Blessed Edmund Bojanowski

Edmund Bojanowski (14 November 1814 - 7 August 1871) was a Polish Roman Catholic and the founder of four separate religious congregations. He studied art and literature during his education in Breslau and Berlin before distinguishing himself during a cholera epidemic in which he tended to the ill. Bojanowski founded several orphanages and libraries for the poor and even worked in them to provide for those people. But his main desire was to enter the priesthood: ill health blocked this once and his own death prevented his second attempt after his deteriorating health forced him to stop his ecclesial studies. His beatification cause opened decades after his death and culminated on 13 June 1999 after Pope John Paul II beatified him in Warsaw on the occasion of his apostolic visit to the nation. Edmund Bojanowski was born in Poland on 14 November 1814 to the hereditary nobles (szlachta) Walenty Bojanowski and Teresa Umińska. Both his parents were devout in their faith which proved a critical influence on his deep religious convictions formed from childhood. In 1819 he became ill and appeared to die but seemed to return to life a short while later despite doctors declaring that there were slim chances the child would recover. His parents considered this a form of miraculous healing based on their constant petitions for intercession from above. It was upon his recuperation that the child vowed to dedicate his life to the Blessed Mother. Bojanowski continued to suffer ill health throughout his lifetime and it was due to this that he could not attend school and had to be tutored at home. In 1835 he developed tuberculosis during the course of his education. He later continued his studies at the Breslau college (1832-35; where he studied art and literature) and also at the college in Berlin (1836-38; studied art and music but did not complete his philosophical studies).