FRANTIŠEK KRÁSENSKÝ SJ (1925–2005)
Life and Vocation
František Krásenský SJ was born on 15 August 1925 in Bystřice nad Perštejnem. He studied at grammar schools in Velehrad and Bohosudov. During his studies in Velehrad he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in 1942 and made his first vows there on 15 August 1944.
He later studied philosophy in Velehrad and Brno. While serving at the Church of St. Ignatius in Prague he was interned in April 1950 in Bohosudov during the communist regime’s suppression of religious orders.
After his release he performed military service in the Auxiliary Technical Battalions (PTP) in Hájniky near Zvolen. During this service he was secretly ordained a priest on 15 August 1951 in Rajhrad by Bishop Pavel Hnilica. After leaving the army he worked in the engineering company ČKD in Prague.
Service in Jáchymov
His connection with Jáchymov began in 1974 when he started travelling there to celebrate Mass. A year later he moved to the town permanently. With the exception of the years 1990–1992, when he served as rector and superior of the Jesuit house of St. Ignatius in Prague, he remained in Jáchymov until his death.
In Jáchymov he became an important spiritual authority and also worked tirelessly to preserve the town’s church monuments. For saving the church in Krásný Les he was appointed personal archdeacon of Jáchymov by Cardinal František Tomášek.
Preservation of Church Buildings
František Krásenský was instrumental in saving several church buildings in the region.
In Krásný Les he saved the Church of St. Peter and Paul from the seventeenth century, which had burned down on 23 June 1982. Although a demolition order had already been issued, he managed to preserve and restore the building. The church was reconsecrated during a solemn Mass on 7 November 1987 in the presence of Cardinal František Tomášek.
In Boží Dar he contributed to the restoration of the former parish house, which had been nationalised after 1948 and used as accommodation by the uranium mines. After 1989 the building was returned and adapted by him for accommodation purposes.
The Church of St. Anne was also in a disastrous condition in the late 1960s and its demolition was considered. During his time in Jáchymov František Krásenský temporarily repaired the roof and helped secure the building.
In Jáchymov he initiated the reconstruction of the dean’s church, completed in 1992. Through public collections he raised about half a million Czech crowns for new bells. The solemn consecration of the bells and the church was carried out by the Prague auxiliary bishop František Václav Lobkowicz.
The Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk had also been destined for demolition and its entrances had been bricked up. Nevertheless, Archdeacon Krásenský succeeded in enforcing a general reconstruction in 1987.
Death and Legacy
František Krásenský died after a serious illness on 21 March 2005 in Jáchymov. The town’s farewell to its long-serving priest took place on 31 March with the participation of the Bishop of Plzeň, František Radkovský.
He is buried at the Malvazinky Cemetery in Prague.
