Photo: Martin Funiak

On Saturday 30th September, Salesian priest Titus Zeman was beatified in a ceremony in Bratislava, the city where he was born in 1915. He is the first Slovakian Salesian to be beatified.

In the early 1950s, when religious orders were banned by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia, and many religious were being sent to concentration camps, Blessed Titus organised the escape of young Salesians to Turin, where they could continue their formation. Aware that he risked the death penalty for his actions, he said, "Even if I lose my life I do not consider it a waste, knowing that at least one of those whom I have saved has become a priest to take my place".

Following his arrest in 1952, he was tried for treason and sentenced to 25 years in the harshest of prisons. On his release after 13 years, his health was broken but his spirit was not. He died five years later, on 8th January 1969.

Cardinal Angelo Amato, SDB, representative of the Pope and Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, gave the homily, and the chief concelebrants at Saturday's Mass included Mgr Stanislav Zvolensky, the Archbishop of Bratislava; Fr Ángel Fernandez Artime, the Salesian Rector Major; Cardinal Jozef Tomko and Apostolic Nuncio, Msgr Giacomo Ottonello.

The weekend's celebrations were attended by 25,000 of the faithful, 25 archbishops and bishops, about 500 priests and 200 seminarians. Two of Blessed Titus' sisters and several other relatives were present.

His memorial will be celebrated on 8th January.

Read more about the beatification