Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and Mother Elżbieta Róża Czacka were beatified in a ceremony presided over by the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro.
Newsroom (September 15, 2021 4:40 PM Gaudium Press) Last Sunday, September 12, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, declared two new Polish Blessed. During a Holy Mass celebrated at the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and Mother Elżbieta Róża Czacka were beatified.
“Today’s new Blesseds have received from this nation the priceless good of the Faith and the fidelity of a centuries-old tradition of love for God. What have they offered the people in return? They have offered a lifetime of conviction in the primacy of God, who is able to restore man to his dignity,” the Cardinal stressed.
Cardinal Wyszyński led the Church’s resistance to communism
Cardinal Wyszyński, was the Primate of Poland who led the Church’s resistance to communism. Mother Czacka, on the other hand, was a nun who lost her sight at the age of 22 and because of this began to care for the visually impaired who at the time did not receive adequate care. “They gave witness to a life faithful to the Gospel at all costs. They left a model of service to a specific person in need, even when no one cares and indifference seems to prevail.”
At the end of his homily, Cardinal Semeraro invoked the intercession of the two new Blesseds “so that the desire to live as Saints may be kindled in us.” Quoting the words that Pope Francis pronounced during the General Audience of April 7, 2021, the Cardinal explained that the Saints are “witnesses we venerate and who in a thousand different ways refer us to Jesus Christ, the only Lord and mediator between God and man.
Relics of the newly beatified
The beatification ceremony also included the participation of the beneficiaries of the miracles that made possible the beginning of the beatification process. The relics of Blessed Elżbieta Róża Czacka were brought by 18-year-old Karolina Gawrych, who recovered from an accident thanks to the intercession of Sister Elżbieta.
The relics of Blessed Stefan Wyszyński, meanwhile, were brought to the altar by Sister Nulla, who had had a tumour in her throat but eventually recovered after members of her religious community prayed for the Cardinal’s intercession.
Pope Francis’ Words
At the same time as the beatification ceremony was being held in Poland, in Budapest Pope Francis presided over the closing Mass of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress. The Pontiff made a point of recalling the act by saying the following, “Today in Warsaw, not far from here, two individuals who gave witness to the Gospel are being beatified: Cardinal Wyszyński and Elżbieta Czacka, foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of the Servants of the Cross.”
“Both have known the Cross firsthand. Cardinal Wyszyński, the primate of Poland who was imprisoned, was always a courageous shepherd according to the Heart of Christ and a herald of human freedom and dignity. Sister Elżbieta, who lost her sight when she was young, dedicated her life to helping the blind. May the example of these new Blesseds encourage us to turn darkness into light with the power of love,” he concluded. (EPC)
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
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