50-year-old Paweł Ołownia has been charged after attempting to stab a Catholic priest during Sunday mass at Holy Ghost Parish in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (LifeSiteNews) — A Winnipeg man has been charged after attempting to stab a Catholic priest during Sunday Mass.
According to a February 10, 2025, police report, 50-year-old Paweł Ołownia was arrested on Sunday night after attempting to stab Father Wojciech Stangel, OMI, during evening Mass at Holy Ghost Parish in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
"North District General Patrol officers attended and learned that a 50-year-old male suspect armed with a knife approached the altar during a service and advanced toward a 38-year-old pastor (victim)," the report said.
The incident occurred at Holy Ghost Parish, a Catholic church under the care of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Polish missionary group. Both attacker and victim are Polish.
Video footage of the incident shows Ołownia, dressed in a yellow coat, approach Stangel as he processed to the altar at the beginning of Mass. The priest was alerted by the organist, who broke off the entrance hymn to shout “Look out!” in Polish.
Ołownia chased the priest with a knife before apparently giving up. He then drove the point of the weapon into the altar and sat near the back of the sanctuary. An off-duty RCMP officer can be heard on footage of the incident telling the assailant seconds later that he is under arrest. He and another member of the congregation led Ołownia away.
READ: Priest attacked during healing service at Spokane cathedral, Bishop Daly present
“This was extremely unexpected. We don’t often hear of acts of violence occurring within places of worship in Winnipeg,” Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon told the Winnipeg Free Press.
“Police do not believe that the accused in this matter regularly attended the church or was part of the congregation, so it is more disturbing in that a motive hasn’t been established or may not until [the charges proceed to] court," she continued.
Ołownia has been charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon, and disturbing a meeting. He is currently being detained in custody. Police did not report any injuries from the attack.
The reason behind the assault remains unknown, and the parish has yet to put out a statement regarding the incident.
LifeSiteNews reached out to the parish but has not received a response by time of publication. However, it has been reported by the Winnipeg Free Press that Ołownia has a history of violence. According to the local paper, he was given 11 months of jail in July 2018 for assaulting a police officer. He was also “convicted of assault, theft under $5,000, and uttering threats in 2004,” for which he received probation, and has “impaired driving convictions.”
Last week, LifeSiteNews reported that a Catholic priest was attacked during healing service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane, Washington. As in this case, it was unclear what the attacker's motive could be.
