THE GOOD SAMARITANS OF MARKOWA: THE SACRIFICIAL LOVE OF THE ULMA FAMILY

TEMPORARY EXHIBIT AND FIRST-CLASS RELIC VENERATION AVAILABLE JANUARY 12 – APRIL 12, 2024

We are blessed to offer our pilgrims the opportunity to learn about an venerate the first-class relics of the recently beatified Ulma family, a peasant Polish family that lived during the Nazi occupation of Poland. During the fierce Jewish persecution, Józef, Wiktoria, and their six children open their small home to two Jewish families, at great risk for themselves and their family. On March 24, 1944, German officers stormed into their home and killed the entire family, along with the Jews they were sheltering.

A black and white photograph of Wiktoria Ulma and her children

The Ulma Family exemplifies the total gift of self that Pope John Paul II emphasized as a defining characteristic of the vocation of the family. (Familiaris consortio, Nos. 44, 64) Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma lived their ordinary lives in an extraordinary way, risking everything to affirm and protect the dignity of their persecuted Jewish neighbors. The Ulma Family’s story witnesses to the truth that when “founded on love and open to the gift of life, the family contains in itself the very future of society; its most special task is to contribute effectively to a future of peace.” (Saint John Paul II, January 1, 1994)

In 1995, Wiktoria and Józef Ulma were recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by the State of Israel. In 2003, the Catholic Church started their beatification process. On September 10, 2023, they were the first family to be declared “Blessed” as a family, including the unborn baby that Wiktoria was carrying in her womb when she was killed.

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT

The exhibit features panels from the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, which tell the history of the Ulma family through documents and photos of their daily life, together with the words and teachings of Pope John Paul II on the family.

Highlights of the exhibit include:

Introductory panels on the story of the Ulma family and on the impact of the Second World War on Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II.
Photos of the Ulma family’s daily life, taken by Józef Ulma, who was an amateur photographer.
Photos of the Ulma’s Bible, where the parable of the Good Samaritan has been underlined by Józef and Wiktoria, indicating their commitment to serve others in imitation of Christ.
An enlarged photo of two Jewish women taken by Józef, with drops of blood from the day of the massacre.
Information on the Jewish community in Markowa, including those families who survived the war with the help of their Polish neighbors.
Rare photos of Karol Wojtyla as a young man and later as Pope.
Photos and information on the recognition given to the Ulma family by the State of Israel and on their beatification process.

ABOUT THE RELICS

First-class relics of the Ulma Family—the only ones in the United States—are available for veneration at the end of the exhibit. The reliquary includes remains of each of the nine members of the Ulma family, including the unborn child that Wiktoria was carrying when she was killed. The reliquary is a replica of the one designed for the beatification Mass and depicts each member of the family connected by the branches of the Tree of Life, together with a representation of the Ulma family home and their home parish in Markowa, Poland.