St. Andrew Bobola constantly reminds the Polish people, "Turn to me, for I am the Patron given to you by God. It is God who chose me as the Patron of Poland—turn to me, and I will save you, and Poland will flourish." Who was St. Andrew Bobola? A Pole, a Catholic, a devotee of the Blessed Mother, and a man who did not hesitate to overcome all difficulties for the Lord. He was born on November 30, 1591, on the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. He came from the noble Bobola family, bearing the Leliwa coat of arms. This was a lineage of patriots, many of whom shed their blood for the homeland. They were devoted to the Catholic Church but also known for their fiery temperaments. When he joined the order, this temperament was a significant obstacle, raising doubts about his future as a priest. However, he pleaded for a final chance, praying on his knees during adoration, asking Jesus to transform him. In his application to join the Jesuits, he wrote that he was a Małopolanin, meaning a Pole, emphasizing his Polish nationality in a Commonwealth that included many nationalities. During his novitiate, he became connected with Vilnius, where he spent a third of his life. He made his first profession there and was ordained a priest on March 12, 1622. On the same day, great saints of his order—St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier—were canonized in Rome. That same night, St. Teresa the Great was also canonized.

In Vilnius, he served as a pastor. At that time, Vilnius was a cultural and scientific center, dominated by Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, to whom Bobola entrusted his concerns. It is known that during his martyrdom, he prayed to Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn. In his various posts—Niesierz, Vilnius, Bobrówka, Płock, Warsaw, Łomża, and Pińsk—he was known as a talented speaker, a good confessor, and an effective administrator. He worked with the youth, the spiritually neglected, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, engaging in missionary work. He walked on the marshy roads of Polesia, often depicted with a staff, a stick used to test the ground. He was a Marian priest, establishing Marian sodalities and inspiring other priests to action. Orthodox clergy, unhappy with his visits to Orthodox homes, often threatened and harassed him. After hearing his sermons, many Orthodox converted to Catholicism; whole villages, such as Udrożyn and Bałandycze, are said to have converted. He was a forerunner of the new evangelization, reaching out to people with love and understanding of their problems. Called the "Soul Catcher," tensions with the Orthodox grew. A great devotee of the Blessed Mother, let's go back a few years to 1608 in Naples, where Father Julius Mancini prayed to the Blessed Mother, calling her by various titles. Mary appeared to him, asking, "Why don't you honor me as the Queen of Poland?" She told him, "I have loved this Polish nation because they have loved me." Deeply moved, Father Mancini, at 73, traveled to Poland to visit the land that loved Mary so much. He delivered this message to the King of Poland, and when he arrived at Wawel Castle, Mary appeared to him again, reiterating that she is the Queen of this dear nation and encouraged him to pray for Poland. In commemoration, a crown was placed on one of the towers of the Mariacki Church, which remains to this day. This idea of Mary as the Queen of Poland was revived then.

What connection does St. Andrew Bobola have with this? Thirteen years after Father Mancini arrived in Poland, Bobola became the pastor in Nieświerz. The Jesuits, being his order, preserved knowledge of this revelation. In Nieświerz, Bobola met Lithuanian Prince Albrecht Radziwiłł, who was fascinated by the revelations' story. It is believed that Bobola authored the Lviv Vows, which focused on the poorest, whom Bobola knew well.

In May 1657, Rakoczy and the Cossacks attacked Catholics, robbing and killing them in scenes described during the Volhynian massacre. St. Andrew Bobola was brutally tortured on May 16, 1657. His suffering paralleled the Passion of Christ. He was martyred for being a Pole and a Catholic, and the Cossacks demanded he renounce these values. Pope Pius IX, at his canonization in 1938, called him the greatest martyr of the Church.

Before World War II, St. Andrew Bobola appeared to the Polish mystic Fulvia Horak, who asked him how he endured his torment. He replied that it was voluntary martyrdom; it was hard at first, but when he saw the glory awaiting him after death, it became easy. This parallels the death of St. Stephen, the first martyr. God accepts those who remain faithful until the end.

