He often visited families in his parish area and once the war broke out would render spiritual and material assistance to those families that lost their husbands and sons in the fighting. He also raised funds for poorer families and would preside over marriages as well as providing religious instruction to children. Macha also involved himself in student and scout initiatives. In the beginning of 1940 the Gestapo summoned him to interrogate him about his activities and released him. Macha was arrested on 5 September 1941 in a Gestapo raid at a train station in Katowice and was detained in Mysłowice until 13 November 1941 and it was during his imprisonment that he was interrogated. Macha was humiliated during these interrogations and would often plead to God to forgive his persecutors for their actions. Macha sent his first letter to his relatives on 18 September 1941 and in late June 1942 was moved to a prison on Mikołowska Street in Katowice; he was soon sentenced to death on 17 July 1942. The news of this sentence spread quick among his parishioners and relatives so much so that his mother travelled to Berlin in August 1942 failing to secure a pardon for her son. Macha made his last confession to the priest Joachim Beslera during the night preceding his execution and also wrote a farewell letter to his relatives. He also wrote a small note that said: "Priest Jan Macha executed on 2 XII 1942" despite the fact he was executed at 12:15am on 3 December at the guillotine. It is believed that his remains were cremated since his remains were never recovered. His relatives asked for his remains for a proper burial but the Nazis refused this and the S.S. - upon learning of an impending funeral service - restricted certain elements of the ceremonial. The beatification process opened on 2 October 2013 after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the official "nihil obstat" (no objections to the cause) decree and titled Macha as a Servant of God. The diocesan process was launched on 24 November 2013 in Katowice archdiocese and it later closed on 4 September 2014. The documentation was submitted to the C.C.S. in Rome and the congregation validated the process on 14 September 2016 as having adhered to their rules for overseeing causes. Historical consultants to the C.C.S. approved the cause twice on 8 May 2018 and again on 19 June 2018. The postulation (the officials in charge of coordinating the cause) drafted and sent the official Positio dossier to the C.C.S. in 2018 for assessment; six theologians approved the cause on 8 November 2018.