Prison photograph of Father Władysław Bukowinski (Public domain)
Blessed priest Władysław Bukowiński, called the apostle ok Kazakhstan, was born on Poland’s Eastern Borderlands. Arrested in 1940 by the Soviets, he miraculously avoided the prison massacre. Arrested again in 1945, he was convicted to 8 years in a labour camp. During the sentence he carried the priestly service, keeping it secret from the camp authorities. After serving the sentence he didn’t return to Poland. He stayed in Kazakhstan, where he continued his work as a priest among the local people. He married, baptized, and heard confessions of people in a small house, to which the faithful traveled even 400 kilometers. For his activity, he was arrested again in 1958.
