The Sidney herald., 1956-07-26


Newistown Daily Newsl
During a ceremony this morn.
ing in the Fergus county court
house, four foreign nationals be-
came citizens of the United States.
Among them are two Catholic
priests, natives of Poland, who
were among the few to survive
Nazi terror in Hitler's most deadly
concentration camp.
The Rev. John Haligowski. 48.
and the Rev. Joseph Gluszek, As,
are now serving Catholics in Cen
trail Montana. Father John is st.
JoSeph's hospital chaplain and pas-
tor of the Hilger parish. Father
Joseph is pastor of Moore's Catho-
lie congregation.
Others who became u. S. citi-
zens this morning are Mrs. Anna
Black, Lewistown, a native of
Canada, and Mrs. Agnes Margaret
Rooney, Grass Range, a native of
Germany.
They took their oath of anegi-
ance before Judge F. v. Watts of
Roundup.
The two priests entered this
country in 1850, five years after
General Patton's troops had lib
Grated them from the Dachau
camp, probably the German Ges-
tapo's most infamous concentra-
ton camp.
LOO Priests Died
They e r among 1890 Catholic
priests of Poland, prosecuted by
the Nazis. Only 600 survived.
Father John was arrested by
Hitler's police in 1941. He had
been a chaplain in the Polish
Army when Germans invaded his
country. After the inva-
sion, he joined Polish patriots of
the underground movement.
The Gestapo eventually arrest
ed him. During my first inter
rogation / tainted six times" the
priest related, "but they didn't
get a word out of me-" German
police wanted him to reveal the
names of other underground mem
oers.
After that first ordeal, Father
John was taken to several con-
.,entration camps. In some of them
had to carry and chisel rocks
even days a week.
Tomorrow You'll Be Dead"
In 1943, Father John entered
he notorious Dachau camp in Ba-
aria. When guards discovered he
vas a link in an inter-camp news
ervice" he again suffered through
series of horrible interrogations.
Again the priest refused to re-
'eal names of his companions.
Father, tomorrow you'll be dead"
guard told him after the Ges- :
apo's futile attempts. :
He was taken to Munich for /.
ddItional questioning, but they ,
ldn't kill him. Father John e
MEMBERS so well how surprised {
is friends were when he came {
ack to Dachau. I
From that time on, the Nazis {
lade the priest work in a plant I
7lthin the camp that manufac- t
lred airplane parts, a relatively I
ortunate job in the camp, the t
riest explained. r
Father John said he probably n
ill never know why he was h
pared. Before American troops S
berated the concentration camp,
typhoid epidemic broke out, l
Hing thousands of prisoners who
ad escaped the gas chambers.
ather John was also struck with
lie fever, but his case was not =
70 serious.
hey Didn't Give A Reason"
Moore's pastor, Father Joseph,
arrested by Nazi police in
of 1889. "They didn't
any specific reason for the
the priest said, "they =
lily followed Hitler's policy of F.
to wipe out the Cath
ic church" The priests super
r, a pastor heading the Polish =
irish where Father Joseph was n
orking, was jailed with him. He
d not survive the concentration
mp. =
Father Joseph spent a total of r.
months in German concentra-
IN camps, most of the time in
achau. =
After u. S. Troops liberated him, ~
first edited a Polish newspaper,
lie Catholic World. Later he be-
me chaplain for Polish displaced -,
rsons in Germany. f'
Father John worked as Catholic
for Polish guard units :
ter the war in Germany. X
Both arrived in the United
ates in 1850 and both were as
med to Montana. Father John
mt to Great Falls after his ar
'al, then to Sidney and eventu- =
y to Lewistown. Fc
Father Joseph also came to J
eat Falls, then went to Red :
dge, Billings, and now is in w
,ore. The National Catholic We'll {
Conference sponsored the two ;
.ests' immigration to the United I
ltes. -
Fc
In times like these, il is best :
live Drlrr AAa Ia.r - - 4s~.1 - q