Peter Vitchev, of Strem, Bulgaria, entered the Assumptionist congregation at the age of seventeen, taking the name Kamen. Eleven years later, he was ordained a Byzantine-Slavonic Rite Catholic priest. After earning a theology doctorate, he became a faculty member of a Catholic college at Plovdiv, Bulgaria, serving in various capacities, including the office of rector. Taking his responsibilities seriously, he instructed and governed the students authoritatively, earning their respect. During his tenure at the college, students of different religions, including those of the Orthodox and Armenian Churches, Jews, and Moslems, were welcomed into this Catholic school and interacted in a harmonious atmosphere. In 1948, the Russian Communists occupying Bulgaria closed the school. Thereafter, Father Vitchev was made provincial vicar of his Assumptionist congregation in Bulgaria. But in July of 1952, he was arrested by the Communists, falsely charged with heading a “Catholic conspiracy” against the government. On November 11, 1952, he was executed by gunfire.
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According to Wikipedia, two of his Assumptionists companions, Josaphat Chichkov and Pavel Djidjov, and a Passionist bishop, Eugene Bossilkov, were shot to death, without public notice, at approximately 11:30 PM the evening of November 11, 1952. Beatified by Pope JPII, all martyrs for the faith. From his homily of May 26, 2002:
Father Josaphat Chichkov declared: “We seek to do as best we can everything that is expected of us in order to become holy”, and he added: “The most important thing is to draw near to God by living for him; everything else is secondary”. Several months before the infamous trial which condemned them to death together with Bishop Bossilkov, foreseeing in some way what awaited them, Father Kamen Vitchev wrote to his Provincial Superior: “Obtain for us by prayer the grace of being faithful to Christ and to the Church in our daily life, so that we may be worthy of bearing witness when the time comes”. And Father Pavel Djidjov said: “We await our turn: may God’s will be done”.
(Translation by the Vatican.)