Andrey Bobolya Polish Catholic saint, holy martyr, member of the Jesuit order. Date of Birth: 30.11.1591 Country: Poland

1. Early Life and Education
2. Ministerial Work and Preaching
3. Martyrdom and Relics
4. Recognition and Veneration
5. Displacement and Return of Relics
6. Legacy and Patronage

Early Life and Education

Andrew Bobola, a Polish Catholic saint, was born in 1591 into a noble family in the village of Strachocina near Sanok, Poland. In 1611, he joined the Jesuit Order in Vilnius. After completing his studies at the Jesuit Academy in Vilnius in 1616 and the Vilnius Theological Academy in 1622, he was ordained a priest in the same year.

Ministerial Work and Preaching

Father Bobola served and worked in various locations, including Nesvizh (1623-24), Vilnius (1624-30), Bobruisk (1630-33), Plock (1633-38), Warsaw and Lomza (1638-42), and Pinsk (1642-1646). He became known for his deep knowledge of Greek Church Fathers and his persuasive oratory, which often led him to convert Orthodox Christians to Catholicism. As a fervent advocate of the 1596 Union of Brest, he earned the title "Apostle of Pinsk."

Martyrdom and Relics

During the Russo-Polish War of 1654-67, Father Bobola was captured by Ukrainian Cossacks in the village of Janow-Poleski (now Ivanovo) on May 16, 1657. He was subjected to cruel tortures before being martyred. His body was transported to Pinsk and buried in the Jesuit church. In 1702, his exhumed body was found to be incorrupt.

Recognition and Veneration

Father Bobola's veneration spread throughout the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and beyond. Pilgrims traveled to his tomb in Pinsk from the early 18th century. In 1755, Pope Benedict XIV declared him a martyr. He was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1853 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1938.

Displacement and Return of Relics

In 1808, Father Bobola's relics were moved from Pinsk to Polotsk. In 1922, the Soviet authorities relocated them to Moscow, where they were exhibited in a medical museum as a "mummy." In 1924, the relics were transferred to the Papal mission assisting famine victims in Russia and taken to Rome. After Father Bobola's canonization in 1938, his body was brought to Warsaw and placed in the church dedicated to him.

Legacy and Patronage

Andrew Bobola is revered as one of the patron saints of Poland and Belarus, and he is the principal patron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pinsk. His feast day is celebrated on May 16.