By Bp. Enrico dal Covolo and Fr. Giorgio Mocci*
Francis Kesy was born in Berlin on November 13, 1920. His family moved to Poznan on account of his father’s job. Francis was a seminary aspirant with the Salesians at Lad. During the German occupation he couldn’t continue his studies, and he went to work in an industrial establishment. He spent his free time at the youth center, where he formed a close, idealistic friendship with the other four youths, and animated youth groups and activities. People remember that he was sensible but at the same time cheerful, calm, understanding, and ever ready to help others. He received Communion almost every day; in the evening he prayed the Rosary. “At Wronki, since I was alone in my cell,” he wrote to his family, “I had time to examine myself. I promised to live differently, as Don Bosco recommended to us, to live to please our Lord and his Mother, Mary most holy. I pray to the good God that all these tribulations and unpleasantries might touch me and not you.”
On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, touching off World War II. The German Army occupied the Salesian house of Poznan on Wroniecka Street and turned it into a storehouse. The youngsters continued to meet in gardens outside the city and the nearby woods. Many secret groups were created.
In September 1940 Francis Kesy and four companions from the youth center were arrested, accused of belonging to an illegal organization. They were brought to the frightful Fortress VII near Poznan, where they were tortured and interrogated. Subsequently they were transferred to several other prisons, sometimes together, sometimes not. Brought back to Poznan, they were accused of high treason, tried, and condemned to death. They were martyred at Dresden on August 24, 1942.
While in prison they lived their Salesian spirituality with a spirit of faith. They prayed continually: the Rosary, novenas to Don Bosco and Mary Help of Christians, morning and evening prayers. They tried to keep in touch with their families thru messages, which they often succeeded in sending out secretly. They maintained their courage, asking for and promising prayers. When they could, they celebrated liturgical feasts joyfully in their cells. Their faith never wavered. They were incredible witnesses until the end.