
St Andrew Bobola was born in 1591 in the Palatinate of Sandomir and entered the Society of Jesus in 1611. After his ordination in 1622, he first served at Vilna as a preacher and director of the Sodality. From 1636 he worked as a travelling missionary and, at a time when the Church was subject to fierce persecution, strengthened a great number of Catholics in the faith. In 1657 he fell into the hands of Cossacks and after being subjected to savage torture, he died a martyr’s death in the town of Janow. He was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1938. In the homily the Pope preached at his canonisation, St Andrew was praised for his endurance, and went on to describe his achievements as models for all Christians to follow. Here’s an excerpt from the Canonisation Homily.