Piotr Semenenko, CR (June 29, 1814 – November 18, 1886) was a Polish Catholic priest who cofounded the Resurrectionists and served as

superior general A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of an 'order' of religious persons (nuns, priests, friars, etc) or, in other words, of a 'religious institute' in the Catholic Church, and in some other Christian denominations. The super ...

. As a philosopher and theologian, he was regarded as one of the most scholarly Polish Catholics in the second half of the 19th century. He was the author of many philosophical and theological works, as well as on the interior life. He left a massive correspondence, as well as a personal diary.

Biography

Peter Semenenko was born into a Ruthenian familyBilenky, Serhiy. ''Romantic Nationalism in Eastern Europe: Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian Political Imaginations'', Stanford University Press, 2012, p. 153
on June 29, 1814, in Dzięciołowo in north-east Poland. In 1830, he started his studies at the University of Wilno in the Department of Philosophy, but soon interrupted them because he decided to join the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

against Russian invaders. He emigrated to France in 1832. While in Paris, he met Bogdan Jański in 1833, who soon became his spiritual director and master. Under his influence, Semenenko returned to the Catholic faith and became the first member of the "Jański House" in 1836, which was the beginning of the

Congregation of the Resurrection The Resurrectionists, officially named the Congregation of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ (; abbreviated CR), is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men. It was founded in 1836 by three men: Bogdan Ja� ...

. After the early death of Jański in 1840 in Rome, Semenenko was elected the first superior and spiritual leader of the new community. When he finished his theological studies at the

Collegium Romanum Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyola, and included all ...

(1837–41), he was ordained to the priesthood on December 5, 1841.

Congregation of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ

As a co-founder of the order, he wrote the rule of 1842 and was the principal editor of the (1850 - 1880) rule. He became superior general of the Congregation from 1842-1845 and 1873-1886.

Polish Pontifical College in Rome

In 1865, he founded and was the first rector of the Polish Pontifical College in Rome. Between 1865-1938, many alumni of the college accepted and adopted Resurrectionist spirituality. Many also went on to become outstanding priests, bishops, archbishops, and cardinals, some of whom have been beatified or canonized. E.g. Józef Dąbrowski, St.

Józef Sebastian Pelczar Józef Sebastian Pelczar (17 January 1842 – 28 March 1924) was a Polish Roman Catholic bishop and was also the co-founder of the Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus which he had established in 1894 with Ludwika Szczęsna. He ...

, St. Józef Bilczewski.

Collaboration with the Holy See

Peter Semenenko collaborated actively with the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

. He was an expert on Polish and Eastern matters and, because of his knowledge, he was held in high esteem by popes

Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

, Pio IX and

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the A ...

. He worked as a consultant for the Sacred Congregations: #of the Index (since 1857) #and the

Holy Office The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace o ...

(since 1873) ow: Doctrine of Faith His work was highly praised, and his statements were taken as definitive on a regular basis. He was a member of the following prestigious Papal Academies: #Accademia della Religione Cattolica (since 1859), #and Accademia degli Arcadi (since 1874). He was an outstanding erudite and freely able to discuss even the most subtle problems.

Spiritual director

He was a highly respected priest, confessor and spiritual director of many lay and religious persons, i.a.: blessed Celina Borzęcka and Jadwiga Borzęcka, Blessed Franciszka Siedliska, Blessed Marcelina Darowska. He was a co-founder or helped to found several women’s religious congregations, e.g.: Sisters of the Immaculate Conception,

Sisters of the Resurrection The Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection was founded in Rome, Italy, in 1891 by a widow, Celine Borzecka, and her daughter, Hedwig Borzecka. This was the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church that a religious institu ...

Felician Sisters The Felician Sisters, in full Congregation of Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Assisi (abbreviated CSSF), is a religious institute of pontifical right whose members profess public vows of and live in comm ...

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth The Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (Latin: ''Congregatio Sororum Sacrae Familiae de Nazareth'') are a Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute founded in Rome in 1875 by Mother Franciszka Siedliska. They use the po ...

, Consolers of the Sacred Heart (Belgium), Sisters of Adoration Réparatrice (France). He preached in various churches in Poland, France, Belgium, Bulgaria and Rome. Much of his attention went towards youth. He desired to inspire their devotion to science and holiness. He laid the foundation for the Resurrectionist system of education.

Death

Peter Semenenko, CR died on November 18, 1886, in Paris, France, in the

Odour of sanctity The odour of sanctity, according to the Catholic Church, is commonly understood to mean a specific scent (often compared to flowers) that emanates from the bodies of saints, especially from the wounds of stigmata. These saints are called myroblytes ...

. His remains rest in the Resurrectionist church in Rome (via San Sebastianello 11). His Beatification process was started shortly after World War II. Pope

, upon hearing of Semenenko's death, stated: "Father Semenenko was so esteemed in the whole city of Rome for his virtues. He was the soul of your Congregation and sacrificed his life for its welfare."

Writings

*P. Semenenko, Quid Papa et quid est Episcopatus ex aeterna ac divina ratione necnon quae eorum partes in Ecclesiae infallibili magisterio, Roma – Paris 1870. * P. Semenenko, ''Comme la lumière qui éclaire le monde: Sermons sur la foi et la résurrection'' introduction and translation in French, Rome, 201

--, ''A Light Shining in the World: Sermons on Faith and Man's Resurrection'' (Lulu.com: Warsaw, 2012)

References

Sources

*W. Kwiatkowski, La vita di padre Pietro Semenenko, Roma 1952 *J. Iwicki, Resurrectionist Charism. A History of the Congregation of the Resurrection, vol. I, 1836-1886, with James Wahl, Rome 1989 {{DEFAULTSORT:Semenenko, Peter 1814 births 1886 deaths Founders of Catholic religious communities Resurrectionist Congregation 19th-century Polish Roman Catholic priests Collège Stanislas de Paris alumni Polish Servants of God