Priest Jan Gielarowski was born on June 13, 1888 in Nienadówka near Sokołów Małopolski as son of Paweł and Katarzyna nee Krzanowska. He was ordained in 1913 by bishop Józef Sebastian Pelczar. His first post was a parish in Boguchwała, and then he worked in Nienaszów, Gogołów, Odrzykoń, Blizne, Przysietnica, and Bonów near Jaworów and in the parish Milatyn near Gródek Jagielloński. On Nov. 1, 1934 he became the parish-priest in Michałówka near Radymno. He aroused the life of the parish through organization of the Catholic Action; unfortunately its development was interrupted at the time of outbreak of war.
In September 1939 Michałówka was in the Soviet occupation zone of and priest Gielarowski undertook the difficult task of rescuing his parishioners from deportations to Siberia. The new, German occupiers arrived in June 1941. That time priest Gielarowski decided to d for a more risky undertaking – rescuing Jews. He issued them false baptismal certificates and hid them at the local presbytery. At least one of the Jews hidden by him survived the war. On Dec. 17, 1942 priest Gielarowski was arrested by the Gestapo on the charge of providing help to Jewish population. Initially he was placed in the prison in Jarosław and on Jan. 29, 1943 he was transferred to the prison in Tarnów. On Feb. 16 he was transported to the Auschwitz concentration camp (KL) where he was murdered in March 1943. In the official death certificate of priest Jan Gielarowski it was entered Mar. 21, 1943 as the day of his death. The specified cause of the death: “Versagen Kreislaufes und des Herzens” (heart and circulation failure) is not credible because the Germans removing traces of the crime gave false information in the medical documentation.
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- Father Jan Gielarowski on the photo taken in 1913. From collections of the Higher Theological Seminary in Przemyśl.
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- Father Jan Gielarowski’s death certificate, issued 31 III 1943 in KL Auschwitz. From collections of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.
