The Marian Martyrs of Rosica

CHAPTER FOUR BIOGRAPHY OF BLESSED ANTHONY LESZCZEWICZ (1890-1943) The Leszczewicz family lived in the Vilnius region in the parish of Wojstom, northwest of Wilejki. They were one of the few Polish Catholic families among a Belarussian population. Therefore, they usually spoke Belarussian. Anthony was born on September 30, 1890 in Abramowsz- czyzna. He went to the three-grade school in Wojstom. He boarded next to the school together with his brother Vincent, and their father would bring them food from the family farm. Probably in 1906, Anthony was transferred to the St. Catherine High School next to the church of the same name in St. Pe- tersburg, where he lived with his paternal uncle, George. Vincent joined him there later. In 1909, Anthony applied to the theological seminary of the Mogilev archdiocese in St. Petersburg. He was accepted into the preparatory course because he didn’t have his high-school graduation certificate. During the next four years of study, he went through the seminary curriculum of philosophy and the- ology. Both in the seminary and in high school, he was a dili- gent student, devoting all his time to his studies. At that time, among the professors at the seminary were priests George Matulewicz, Francis Buczys, Fabian Abranto- wicz, Sigmund Lozinski, Edward O’Rourke, and Francis Kare- wicz—future high dignitaries of the Church. The first two were already Marians and the third and last ones joined the Congre- gation later. Graduate Leszczewicz received his tonsure and minor orders on October 14, 1912. He received his subdiaconate and diaconate in early 1914 and was ordained a priest on Easter Tuesday, April 14, 1914.