The Marian Martyrs of Rosica

144 The Marian Martyrs of Rosica One of the soldiers ran into the church. The fires were very close. “Sister, let us pray for the dying. Oh, dying Heart of Jesus, take pity on the dying and those who will die today.” The road to the military post was short. One could see peo- ple darting toward safety in Latvia. Father was put into jail and then transported to a prison in Dvinsk. Who was that Latvian? Who knows? I don’t know his name or birthplace. I only know he was an exceptional man. Aweek had passed since the end of the punitive action. The SS troops had already withdrawn from the silent wilderness. The Handmaids of Jesus in the Eucharist decided to go to Rosica to learn what had happened. There was terrible uncer- tainty concerning the fate of the Fathers, so they obtained per- mission and traveled to the places of execution. There was no Rosica left. Even the embers were no longer smoldering. The church was in disarray. They looked for bodies. They found a huge stack of ashes in the village. They could see remnants of clothing. It was here, the place of inhuman execution, that the inno- cent had been murdered. One of the Sisters moved the charred remains and ashes with a shovel. The bodies were only partial- ly burned, but unrecognizable. Then, she dug out a whole, unscathed hand from under the burned corpses. The pale fin- gers held a rosary. Out of nowhere, as if from under the earth, some Latvians appeared. They cursed at her angrily and threateningly. “Do you want the same to happen to you as happened to them. Go away from here. Drop the hand.” “Sir, that is a priest’s hand. We shall take it with us,” the Sister replied. “Go away!” They shouted. One of the Latvians pulled the shovel away, pushed the Sister with his full strength, and she fell into the ashes of the human bodies. He threw the hand with the rosary back into the ashes.