Methodius Dominic Trčka, martyr (1886–1959)

Biography

Czech Redemptorist, Methodius Dominic Trčka asked to serve Eastern Rite Catholics and learned their language, liturgy and customs. He cared for refugees during the First World War and later strengthened Greek Catholic communities in Slovakia. Under the communist regime he was arrested and condemned for his ecclesiastical fidelity. In prison he endured interrogations, forced labor and humiliation; He was punished in a freezing cell for singing a Christmas carol and died of pneumonia. The prayer sustained his respect for a different tradition and his perseverance in the face of persecution.