This is the story of Jan (pronounced “yon” in Polish) Tyranowski (unpronounceable, even in Polish I think). On May 23, 1941, Nazi soldiers stormed the Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka, taking with them the Salesian priests who ran the parish. As they were being carried, the priests entrusted the training of the young men to Jan, a simple and uneducated tailor. Jan had taken her spiritual life seriously after hearing a priest say one day at mass “Holiness is not a difficult thing. “He decided to become a saint, receive the sacraments frequently and read the spiritual classics of the Catholic faith such as Teresa de Ávila’s book. Inner castle, Ignacio Spiritual exercises, Francisco de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life, Juan de la Cruz, Imitation of christ, etc., and applied what he learned to his own life.
Now this is what the priests told him to do: “start rosary groups of 15 young people who will meet to pray the rosary once a week, talk about the faith and even discuss how to save Poland from the Nazis. Choose one of these young people and make him the leader. Then we want you to pay personal attention to this leader to build him up in faith, practice of the sacraments, spiritual life, living virtue, edification. healthy friendships … ” Jan did this, and in two years he had 60 youth in his four rosary groups and was discipling each of the leaders. On November 1, 1946, the first of ten of these young men was ordained a priest. The following year, Jan died, never married, childless, but never alone, rather continually surrounded by his spiritual children.
Why am I telling you this story? To help you understand the power of a well-trained layman dedicated to spiritual multiplication, but wait, it gets better. Most people have never heard of Jan, but you know that his most famous disciple, the young man ordained on All Saints’ Day in 1946 was named Karol, as in Wojtyla, now known as Blessed John Paul the Great. What is the power of a discipler? The power to change the world. John Paul II overthrew communism as a totalitarian regime in Europe. His Theology of the Body has created a new awakening in the Church in America, and we hope soon around the world. And the list goes on and on, but … would there have been a John Paul II without a Jan Tyranowski? It is difficult to say, but it is unlikely. Here is the man who introduced JPII to the poetry of Saint John of the Cross. Here is the man who taught John Paul II that faith is not just abstract ideas, but concrete realities that you can touch every day. Here is the man who taught John Paul II to examine his conscience every day to live the Gospel in all areas of life. Here is the man who taught John Paul II that the heights of holiness are open to all, even uneducated Polish tailors …