Vincent Hadleŭski

Vincent Hadleŭski (Belarusian: Вінцэнт Гадлеўскі, Polish: Wincenty Godlewski), November 16, 1898 – December 24, 1942) was a Belarusian Roman Catholic priest, publicist and politician. During World War II he was arrested by the German police on December 24, 1942 and executed in Maly Trostenets extermination camp.

Born in the village of Porozowo, (now Shchury in the Grodno Region near Vaukavysk), he graduated from a Catholic seminary in Vilna and the Catholic academy in St.Petersburg. He was one of the first priests to introduce Catholic liturgy in the Belarusian language.

After the short-lived declaration of independence by Belarus, he became member of the founding government (rada) of the Belarusian National Republic for several months in 1918. Hadleŭski was one of the participants in the Fist Belarusian Congress of December 1917, and served as editor of the magazine Krynica.

Following the Peace of Riga, signed in 1921 between newly reborn Poland and the Soviet Russia, Hadleŭski settled in West Belarus which became part of the Second Polish Republic. He became professor in the Belarusian seminary of Niasvizh (Nieśwież) and a priest for the powiat of Švenčionys (Święciany. For seven years between 1922 and 1928 he served as Member of parliament for the Polish Sejm, representing Belarusian minority.

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