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(OSV News) — An apple tree grown from a tree in Blessed Józef Ulma’s orchard was planted March 6 in the Vatican Gardens by Polish officials, accompanied by Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The ceremony was part of commemorating the 80th anniversary of the death of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma with their seven children.
The Ulma family gave “an example of evangelical love, lived to the end, until the gift of life,” Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said during the ceremony. “This is a model for all of us, including in the times in which we live,” he added.
Earlier on March 6, Pope Francis stressed during the general audience as he greeted the Polish pilgrims from the Podkarpacie region, where the Ulma family lived, that “on this occasion, a ceremony will be held in the Vatican Gardens to plant an apple tree, grafted by Blessed Józef Ulma. I bless everyone from the heart.”
Józef and Wiktoria Ulma secretly gave shelter to eight Jews for almost two years in German-occupied Poland, hiding them from the Nazi regime during the Second World War. The Ulmas had seven children, including the unborn child in Wiktoria’s womb.
The Nazis, informed by a local policeman that Jews were being hidden in the household, came early in the morning March 24, 1944, right before Easter.
First, they killed all eight Jewish fugitives. Then they shot Wiktoria and Józef and decided to shoot the children too. The whole family, including a child born during the execution, were beatified Sept. 10, 2023, in Markowa, Poland, where the Ulma family lived and died.
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
The Ulma family gave “an example of evangelical love, lived to the end, until the gift of life,” Cardinal Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, said during the ceremony. “This is a model for all of us, including in the times in which we live,” he added.
Earlier on March 6, Pope Francis stressed during the general audience as he greeted the Polish pilgrims from the Podkarpacie region, where the Ulma family lived, that “on this occasion, a ceremony will be held in the Vatican Gardens to plant an apple tree, grafted by Blessed Józef Ulma. I bless everyone from the heart.”
Józef and Wiktoria Ulma secretly gave shelter to eight Jews for almost two years in German-occupied Poland, hiding them from the Nazi regime during the Second World War. The Ulmas had seven children, including the unborn child in Wiktoria’s womb.
The Nazis, informed by a local policeman that Jews were being hidden in the household, came early in the morning March 24, 1944, right before Easter.
First, they killed all eight Jewish fugitives. Then they shot Wiktoria and Józef and decided to shoot the children too. The whole family, including a child born during the execution, were beatified Sept. 10, 2023, in Markowa, Poland, where the Ulma family lived and died.
Continued below.
New tree from Blessed Józef Ulma's orchard is planted at Vatican
An apple tree grown from a tree in Blessed Józef Ulma's orchard was planted March 6 in the Vatican Gardens by Polish officials, accompanied by Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The ceremony was part of commemorating the 80th anniversary of the death of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma with their seven children.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
