Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Zdražil, František

Chaplain; born Olesnice, near Nové Mësto na Moravë, Czechoslovakia, 1 October 1912; died Leura, NSW, 8 March 1958, aged 45.

After primary school, Francis Zdražil studied for seven years at a technical secondary school (in German Realschule) and in 1931 finished with Matura (A-level, GSC examination).

He entered the diocesan seminary in Brno (Brunn, capital of Moravia). On 5 July 1936 the diocesan bishop, Dr. Kupka, ordained him priest. Between July 1936 and June 1941 he worked as a chaplain and administrator at Bystrice, Sulkovec, Krásny, Nosislav, Zatcany, and Boritov. During the early years of the war, he was involved with forced labour groups in building projects for the German soldiers in Bohemia.

For some years he struggled with his conscience and discerned his call to the Society of Jesus. His parish priest told him to follow the movement of the Spirit, and so, on 14 August 1941, Zdražil entered the Jesuits as a priest novice in the Beneschau house of probation. When the Nazis expelled the Jesuits from Beneschau, the noviciate was moved to Vehehrad (shrine in Moravia). There he took his first vows and continued with some supplementary philosophical studies.

During 1944-45 he was involved with pastoral ministry at St Ignatius' in Prague. After the war he became parish priest at Vehehrad until 1947. Then he was sent to Maastricht, Holland, for theological studies. Tertianship was in Bruges, Belgium, 1948-49. He remained in Belgium for special theological studies.

After that he travelled to America to prepare for his mission to Australia. In 1952 he went by different merchant ships to Australia. He worked hard among the Czech families in Melbourne, living at St Patrick's College first, and then in the parish of Richmond. Soon after his arrival in Australia an illness became apparent, that was later diagnosed as severe asthma from which he died prematurely.

His time in Australia was not an easy one for him and he suffered much. His English was only basic, and having a sensitive nature he found working with the profoundly deaf, which was his main work, very difficult. He needed constant courage to persevere with this work. Yet, he was so successful he created a 'blind parish' among his people. However, as his health deteriorated, he began to question his vocation, unhappy that he had been unable to realise his dreams of directing the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. In time he came to accept his poor health, and ended his days at a home run by one of his 'blind' friends. His short life is a simple testimony of someone willing to serve and to suffer himself among his poor and needy countrymen in a foreign country. His generosity and self-giving were exemplary.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)