Piotr Semenenko (June 29, 1814 – November 18, 1886) was a leading

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

of the

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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 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. 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 The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

(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 Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

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 Józef Bilczewski (26 April 1860 – 20 March 1923) was a Polish Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Lviv from 1900 until his death. He served as a theological and dogmatics professor in the Lviv college after himself havin ...

Collaboration with the Holy See

Fr. Peter Semenenko collaborated actively with the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

. 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 ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio 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 1 June 1846. He h ...

, Pio IX and

Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

. 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 the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible f ...

(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,

Felician Sisters The Felician Sisters, officially known as the Congregation of Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Assisi (CSSF), is a religious institute of pontifical right whose members profess public vows of chastity, ...

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth are a Roman Catholic religious institute that was founded in Rome in 1875 by Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd (Franciszka Siedliska). The Sisters of the Holy Family are an apostolic, international ...

, 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 The odour of sanctity (also spelled odor), 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 a ...

. 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 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