Franciszek Raczkiewicz’s Name Day

Franciszek Raczkiewicz (my great uncle) was named for St. Francis Xavier, according to his birth and baptismal record. St. Francis Xavier was known for being a missionary. When I first learned of this sibling of my grandfather who was killed in the Rotunda in Zamosc in 1943, I didn’t know his birth date so I looked up his name day in order to have a day to tell you more about him. On March 6, Andrzej Dubiel sent me his birth record. I sent it in for translation on March 7. The record is in Russian so it usually takes a few days before a volunteer will do it. I found out he was born on June 16. On that day I will share his birth record with you. Francis was the 8th of nine siblings. In the records of three of the four youngest children, it states who they are named after: King Boleslaw, St. Francis Xavier and St. Mary Cleophas. It is possible the other children were named after specific saints but it wasn’t noted in the record. Josephgeogeorge, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons