Biography

Servant of God Walter Ciszek was born on November 4, 1904, in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, to parents who were Polish immigrants and devout Catholics. Ciszek attended Jesuit-run schools throughout his childhood and decided to enter the Society of Jesus in 1928. He went on to earn a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1937 in the Byzantine Rite, taking on the name of Vladimir. In Rome he was trained to become a missionary in the Soviet Union but started his missionary work in Poland right before the outbreak of WWII.
In 1940, Ciszek entered the Soviet Union along with other Jesuit missionaries disguised as an unskilled logger. Working among the people there, he began his missionary work in Soviet Russia by discreetly preforming his priestly duties and engaging in ministry.
 
In 1941, he was captured by the Soviet Army and accused of being a spy. Father Ciszek was then tortured into a false confession and imprisoned for the next 23 years. He was sent to a series of labor camps and prisons, where he endured harsh living conditions and brutal treatment from his captors. Despite the awful circumstances, Father Ciszek maintained his faith and worked to bring hope and comfort to his fellow prisoners. He would celebrate Mass for them in secret and provided spiritual guidance to those in need.
 
In 1963, as part of a prisoner exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union, Father Ciszek was finally released from captivity. He returned to the United States and wrote a memoir about his experiences, entitled With God in Russia, which became a bestseller and inspired Catholics around the globe. Father Ciszek's experiences also highlighted the importance of religious freedom and the need to protect it in all parts of the world.
 
Following his return to the USA, Fr. Ciszek worked at the John XXIII Center at Fordham University. He gave lectures and provided spiritual counseling to those who visited him.
 
After years of declining health, he passed away at the age of 80 in 1984. His legacy has continued to inspire Catholics around the world. In 1990, the cause for his beatification and canonization was opened and he was declared a Servant of God. Many Catholics view Ciszek as a model of holiness and courage, and his life serves as a testament to the power of faith and the resilience of the human spirit.

Prayer

We adore You, Most Holy Trinity, and we thank You for the exemplary life of Your Servant, Father Walter Ciszek. We pray that his strong faith in Your loving providence, his great love for You, and his kindness to all people be recognized by the Church. If it be Your will, may he be given to us as a saintly model of these virtues so that we too may be better motivated to dedicate our lives to Your greater honor and glory. We commend our petition through the prayers of the holy Mother of God. For to You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is due all glory, honor, and worship, now and forever.
Amen.