Narcyz Putz was a Polish Catholic priest who served various parishes before his death in the Dachau concentration camp. Born in Sieraków in 1877, he was ordained in 1902 and spent much of his ministry in Poznań and Bydgoszcz. During the Second World War, he was arrested by German occupation authorities and eventually sent to several concentration camps, including Mauthausen. He is recognized as a martyr and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1999.
Life and ministry
After completing his studies in Poznań, Putz served as a vicar in several locations, including Boruszyn and Szamotuły. In 1920, he became the pastor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Bydgoszcz, where he focused on supporting Polish-speaking parishioners. He later moved to the same parish in Poznań in 1925 and was appointed a canon of the Poznań diocese in 1937.
Martyrdom
Following his arrest by German forces in 1939, Putz was transferred to the Mauthausen concentration camp, where he performed labor in the quarries. He was subsequently moved to Dachau, where he died in December 1942. He is remembered as one of the 108 Polish martyrs beatified during the papal visit to Warsaw in 1999.
Veneration
The Catholic Church commemorates him as a blessed martyr. His feast day is observed annually on June 12.