The beatification was
a particularly moving occasion as Pope John Paul II returned to his beloved
Polish homeland. For the Little Servant Sisters throughout the world the
beatifications were an answer to many prayers. Members of the Little Servant
Sisters from Europe, Africa and America joyfully participated in the beatification
ceremony. Present also was a pilgrimage of clergy, sisters and faithful
from the United States.
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Blessed Edmund Bojanowski was an extraordinary Catholic layman and learned writer who dedicated his life to the service of abandoned children, the sick, the poor and the most needy. Edmund is a remarkable role model of a person who used his talents to transform the lives of the poor. He was born the son of devout and patriotic landed gentry in Grabonog in Northwestern Poland in 1814. Even though Poland was partitioned in 1795 after one hundred years of foreign regiments from Russia, Prussia and Austria, the beginning of the nineteenth century was a time of religious renewal in Poland. A keen interest in theology, pastoral renewal, Christian charity and addressing social problems were all part of the world in which Edmund lived, and his life and work reflect them.
In 1815, the Congress of Vienna severed the Northwest portion of Poland from the rest of the country and it was renamed the Grand Duchy of Poznan, under Prussian rule. Edmund's father, Valentine, took part in the struggle for Poland's independence. His mother, Teresa (nee Uminska) and her family were also known for their patriotism and sacrifices. From his family estate, Edmund became acquainted with the condition of poverty of the surrounding rural people. Family talks on the social struggle at home and abroad, education and contact with the villagers and the poor in the towns - unconventional for landed gentry youth at this time - opened Edmund's eyes to the injustices around him.
Suffering from poor health in his childhood and youth, private tutors educated Edmund. One of these tutors, Father James Siwicki, was deeply concerned about the victims of oppression in his day and conveyed these ideas to Edmund. Edmund's sympathy, accompanied by an active involvement in the service of people, is evidenced by the fact that his aunt left him property because of her confidence in his ability to use his resources for those in need.
Edmund attended the University of Wroclaw and later studied at the University of Berlin. However, his studies were interrupted by tuberculosis, which brought him back to Poland to recover after which he committed himself to assisting the struggles of the human spirit, particularly children and the sick.
Edmund had a deep religious devotion and was especially committed to Christ's Mother Mary. He was a guiding force in the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Poland, which was founded by Blessed Frederic Ozanam, also a layman, in Paris in 1833. The laity movement emphasized the importance of spirituality as well as works for the poor. Edmund deepened his spirit of faith through prayer, scripture and theological reading and reception of the sacraments, walking daily to Mass and devotions. He was dynamic and very active in spreading devotion to Divine Providence and to Our Lady, and in encouraging the Rosary devotion.
Edmund addressed social injustice by his welfare work. He was especially concerned with the needs of children in urban and rural areas, who at that time were suffering because of wars and political disruptions. In some cases, the children did not have parents or families to care for them. Edmund also recognized the need for care of people who were ill, elderly or lonely. He saw the need for improving the moral, cultural and educational standards of people of Poland who were demoralized by foreign occupation, exploitation and policies to eradicate their language and culture.
Edmund established the first day nursery school with day care for children in Poznan and expanded this model to other towns and villages, and organized collections of books for the poor. Edmund visited the sick in their homes and set up a small hospital - caring for the sick there as if he were their servant. When the 1848/9 cholera epidemic left many children orphans, Edmund started an institute for children in the Gostyn Literary Club, where he was an official. Edmund personally cared for the orphans assuring them a home and a Christian education.
Memories are still kept alive of his spiritual and corporal works of mercy that have endured worldwide through the Congregation of sisters founded by him in 1850 - which in America is called the congregation of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.
Edmund died in 1871 and was immediately recognized for his sanctity. He continues to be an inspiration engendering enthusiasm in the service of Christ who comes in the form of a child, a person ill or impoverished, a person abandoned or lonely, awaiting a good word, a kind heart, care or other help.
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Edmund Bojanowski realized that he could not do his work without help, and after prayer and consultation with his religious advisors, decided to develop a religious institute in which he would foster a group of sisters to support his work. He founded this congregation, the Little Servant Sisters of the Blessed Virginia Mary Conceived Immaculate on May 3, 1850 in Podrzecze, Poland. The name Little Servants was chosen to reflect his belief that love expressed in the service of one's neighbor is the fundamental element of Christian vocation. The Sisters' first work was the education and care of young children and then extended to older children, youth, the sick, the elderly and others in need. From the original rural day nursery schools for children and healthcare among the sick, the Congregation spread to the towns of Poland, caring for children in homes, educating youth in schools, caring for the sick and the elderly in hospitals and residences. The sisters were established in the religious life and service of love, and eventually became a Papal congregation.
