EN
Leon Pełka was born on April 11, 1886 in Kruszyny (Brodnica district). During his education in middle school in Chojnice, in the years 1899–1906 he became involved in the activities of a secret philomath organization. In 1906, he passed his matura exam (school leaving examination) and was admitted to the Theological Seminary in Pelplin. He also studied at the University of Würzburg. His education and forming years finished with his ordination to the priesthood on April 4, 1911. He bagan his pastoral work as a vicar in Gdańsk, first in the Royal Chapel in the Main Town, then in the parish in Wrzeszcz. Then he served in Kościerzyna where he was also a prefect of the local Teachers’ Seminar. In 1914, he worked as a teacher in the Teachers’s Seminar in Wałcz. During the Great War, her served as a chaplain in the army of the German Empire. After demobilization, he returned to Wałcz and took the position of the head of the seminar, where he had previously taught. He managed the post until the beginning of 1920, from where he moved to Grudziądz, which was already Polish. At the beginning of April, he became the head of Stanisław Staszic Teachers’ seminar. He significantly contributed to the development of this post, which he manager until 1928. In 1928, for half a year he was the administrator of the parish of st. James in Toruń, and then he became a parson of Maria Magdalena parish in Kurzęstnik, where he served for over ten years. On January 1, 1939, Fr. Leon became the parson in St. Marcin parish in Świekatowo. After the outbreak of the war, he was arrested on October 22, and at the beginning of November he was shot dead in Mniszek near Górna Grupa.