BIOGRAPHY

Maria Roszak was born in Kiełczewo, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, on 25 March 1908, to parents Jan Roszak and Maria Hofmann. She graduated from the State Trade and Industrial School of Women in Poznań.

At age 21, she joined the convent of Dominican cloisters in Kraków, Church of Mary of Snow in Kraków, where she met Sister Maria Magdalena Epstein, the daughter of a Jewish banker who had converted from Judaism to Catholicism. Inspired by her, Sister Cecylia later modeled her own life after hers. On 7 February 1931, she made her first religious vows, taking the name of Cecylia, and she took her final vows in 1934.

In 1938, Magdalena Epstein and Maria Roszak parted ways—Epstein remained in Kraków, while Sister Cecylia traveled with a group of nuns to Vilnius, Lithuania. There, they worked tirelessly on a five-hectare farm located 17 kilometers from the city, living in a modest wooden house with a small chapel. Their goal was to establish a true monastery, but with the outbreak of World War II, they soon realized their plans would not come to fruition. Despite the dangers, the sisters from Kraków risked their lives to shelter Jews and assist the local population. In January 1944, Cecylia took in two children whose parents had been murdered. Thanks to the Dominican sisters, the children survived. Sister Cecylia first shared this story in 2009 with Dominican friar Brian Pierce, who was visiting female congregations in Europe. To everyone’s surprise, at 102 years old, she spoke to him fluently in English. She was also proficient in French and German and had learned Latin during her school years.

During her nearly 90 years in the order, Sister Cecylia Roszak held various roles, including porter, organist, and cantor—teaching and leading choral singing. She also served multiple terms as prioress of the monastery. In 1944, Sister Cecylia was appointed prioress. After the war, she returned to Kraków, where the Dominicans had been staying at the Poor Clares’ monastery after being expelled from the Gródek monastery during the war. In 1946, Cecylia became the superior of her community, and a year later, they returned to the Gródek monastery.

In 2009, at the age of 101, she was honored by the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem with the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

At 101, she underwent hip and knee surgery, yet remained full of energy. Using a walker, she even managed to climb stairs. She continued to attend group prayers in the monastery chapel and visited sick sisters. In June 2017, she developed an infection and was hospitalized for a time.

Maria Roszak passed away in Kraków, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, on 16 November 2018, at the age of 110 years, 236 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* Roszak Cecylia Maria – Polscy Sprawiedliwi

* “Trzeba nauczyć się pięknie żyć” – Dziennik Polski, 6 October 2017

* “Urodziny s. Cecylii Marii Roszak – najstarszej zakonnicy na świecie” – Niedziela.pl, 25 March 2018

* “Sister Cecylia Roszak, Polish nun honoured as ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ for helping to save Jews during the Holocaust – obituary” – The Telegraph, 23 November 2018

GALLERY