Young Polish lay missionary murdered in Bolivia

Jan 26th, 2017

Helena Kmieć

A young Polish missionary has been murdered during an attack on a childcare centre run by Polish nuns in Cochabamba, central Bolivia. Helena Kmieć, 25, who was working with the Salvator Missionary Volunteers, was reportedly stabbed on Tuesday, and died of her wounds. According to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bolivian police have detained a number of suspects.

Director Fr Adam Ziolkowski, said it appears robbers broke into the centre during the night and found Helena awake, "she tried to defend herself and she was stabbed repeatedly" on her hands, arms and chest. Her screams woke up another volunteer and the attacker ran away. She was immediately given emergency treatment but died from her wounds.

Fr Adam said the police believe Helena was a victim of a robbery gone wrong: "she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Helena Kmieć was born on 9 February 1991. She came from Libiąż. She joined the Salvator Missionary Volunteers in early 2012. She served in Romania, Hungary and Zambia. She had studied chemical engineering in English at the Silesian University of Technology where she was active in the Academic Chaplaincy in Gliwice, and sang in the University choir.

Helena and another volunteer had arrived in Cochabamba just two weeks ago, and were working at the childcare centre, run by the Polish order of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mother of God. She had planned to stay for six months.

Fr Adam described the young volunteer as a warm and happy person. Last year she was a volunteer at World Youth Day in Poland and was an active member of Catholic Academy communities and the Salvator Missionary Centre.

"She was a kind person and very helpful; she never missed a chance to do something good for others" Fr Adam said.

He also describes her as having a great missionary zeal and great internal strength: "everyone who knew her was happy to spend time with her."

Fr Adam said Helena's death is a loss for many people. "Everyone knew her and loved her - we miss her very much."

Source: Dziennik Zachodni/Vatican Radio