Fr Augustyn Dziędziel was born on 20 April 1935 in Gorzów, in the diocese of Krakow, near Oświęcim. His parents were Rudolf and Zofia, née Matyj. He had five siblings, two of whom died in infancy.
As a child he lived through the Second World War, recalling, among other things, an aerial bombing by German planes on the day of the outbreak of the war, and also his family's escape from near Trzebinia and their return to Gorzów. He was not new to seeing hungry prisoners of Auschwitz working in the camps of Babice and Broszkowice, to whom adults and even children, like Augustyn a few years old, tried to come to the aid with food. His mother Zofia gave Augustyn a bundle of bread and instructed him on how and where to hide it from the Kapos and the SS who guarded the prisoners.
At the age of 7, Augustyn began school, with a German programme for Polish pupils: he learned only "writing, reading and counting to 500". After the lessons, the pupils and their teachers were forced to work for the bauer that had taken over the Sapieha estate in Bobrek. In this school, the teachers undertook secret teaching, integrating the knowledge of the children into the subjects forbidden by the Germans.
However, for little Augustyn, in the darkness of the occupation shone a light that would affect his life path. In 1942, he attended the first Mass of Father Józef Piotrowski, originally from Gorzów, celebrated in the Holy Trinity Church in Bobrek. Looking at the priest, the little boy felt God's call to become a priest too and this thought never left him.
After the end of the war, he began his studies at the Salesian Private Secondary School, the St John Bosco Institute in Oświęcim, in September 1948. A year later, Augustyn and the entire family experienced the dramatic moment of their father's unexpected death, at just 49 years old. The care of the family was taken over by his mother and older brother, Stanisław. Augustyn, on the other hand, worked every summer vacation to earn money for tuition. He obtained his high school certificate in 1952 and in August of that year he entered the novitiate of the Salesian Congregation in Kopiec, near Częstochowa, which he completed by taking temporary vows on 15 August 1953. Three years later, in 1956, in his request for perpetual vows, he wrote: "During the three years of vows I was confirmed in the conviction that my vocation truly comes from God".
Augustyn Dziędziel completed his religious formation and seminary studies in preparation for priestly ordination at the Major Seminary of the Salesian Society in Kraków and at the Diocesan Seminary in Lublin, where he was ordained priest on 19 April 1959 by Bishop Piotr Kałwa. It is interesting to note that before his priestly ordination, Augustyn had to ask for dispensation from age, that is, from not having reached the 24 years required by canon law, since he would have completed them the following day.
After ordination, Fr Augustyn returned to Krakow, where for ten years, until 1969, he held the role of provincial secretary of the Salesian Province of St Hyacinth, based in Krakow. During these years he was also editor of the Salesian Bulletin "Nostra" and helped in the pastoral work at the Salesian parish of St Stanislaus Kostka. At that time, he said: "I had the joy of helping the parish pastorally". From 1964 to 1969, while performing the tasks assigned to him, he simultaneously studied civil law by correspondence at the Jagiellonian University. Recalling those years, he said that: "the opportunity to start high school opened up for me. I chose to study law because I went through a hard life school, which made me sensitive to injustice and the misfortunes of others, and I want to defend my own and others' happiness with my studies." During this period he also played the role of notary in the final phase of the beatification process of Sister Faustina Kowalska, presided over by the then Cardinal Karol Wojtyła.
Subsequently, Fr. Augustyn Dziędziel held the position of Provincial Economer for one year (1969-1970). In 1970 he was appointed Superior of the Salesian Province of Krakow, a position he held until 1976. As Provincial he belonged to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Congregations in Poland. The Conference elected him to the Consulta, that is, to its supreme body. For this reason, as a representative of religious orders, he was appointed to work in two Commissions of the Polish Bishops' Conference: the Commission for Religious Affairs and the Commission for General Pastoral Care.
As Superior of the Province, he showed much kindness and help to the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and took care of the development of the Salesian Cooperators and Past Pupils. On the recommendation of Fr Luigi Ricceri, he initiated the development of the Institute of Volunteers of Don Bosco (VDB) on Polish soil. Thanks to the commitment and formation work of Fr Augustyn, a group of candidates and then Volunteers was formed which led to the creation of groups in various parts of Poland, including Piła, Skawa, Łódź, Kielce and Wrocław. Later, as Delegate of the Rector Major, Fr Egidio Viganò he brought the idea of the VDB Institute to the countries of the former USSR, first to Lithuania and then to Latvia, Georgia and Russia.
During the years of the communist regime in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, he helped the Salesians in various ways, including those who lived in hiding. He organised the ordination of the confreres of Slovakia in Poland, clandestinely. He also helped them establish contact with the Rector Major.
After his term as Provincial, he worked in the pastoral care of the Salesian parish of Skawa from 1976 to 1978. After two years of pastoral work, another stage of the Salesian ministry in his life follows.
