Servant of God Father Walter Ciszek, S.J. (1904–1984), was an American Jesuit priest renowned for his clandestine missionary work in the Soviet Union and enduring years of imprisonment in Siberian labor camps. Born on November 4, 1904, in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, to Polish immigrant parents, he entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1928. Inspired by a call to serve in Russia, he was ordained in 1937 and subsequently assigned to missionary work there. In 1940, during World War II, he was arrested by the Soviet secret police and accused of espionage. He spent five years in solitary confinement at Moscow's Lubyanka prison, followed by 15 years in Siberian labor camps.

After his release in 1963, Father Ciszek returned to the United States, where he dedicated himself to spiritual direction and authored two notable books: With God in Russia, detailing his experiences, and He Leadeth Me, reflecting on his spiritual journey. His unwavering faith and resilience under persecution have inspired many. In 1990, the Catholic Church initiated his cause for canonization, granting him the title "Servant of God." The process is ongoing, with his life and virtues under consideration for beatification.

Father Ciszek's profound trust in Divine Providence is encapsulated in his reflection: "For each of us, the will of God is a great grace, but also a great trial; it is a grace because it leads us to Him, and a trial because it strips us of our self-love and self-will."