Thursday 21 May is the feast of Bl Franz Jägerstätter. Bl Franz, an Austrian peasant farmer, was executed for refusing to fight in Hitler’s army. A devout Catholic, Franz believed he could not be faithful to Jesus and fight for the Nazis.
Below are some resources to help celebrate the feast of Bl Franz in schools.
Assembly
The Importance of Disobedience is an assembly about Bl Franz as part of the Peace Education Network’s Teach Peace Pack.
Workshop
Franz Jägerstätter: A Story of Remarkable Faith explores Franz’s story, his witness, and what he can teach us about the Christian vocation to peacemaking.
Lesson
As part of our General RE scheme of work there is a lesson examining the life and witness of Franz Jägerstätter which considers whether there is a difference between neutrality and active nonviolence.
Prayer
Dear God
You filled the blessed martyr and father of a family,
Franz Jägerstätter, with a great love for you, his family, and all people.
In a time of violence and political contempt for humanity
he formed for himself an unerring and clear judgement.
You gave him the grace to resist evil.
In closeness to your Son, and by following his conscience,
he said a decisive ‘No’ to the denial of your presence,
to the disregard for human dignity, and to the unjust war.
Trusting in you, he sacrificed his life
because he loved you above everything.
With the power of your Spirit, and the intercession of blessed Franz,
strengthen our love for you and for all people.
Help us to stand up for justice, peace, and human dignity,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen
