Anicet Adalbert Kopliński (né Koplin; 30 July 1875 – 16 October 1941) was a Polish Capuchin friar of German descent and priest in Warsaw.[1] He was imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, where he died.[2]
He is one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II who were beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1999.[3]

Life
Antoni Adalberta Koplin was born in Debrzno, (then part of Prussia), to a Catholic father and a Lutheran mother, and was the second of 12 children. As a child, he was ill, and decided that if he lived, he would became a Capuchin, and did so after finishing high school in 1893.[4] He was ordained a priest in 1900.[5]
During WWI he was a chaplain to German prisons, and to prisoners of war. He also wrote poetry.[5]
In 1918 he moved to Warsaw and in 1930 he became a Polish citizen, changing his name to a Polish spelling.[4] In Warsaw, he worked with poor people, helping with food, clothes and education.[1]
He and 20 other Capuchins at the Warsaw monastery were arrested in June 1941.[5] The monks were originally held at Pawiak Prison, but were moved to Auschwitz in September 1941.[1] He and 11 monks died in Auschwitz within the following 18 months.[4]
See also
References
- "Bl. Anicet Kopliński, 1874-1941". Parish of PW. Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Debrzno. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- "Martyrs Killed in Odium Fidei by the Nazis". New Saints. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- "Blessed Anicet Koplinski". Saint for a Minute. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- "Blessed Anicet Antoni Adalbert Kopliński". Parish of St. Sigismund. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- "Blessed Anicet Koplinski; Weightlifter and Anti-Socialist". Capuchin Franciscans; Western America Province. Retrieved 22 April 2026.