FATHER WALTER J. CISZEK, 1904-1984
Catholic and Pro-Life
The War of the Soviet Secret Police Against God
I think God wants live saints.
Informative. Thanks.
BTTT!
I remember when that book came out. I never read the whole thing, but I think I read part of it published in a magazine. As this article suggests, it was one of the few that suggested what life in the Gulags was like, because even during the Cold War the MSM didn't like people to know about the depth of the evil that was Russian Communism.
Since this book was overtly religious, it didn't have as wide an exposure as Solzenitzen, but it was one of the few that took the lid off what Communism was really like.
I met Father Ciszek when I was at Fordham.
A quiet and humble man!
You didn't realize what he went through.
Since I had a lot of Soviet Politics courses, I quickly got to know his history.
Ciszek was turned in, in Russia, by a Soviet agent (George Canossa [sp?]), who had gone through the Jesuit theologate at Woodstock at the same time as Ciszek. The man was one of many sent by Stalin into the West to infiltrate seminaries. This guy was a married NKVD agent, who studied theology, got ordained, and got himself sent back to Russia, where he ratted on Ciszek and other Westerners who had been sent to Russia as missionaries.
I Knew Reverend Walter J. Ciszek Personally as a boy. He was a gentle saint back then and always had a loving smile on his face. He was a simple man who put others first and always made sure those in need of help got his help to the best and sincerest of his ability.
When I was only 9 years old I had gotten enchephilitis and it went to my brain causing me to go into my first comma for 8 weeks where one of my lungs also collapsed. after a short & temporary recovery I fell into a second comma for 6 more weeks where I was given my last rights 3 times. As a result I had gotten a disease called Epelipsy having Grand Mal seizures every 9 weeks. and the medications caused much emotional problems with my life as well. However. Fr. Ciscek would always say to my mother Nick is in my “clinic” as he pointed to his head and he would pray for me often as well as visit us whenever time allowed him. He became my mothers spiritual director becuse now my mother needed even more strenth because she had a young child from at birth was profoundly brain damaged and now a young boy with epelepsy and 4 other children to care for. my mother prayed always as father cisezek taught her and moreso after his death. father cisezek taught my mother stenth through prayers and sincere devotion to the two hearts I believe and to this day watches over all our family from heaven.
The summer of 1987 My Grand Mal seizures stopped and I have not had one to date . I still pray and ask Fr ciszek to protect my family daily. THROUGH THE UNITY OF JESUS AND MARY Reverend Fr. Walter J. Ciszek will allways be a dear and special part of my life as Don Bosco was to his Children.