In 1978 he was appointed by the Rector Major Fr Edigio Viganò as Delegate for Salesian Poland, a role he held for 18 years. It should be remembered that Fr Augustyn participated in 5 General Chapters. He could not participate in the 1966 one because the Polish authorities denied him his passport. Holding this position gave him the opportunity to meet many Salesian, ecclesiastical and lay personalities
He particularly appreciated the meetings with the Holy Father John Paul II on various occasions and the visits to the Holy Father. It was a time to convey to the Pope news about the Church, in particular about the secret life and activities of the Salesians in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and about the countries he visited, which at the time were part of the Soviet Union: Belarus, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine, and in the following years also Russia. The purpose of these visits was, among other things, to meet the Salesians who had survived in these territories since before the war. With great discretion, he carried out vocational animation and organised the initial Salesian formation of novices and young confreres.
Fr Augustyn Dziędziel's commitment was not limited to Eastern Europe. In 1980 he was entrusted with the task of starting and developing Salesian missions in Zambia with the help of the confreres of the Polish Provinces. This work led to the creation of communities in Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Four years later, responding to another request from the Rector Major, he began to organise Salesian missions in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Another task was to prepare the division of the two Polish Provinces into four. In carrying out this project, he worked so that the Salesian works and confreres were well identified in the various Provinces.
In addition, according to data collected by Salesian historians who consulted the archives of the Institute of National Memory, during the communist period he suffered many ambushes and received numerous offers of collaboration with the security authorities. He always gave an energetic negative answer. His person, so important to the communist authorities because of his activities in Poland and other countries, remained crystalline until the end!
The next stage of Fr Augustyn Dziędziel's Salesian work of was in the Eastern District, based in Moscow. After completing 18 years (1978 - 1996) as Delegate of the Rector Major, Fr Augustyn, at his request, was assigned to work in the Eastern District. Fr Augustyn arrived in Moscow on 2 August 1996. He went there to work in the Eastern District and to help in the Parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In recent years he was involved in the development of Salesian work and the Salesian Family (VDB, FMA, ASC) and has actively participated in the rebirth of faith in the Russian people.
Among other things, he contributed to the recovery of the building of the ancient Catholic church, built by the Poles before the Second World War in Moscow, and to the complete restoration of the church, restoring its sacred functions and, after the complete enrichment of the temple, to the establishment of the first Catholic cathedral in Moscow, still in operation. He carried out his duties there as vice-provincial and carried out his pastoral ministry at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Moscow. He celebrated Mass in several languages: English, Russian, Italian and Latin.
On 17 December 2013 in Krakow, under the guidance of the Superior of the Province and on his proposal, the Prize Council unanimously decided to honour Fr Augustyn Dziędziel with the "MIR of the Province of Krakow 2013" for his special merits for his activity in the reorganisation and animation of the Polish Provinces and for the organisation of educational and pastoral works in the former Soviet Union and in the Salesian missions.
Such an active life and work had repercussions on his health. At the age of 85, he was relieved of his responsibilities and settled in Moscow, at the Salesian Orphanage of Divine Providence, which houses many children and is located at the St John Bosco Youth Centre. There, under the attentive care of Fr Dariusz Gojko, Rector, and committed lay people, he served with prayer and sacramental ministry.
In May 2023, due to the aggravation of his health conditions and not being able to count on adequate medical assistance in Moscow, Fr Augustyn decided to return to his homeland. Since 1 June 2023 he was staying at the Salesian Seminary in Krakow. There, in the seminary community, he continued to witness to Salesian life through prayer, kindness and a smile. Although his strength did not allow it, he continued to ask for a task to be assigned to him.
Exhausted by his constant work - after all, he was celebrating his 65th priesthood anniversary and 89th birthday in 2024 - his health was deteriorating more and more. For someone who had been active throughout his life, the last few months were a “via crucis”, which he bore with great peace of heart, prayer and a smile. It should be noted that in this journey he was accompanied by his clerical confreres who, with truly Samaritan service and kindness, constantly took care of him. Thanks therefore went to all the seminarians, to Salesian Brother Sebastian and to the priests who celebrated Mass at the bedside of the sick Fr Augustyn. His family are also applauded for their frequent presence, which pleased him so much. Surely everyone fulfilled the words of Jesus with brotherly and family love: "I was sick and you visited me". (Mt 25:36).
After the funeral Mass the faithful went to the Rakowicki Cemetery in Krakow, where the mortal remains of Fr Augustyn were laid in the tomb of the Salesians.
And before that, many beautiful words of farewell were pronounced by different ecclesiastical, lay and Salesian personalities. It was above all a homily full of beautiful testimonies, where some witnesses did not hesitate to call Fr Augustyn a saint. Thanks to the online broadcast, many other friends of Fr Augustyn were able to participate in the funeral, including those from the countries where he worked tirelessly as a Son of Don Bosco, a man of faith and heroic prayer.
