Blessed Bogumilus

Bogumilus, in Polish Bogumił Piotr, (also known as Bogimilus and Theophilus) was Archbishop of Gniezno and a hermit. Bogumilus and his twin brother, Boguphalus, were born into a noble family in about 1135 at Dobrów, Poland. They studied in Paris, France. Having completed his studies Bogumilus was ordained a priest near Dobrów. His uncle, who was the Archbishop of Gniezno, made him the chancellor of Gniezno. Bogumilus succeededed his uncle as Archbishop of Gniezno in 1167. Bogumilus founded a Cistercian abbey at Koronowo. He resigned his see in 1172, possibly due to opposition by his clergy to what they viewed as his excessive strictness. Bogumilus then joined the Camaldolese hermits at Uniedow, Poland, where he remained until his death. While on his deathbed, it is believed that Bogumilus saw a vision of the Virgin Mary and Child, surrounded by a throng of angels, who were inviting him to heaven. The cult and veneration of Bogumilus began almost immediately after his death, especially in Eastern Poland. Many people prayed for his intercession for things such as health, good livestock and a good catch while fishing. When they were answered, many faithful visited his tomb and it became a place for local pilgrimage. Yet it was not until 1625 that the formal process of beatification began under the Primate of Poland, Archbishop Maciej Łubieński. The files were sent to Rome in 1651, however the process was never completed as the Book of Miracles, which was in the hands of a Count, by the name of Sebastian Głębocki, was burned at his court in Głębokie, Kruszwica. In 1788 a small wooden chapel dedicated to Bogumilus was built, in the wetlands of the Rivers Warta and Teleszyny, near Dobrów, and still stands until this day. The process of beatification would remain dormant until 1908, when Stanislaw Zdzitowiecki, the Bishop of Kujawy, reactivated the process. On 27 May 1925 Pope Pius XI proclaimed Bogumilus, as Blessed.