1818–1876
Summary
Michael Belina Czechowski was a former Polish Franciscan monk, priest, and militant nationalist who became the first Seventh-day Adventist missionary to leave the United States to preach the third angel’s message in Europe — though he went without official Battle Creek sanction. Born in Poland on October 4, 1818, he left the Catholic priesthood in 1850 and emigrated to America in 1851. After embracing the Sabbath in 1857, he labored among French-speaking Adventists in northern New York, then turned to non-Sabbatarian Adventists for financing when Battle Creek proved unable to underwrite his European plans, and sailed for Italy in 1864. Despite the irregular auspices of his mission, he raised up Sabbatarian Adventist groups in Italy, Switzerland, Romania, and Hungary that became the foundation on which J. N. Andrews and L. R. Conradi built. He died in 1876 in Vienna.
From Polish Priest to American Adventist (1818–1858)
The Ellen G. White Estate’s biographical sketch in Letters and Manuscripts records Czechowski’s early life: “The first Seventh-day Adventist missionary to Europe, M. B. Czechowski was a former Franciscan monk, priest, and militant Polish nationalist. Disillusioned by laxity and corruption in the Catholic Church, Czechowski left the priesthood in 1850. In the same year he married Marie Virginie Delavouet and in 1851 emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on September 3 aboard the Yorktown” (The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1, p. 819, par. 1; refcode 1EGWLM 819.1).
The same biographical sketch records his transition into Sabbatarian Adventism: “Czechowski’s first contact with Sabbatarian Adventism was in 1856 when he heard James White and others preach in Perry’s Mills, New York. His baptism the following year and move to Battle Creek created quite a stir of anticipation among Adventist leaders. By the summer of 1858 he was appointed to preach among the French-speaking groups in northern New York that he had previously worked with as a Baptist preacher” (The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1, p. 819, par. 2; refcode 1EGWLM 819.2).
Ellen White’s Counsel and the European Plans (1860–1864)
The Ellen G. White Estate biographical sketch records the strain that developed and the counsel Ellen White gave him: “As J. N. Andrews explained some years later” — and a quotation from Andrews follows in the same paragraph: “We thought him not at that time prepared for so responsible an undertaking. We therefore requested him to wait.” (The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1, p. 819, par. 3; refcode 1EGWLM 819.3). Ellen White’s own counsel followed in the same paragraph: “Hold yourself ready to follow the opening providence of God, but you should not mark out a course for yourself” (The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1, p. 819, par. 3; refcode 1EGWLM 819.3).
European Mission (1864–1876)
The Ellen G. White Estate biographical sketch records his eventual route to Europe: “As it turned out, Czechowski was not willing to wait or take counsel, and with his relations with Battle Creek strained he ultimately turned to non-Sabbatarian Adventists (in particular the Advent Christians) for financial aid to pursue his European plans” (The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1, p. 819, par. 4; refcode 1EGWLM 819.4).
Despite the irregular auspices, his mission produced enduring results. The same paragraph continues: “Nevertheless his years in Europe produced some very solid results on which J. N. Andrews was able to build when he arrived in Switzerland in 1874” (The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1, p. 819, par. 4; refcode 1EGWLM 819.4) as the first official Seventh-day Adventist missionary to Europe.
J. N. Andrews’s History of the Sabbath and First Day records the Swiss work that grew from Czechowski’s seed: “Honorable mention should be made of the Seventh-day Adventists of Switzerland. They first learned these precious truths from Elder M.B. Czechowski, who a few years since instructed them in the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Since his labors with them ceased, God has given them strength to stand with firmness for his truth, and has added to their numbers” (History of the Sabbath and First Day, p. 509, par. 1; refcode HSFD 509.1).
Ellen White’s Personal Care for the Family (1859)
Ellen White’s December 1859 diary entry records her personal involvement in providing for the impoverished Czechowski family: “Went down street to purchase material to use in Brother Czechowski’s” (The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1, p. 639, par. 1; refcode 1EGWLM 639.1) family.
Death (1876)
Per the Ellen G. White Estate’s biographical sketch and the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, Czechowski died in 1876 in Vienna, Austria, after twelve years of European mission service. His Italian, Swiss, Romanian, and Hungarian groups continued in the Sabbatarian Adventist faith — and within a few years were formally connected with the General Conference through Andrews and Conradi.
