Blessed Jan Balicki

Jan Wojciech Balicki (25 January 1869 – 15 March 1948) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest who served as a confessor and spiritual director to seminarians in Poland around the time of World War II; he also acted in various leadership positions in the education of new priests and was noted for his intellectual gifts. He was beatified during the apostolic visit of Pope John Paul II to Poland on 18 August 2002. The pope - before his pontifical elevation - had even written to Pope Paul VI in 1975 beseeching the latter to hold Balicki up as a model for priests of the modern era. Jan Wojciech Balicki was born in 1869 in Rzeszów to Mikołaja Balicki. During his childhood he underwent studies at school in Rzeszow from 1876 to 1888. He commenced his studies for the priesthood in September 1888. He was ordained to the priesthood on 20 July 1892 and was then positioned in Polna where he was stationed for fifteen months - garnering a reputation as a gifted preacher - until being sent for further studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from 1893 until 1897. It was there that he graduated in philosophical studies and in canon law in addition to receiving a doctorate in his theological studies. It was also there that he studied and focused on Thomas Aquinas and during his free time went to the churches of the saints and the Apostles - he also came to the realization that science could in fact also lead a man to God. His return home saw him go back to where he studied as a priest and he taught dogmatic theological studies from 1897. He was made its prefect of studies and held the post until 1897 to 1900 and then later its vice-rector in 1927 until he was made the rector in 1928; he resigned all posts after a bout of ill health in 1934 but continued to live there. However Balicki continued to serve as a confessor and as a spiritual director to seminarians. Among those that he had taught were the Bb.