Franciszek Blachnicki

Franciszek Blachnicki (Polish: [frant͡ɕiʂɛk blaxɲit͡skʲi] ^ⓘ; 24 March 1921 – 27 February 1987) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Light-Life movement – also known as the Oasis Movement – and the Secular Institute of the Immaculate Mother of the Church. He founded several other movements and religious congregations that would address a range of social and ethical issues. These issues included anti-alcoholism and human rights. His movements first came about after starting out as simple retreats designed for both altar servers and families that later began to address a series of issues in Poland at the time. His concern for human rights came during the communist era in Poland as well as his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II in which he was incarcerated in Auschwitz and other concentration camps under the German Nazi regime.

Blachnicki's beatification process opened in Poland in the 1990s and he became titled as a Servant of God upon the cause's commencement. The decisive moment in the process came on 30 September 2015 after Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue and titled him as Venerable.