Another lay martyr of WWII wasBL. NIKOLAUS GROSS, who was born near Essen, Germany. He first worked in crafts requiring skilled labor before becoming a coal miner like his father while joining a range of trade union and political movements. But he finally settled on becoming a journalist.
His
work with the unions took him throughout Germany and he eventually settled in
the Ruhr Valley. There, he married his wife, Elizabeth, and the couple had
seven children. He was a devoted father who tried to raise his children to be
good Catholics and faithful citizens.
Bl. Nikolaus became aware of the political movements within Germany, including the rise of Adolf Hitler. As the Nazis came to power, he served as the editor of a German workers’ newspaper and was able to give voice to his Catholic faith as he tried to address the complicated political realities of his day.
In
1940 he endured interrogations and house searches since he was being monitored
at the time. On 12 August 1944 he was arrested sometime towards noon in
connection with the failed plot to
kill Hitler at the Wolf's
Lair in East Prussia. He was first taken to Ravensbrück and
then to Berlin at
the Tegel prison
(from September 1944) where his wife visited him twice and reported the torture
done to a hand and both his arms.
His letters from prison testify to his spirit of prayer and dedication to his family.
He
was executed on January 23, 1945. The priest who was with him at the time of
his death testified, “Gross bowed his head silently during the blessing. His
face already seemed illuminated by the glory into which he was getting ready to
enter.” His remains were cremated and his ashes were scattered at a sewage
plant. He died soon after the Servant
of God Eugen Bolz who was imprisoned in the same prison.
“If we do not risk our life today, how then do we want to justify ourselves one day before God and our people.” Blessed Nikolaus Gross