Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Warsaw (Agenzia Fides) - A community in mourning gathered yesterday in the church of Saint Brother Albert in Szczytno, a city in northern Poland shocked by the death of Father Lech Lachowicz. The 72-year-old priest was attacked late in the evening of Sunday, November 3, by a man who, according to the police reconstruction, entered the presbytery armed with an axe to rob the priest.
According to local media, Father Lachowicz suffered very serious injuries during the attack, including a fractured skull and swelling of the brain. The police were alerted by a cleaning lady who, after scaring the attacker away, also called for help. The thief, a 27-year-old man, was arrested on several charges.
Father Lech Lachowicz died in hospital after almost seven days of agony on Saturday, November 9. A week after the priest's death, the coffin was taken to the church in Szczytno for a funeral service presided over by Bishop Janusz Ostrowski. A prayer vigil followed late into the night. The following day, the solemn funeral was presided over by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Warmia, Józef Górzyński.
Hundreds of people took part in the celebrations held throughout the weekend in memory of Father Lachowicz, who was born in 1952 in Lidzbark Warmiński. Over the years, he served in several parishes before settling in Szczytno in 1990. Here, in over thirty years of ministry, he managed to build not only a new church with an adjoining presbytery, but also a Catholic community firmly anchored in the faith. The testimonies given at the funeral, as well as the many messages of prayer and condolences that have reached us from different cities and dioceses, are proof of this. Father Lachowicz is now buried in the cemetery of the city of Szczytno. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 18/11/2024)
