The article concentrates on describing the life and activity of Paweł Pikuła from Derło in the light of reminiscences and letters of the Jesuits engaged in a secret mission in Podlasie in the years 1878-1904. The peasant farmer from Derło is recollected by Teodor Sozański SJ, Jan Urban SJ, Apoloniusz Kraupa SJ and Józef Grużewski SJ, who participated in the work of sustaining the unity between the persecuted Uniates and the Roman Catholic Church. The most extensive source material was left by Grużewski. As Pikuła’s co-prisoner he provided most information about him. From the remaining reminiscences it follows that Pikuła had supported the missionaries from 1885, for which in 1886 he was imprisoned in the Warsaw Citadel’s Tenth Pavilion. After an ineffective attempt at outsmarting the tsarist administration he was considered by his relatives and neighbours to be a traitor. To defend his honour, Pikuła voluntarily checked himself into the Citadel and in 1887 went into exile to Kiryłow on his own expense. After having served the sentence he returned to his home place and further supported the missionaries. The presentation of the person of Paweł Pikuła, peasant farmer from Derło, is closely connected with the topic of heroic defence of the Uniate Church in Pratulin in 1874, during which thirteen men were killed and were then beatified in 1996 by John Paul II. Paweł Pikuła took active part in this defence and some of the Martyrs were his co-workers or pupils.