Beatification of the Ulma Family

Have you heard about the remarkable Beatification happening this Sunday? The Ulma Family, Josef and Wiktoria and their seven children, will all be beatified together- marking the first time an entire family has risen through this part of the Canonization process. This is also the first time that an unborn child has been Beatified. The Ulma family lived in Poland and made the brave decision to hide a Jewish family of eight from the terrible reign of the Nazis. They remained together in the Ulmas small home for over a year. But when they were discovered on March 24, 1944 by Nazi soldiers, the soldiers killed the Jewish family, Josef and Wiktoria, and even their children.

The holy life and heroic death of the Ulmas is devastating to read. But we share the stories of the martyrs to spread the truth of the Gospel- a truth that is worth both living and dying for. While not easy, the story of the Ulmas is one that should be shared- a family growing in holiness together, willing to make sacrifices for what is right, placing their hope and trust in Jesus above all else.

If you'd like to share the story of the Ulmas with your older students during this time of their Beatification, or as part of a study on the atrocities of WWII, I pulled together this quick activity. These slides contain links to two short videos, a Vatican News article, and a few questions for the students to complete.

Click here to open the slides:

(Note- if you'd like to make changes to these Google Slides, you'll have to either download a copy and edit in Powerpoint or make a copy in Google Drive and then edit the version that you own. You won't be able to edit this master copy. Similarly, if you'd like your students to use this for an assignment, you will need to make a copy before sharing with them or assigning in Google Classroom, etc. Most school internet filters block tools from outside accounts, so students won't be able to access my file. Let me know if you need any help!)