Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko lived in Communist Poland and suffered terribly for his faith while in school and military service. He was ordained a priest in 1972 and served at small parishes until 1980 when he was assigned as chaplain to the Solidarity trade union in Poland, reminding the striking workers to follow the Gospel and abandon violence. As Solidarity grew, so did Fr. Popieluszko's popularity and message, and the government's frustration and death attempts on his life. Communist security officers brutally beat and killed him in 1984.
