly lifted our spirits, as did the soccer game we played when we got back to the Totus Tuus Retreat Center.
By the way, I have not said much about our accomdations here in Krakow, but I am certain that everyone will agree that the Totus Tuus Retreat Center has been a wonderful place to stay. Fr. Pawel and his staff have bentover backwards to make us feel at home. Every morning we wake up to a splendid breakfast and every night we return "home" to a delicious homecooked meal. The location itself, is also fantastic. We have been nestled on the side of a hill overlooking the nearby village; free from busy cities and worldy pursuits. Finally, the center is even blessed to have a first class relic of Pope John Paul II and probably the best statue I have ever seen sculpted of the soon-to-be-saint. We are a little sad that we have to leave tomorrow, but we are excited about heading to Rome.
Keep counting on our prayers as we continue our pilgrimage! But do remember to pray for us too.
Br. Christopher Etheridge,
IVE Seminarian