The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth arrived in Nowogrodek in 1929 at the invitation of the Servant of God, Bishop Zygmunt Lozinski, to assume the responsibility of caring for the Fara and for the education of children. As a community, the Sisters became and integral part of the life in Nowogrodek and served the multicultural residents of the town. Open to the needs of the people in time of peace, they gave themselves still more completely during the occupation, by encouraging, helping, praying and empathizing with families who were coping with oppression, imprisonment, and murder. The Sisters invested great effort in preparing for the religious services heldin the Fara. Hence, liturgical prayer became a haven of hope for the people living amid the overpowering darkness of Evil. Terror, associated with he German occupation of Nowogrodek, began in 1942 with the extermination of the Jews, and was followed by a surge of arrests of the Polish people, then the indiscriminate slaughter of 60 persons, including two priests. A similar situation was repeated on July 18, 1943, when more than 120 members of families were arrested and were destined to be executed. Aware of this tragic situation, the Sisters unanimously expressed their desire to offer their lives in sacrifice for the imprisoned family members. Sister Stella, in the name of the community, shared the Sisters' prayer and decision with Father Zienkiewicz, their chaplain and rector of the Fara, saying: My God, if sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us and spare those who have families. We are even praying for this intention. Almost as an immediate response to the Sisters' offering of life, the plans for the prisoners were changed. They were deported to work camps in Germany and some of them were even released. When the life of the rector, Father Zienkiewicz, was threatened, the Sisters renewed their offering saying: There is a greater need for a priest on this earth than for us. We pray that God will take us in his place, if sacrifice of life is needed. God accepted their sacrifice. The imprisoned including the chaplain were spared. They were the first to witness and to proclaim the holiness of these Martyrs and their powerful intercession before God. By offering their lives, Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions fulfilled their Nazareth charism in the service of families to a heroic degree. In elevating the Martyrs of Nowogrodek to the honor of Blessed, the Church presents them as models of love and defenders against the numerous dangers that are threatening the contemporary family.