Polish Franciscan missionaries commemorated 35 years after death in Peru

The 35th anniversary of the deaths of Polish Conventual Franciscan missionaries Michal Tomaszek and Zbigniew Strzalkowski is being observed. The two friars were abducted and executed on August 9, 1991, in Pariacoto, Peru, by the Maoist Shining Path guerrillas.

Arriving in Peru in 1988, the missionaries served remote Andean communities, providing aid during periods of poverty, drought, and cholera outbreaks. They were known for building infrastructure such as roads and irrigation canals, as well as running schools for catechists. Despite the rising terrorist violence in the region, the missionaries chose to remain with their flock, a decision described by their surviving colleague, Father Jaroslaw Wysoczanski, as a commitment to the principle that ‘a good shepherd does not abandon his flock when danger comes.’

Beatified as martyrs in 2015, Tomaszek and Strzalkowski are remembered for their dedication to the poor. Their legacy continues to be cited by religious leaders as an example of missionary faithfulness.