Piotr Semenenko
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Piotr Semenenko (June 29, 1814 – November 18, 1886) was a leading Polish theologian of the Roman Catholic Church in the 19th century. He was a catholic priest, co-founder and superior general of the Resurrectionists, where he was the creator of the main spiritual ideas of the Congregation (Resurrectionist School of Spirituality). As a philosopher and theologian, he was regarded as one of the most scholarly Polish members of the Roman Catholic Church 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 Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
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 the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...
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 ( la, Congregatio a Resurrectione Domini Nostri Jesu Christi), abbreviated CR is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right ...
. 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 (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
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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, St. Józef Bilczewski.


Collaboration with the Holy See

Fr. Peter Semenenko collaborated actively with the Holy See. He was an expert on Polish and Eastern matters and, because of his knowledge, he was held in high esteem by popes Gregory XVI,
Pio IX Pio IX is the easternmost city in the Brazilian state of Piauí. The city is named after Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
and Leo XIII. He worked as a consultant for the Sacred Congregations: #of the Index (since 1857) #and the Holy Office (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 __NOTOC__ Celina may refer to: Celina (given name) Celina () is a feminine given name derived from the Roman name Cecilia, referring to a woman from the Caecilia gens. Alternately, it is considered a form of the name ''Marceline'', a French languag ...
and
Jadwiga Borzęcka Jadwiga (; diminutives: ''Jadzia'' , ''Iga'') is a Polish feminine given name. It originated from the old German feminine given name ''Hedwig'' (variants of which include ''Hedwiga''), which is compounded from ''hadu'', "battle", and ''wig'', "figh ...
, 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, Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, 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

Fr. Peter Semenenko, CR died on November 18, 1886 in Paris, France in the Odour of sanctity. His remains rest in the Resurrectionist church in Rome (via San Sebastianello 11). His Beatification process was started shortly after World War II. Pope Leo XIII, upon hearing of Fr. Peter’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