Edmund created a unique model of sisters committed to works of charity. He recruited young women from the villages where they would be needed to educate and care for children and the sick. The women acquired the skills and education, which enabled them to work among the poor and those in need.
From their origins, the Jesuit Fathers supported the Little Servant Sisters in their formation. Edmund Bojanowski entrusted the spiritual care of his first group of sisters in Northwestern Poland to the Jesuit Father Theophilus Baczynski. Later, Father Baczynski helped with the establishment of the sisters in Galicia, Southern Poland. Edmund served as an encouraging and disciplined "father" to the sisters, frequently visiting his spiritual daughters, praying with them, directing and observing their progress and writing the original rules. The order expanded and the Sisters established schools, hospitals, hostels and homes and they became known for their great works of charity and commitment to the children, the poor, the ill and the elderly.
The Little Servant Sisters of the
Immaculate Conception consists of a federation of four religious branches,
originating from the 19th century political partition of Poland.
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Mather Mariola
Karaś
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Generalate and Novitiate in Stara
Wieś, Poland
The federation has some 3,500 members with religious houses in Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Asia. The Little Servant Sisters of Stara Wieś, with almost 1,500 members, serve in Poland, the United States, Italy, England, Austria, Germany, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, including Siberia, South Africa and Zambia. |
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Two panels of theologians and doctors in Rome confirmed a miracle attributed to Edmund Bojanowski, which is a necessary prerequisite for consideration for sainthood. The miracle approved was that of Maria Szmyd who had been given only months to live because of cancer, who was healed after her mother's dream of Bojanowski.
Maria Szmyd, born in 1963, was a young woman from Orzechowka, Poland who became ill when she was 16 years of age. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone tumor in the right knee. The doctors gave her only a few months to live and recommended an amputation to possibly extend her life. Her mother refused the amputation. She then had a dream in which Edmund Bojanowski assured her mother not to worry about her daughter and that everything would be all right. Maria's mother prayed to Edmund Bojanowski for Maria's recovery as did the Little Servant Sisters in Orzechowka and at their nearby motherhouse in Stara Wies. Their prayers were answered and Maria was restored to complete health. Years later, as a nurse on duty in the laboratory in the hospital in Brzozow, Maria had the opportunity to find her file with her results which had remarkably not been discovered despite the lapse of time. She showed the file to a doctor and he stated "There is no way this person could be alive" and Maria answered him "Doctor I am this person!" These results with medical support of her cure were sent to a panel of doctors and theologians, who after investigations, regarded the cure as a miracle wrought through the intercession of Edmund Bojanowski.
Countless divine favors have been received as a result of prayers to Edmund Bojanowski
To date, there are twelve institutions in the world named in honor of Edmund Bojanowski including the Blessed Edmund Early Childhood Education Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and over 60 paintings as well as monuments, frescos, and stained glass portrayals with depictions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, St. Hedwig Church, Trenton, New Jersey, and at the Little Servant Sisters' Convent, as well as St. Joseph's Assisted Living Home in Woodbridge, New Jersey.
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On June 13, 1999, Pope John Paul II spoke the following words at the beatification ceremony of Edmund Bojanowski:
He remained in the lay state and founded the Congregation of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, which is well known in Poland. He was inspired in every initiative by the desire that everyone should have a share in the Redemption. He is remembered as a good man with a big heart, who for love of God and neighbor was able to bring different sectors together, effectively rallying them around a common good. In his many-faceted activity, he anticipated much of what the Second Vatican Council said about the apostolate of the laity. His was an exceptional example of generous and industrious work for man, the homeland and the church.
It is God´s mercy in everything that we encounter on this earth... It is always the same benevolent Father whose eye rests upon us, whose wisdom guards us, whose love leads us... We should always bless and thank Him. Remember, it is your duty to serve little ones and the poor as expressions of your love for Christ who humbled Himself for you, and made Himself your servant. The love of Christ impels us to make this world more Godlike and more human, and to make life more bearable.