St. Andrew Bobola is a witness to faithfulness unto death, not succumbing to human opinions but listening more to God than to people. In his revelation to Fulvia Horak, he said, "At the moment of death, God entrusted the Polish nation to my care." This is profoundly moving—Poland has a guardian from God, assigned a special role in world history: to be the bulwark of Christianity, preserving faith on earth during times of great apostasy. This realization makes St. Andrew Bobola a patron for the 21st century and difficult times. Let's cling to him, especially during persecution for faith. St. Andrew is an example of how to maintain faith to the end. God allowed him to appear after death. Soon after his martyrdom, he was buried in the Jesuit College in Pińsk, and he was quickly forgotten. If not for his posthumous apparitions, no one would know we have another saint and Patron of Poland. His first and subsequent apparitions occurred when the Polish nation was in danger. The first apparition happened 45 years after his death when he appeared to Father Marcin Godebski, Rector of the Jesuit College in Pińsk, who was terrified by the Swedish invasion and sought help to save the college.

One night, a luminous figure appeared to Father Godebski, identifying himself as Brother Andrew Bobola. Father Godebski had never heard of Andrew Bobola. He was admonished to seek protection not from people but from God. Bobola instructed him to find his body in the church's basement and display it publicly, promising to help if this was done. Initially, it wasn't easy to locate his body, but a record in the archives indicated Andrew Bobola's burial in the basement. After a dream, the lay sacristan, Mr. Prokop Łukaszewicz, testified under oath in 1719 that on the night of April 18-19, 1702, Andrew Bobola appeared to him, indicating where his body could be found. Following this guidance, after three hours of searching, they found Andrew Bobola's coffin. A plaque on the lid read, "Father Andrew Bobola, S.J., tortured and killed by the Cossacks."

The body, covered in dust but remarkably well-preserved, showed signs of torture and congealed blood. Unlike other bodies, it hadn't decayed. When displayed publicly, a miracle occurred. The Swedish invaders, who were marching on Pińsk, turned away just before reaching the city. Pińsk was saved—the first posthumous miracle of Andrew Bobola. He demonstrated that if people followed his requests, he would be faithful and fulfill his promises. This is a lesson for us—when people pray to him and fulfill his requests, miracles happen! His relics continued to perform miracles, including healing the sick, and from 1708-1712, St. Andrew Bobola stopped a plague ravaging Europe and Poland. Despite this, his body remained preserved and exhibited miraculous signs. The Jesuits investigated the circumstances of his martyrdom, collecting documents and testimonies. Even an Eastern Catholic Bishop, Porfyliusz Kulczycki, provided crucial evidence.

Witnesses to his martyrdom and examination of his body contributed to the canonization process. Bishop Alexander Wychowski of Łódź visited Pińsk in 1712, examined the evidence, and spoke with witnesses. He confirmed the body's preservation and initiated an information process in his diocese. Eighteen years later, in 1730, a detailed examination of the body confirmed its supernatural preservation, leading to a new coffin and continued veneration. Despite setbacks, including the suppression of the Jesuit Order in 1773, efforts for beatification continued. During Poland's partitions, St. Andrew Bobola appeared again to provide hope, particularly to the Dominican Father Alojzy Korzeniowski in 1819, predicting Poland's restoration in 1918 and his own recognition as Patron in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.

St. Andrew Bobola's relevance continued into modern times. During the Bolshevik threat in 1920, Polish Bishops invoked his intercession, leading to the Miracle on the Vistula. This unity and prayer saved Poland from the Bolsheviks. Pope Pius XI, witnessing this miracle, facilitated the return of Bobola's relics from Soviet Russia in exchange for grain. Hidden from public view in Moscow, his relics were eventually transferred secretly to Rome, arriving on November 1, 1923. The canonization process began immediately, culminating in his canonization on April 17, 1938.

After his canonization, St. Andrew Bobola's relics triumphantly returned to Poland, symbolizing his enduring devotion and the nation's resilience. Even during World War II, despite political corruption, St. Andrew Bobola's intercession remained a beacon of hope. Post-war, his devotion diminished due to communist persecution, but Pope Pius XII's encyclical "Invictus Athleta Christi" in 1957 reaffirmed Poland's spiritual mission. In Strachocina, his birthplace, apparitions encouraged the revival of his veneration, leading to the establishment of a shrine.

St. Andrew Bobola continues to remind the Polish people of his role as their Patron, urging them to seek his intercession, especially on the 16th of each month. His message remains clear: through devotion to him, Poland will prosper and fulfill its divine mission as the bulwark of Christianity. Let's unite in prayer to St. Andrew Bobola, asking for his intercession in these challenging times, trusting in his promise to guide and protect our nation.