Saint Alexander Schmorell (Swenson) Icon - S729

As a rose among the thorns, Alexander Schmorell lived a Godly and courageous life even during some of the darkest times in history.

Alexander was born in 1917. After living for several years in Russia, his family fled to Germany to escape the Bolshevik revolution. However, with the rise of the Third Reich and the spreading power of the Nazis, the Second World War began, catching up Alexander in it. He was drafted into the German army and became a medic on the Eastern Front. While serving in the military, Schmorell witnessed various atrocities committed by the Nazis, driving him seek out ways to spread the truth about the Regime and stir up popular dissent against the party. To this purpose he joined the White Rose: an underground group that printed forbidden information on pamphlets for distribution.

In 1943, the Gestapo was able to capture and execute most of the members of the White Rose, including Alexander. In his icon, he holds a white rose showing the purity of his heart and the resistance to evil that he accomplished as well as a cross symbolizing his martyrdom. Alexander’s feast day is July 13^th, the day on which he was executed.