Dear Parish Priests and Lay Faithful living and worshipping in the Diocese of Worcester,
I wish to inform you with great joy that, by my decision, the Diocesan Shrine of St. Andrew Bobola, Patron of Poland, will be established in the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts. St. Andrew Bobola is venerated through his relics in Poland at the National Shrine in Warsaw and Strachocina. His relics are also present in the Diocese of Worcester at St. Andrew’s Parish in Dudley, MA, which is the only parish in the United States where he has been the patron for 72 years.
Pope Pius XII wrote in his 1957 Encyclical INVICTI ATHLETAE:
"It is our fervent desire that all participants of the glorious name of Catholics around the world, especially those sons of the beloved Polish land for whom the invincible hero of Christ, Andrew Bobola, is a source of pride and a splendid example of Christian bravery, reflect with pious hearts and minds on his martyrdom and his holiness on the three-hundredth anniversary of his death."
Deeply moved by the testimony of St. Andrew Bobola's life and his martyrdom for the faith, and admiring his merits in promoting Christian unity, I hope that this new Shrine of St. Andrew Bobola will become a center for fostering devotion to this great martyr among all Christians who seek to follow his virtues.
The Shrine will be solemnly dedicated during the Holy Year on May 11, 2025, during the 75th-anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Diocese of Worcester.
As the Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester, I cordially invite you, my dear Parish Priests, and the faithful of your parish communities to pray for the future of this Shrine and to participate in its dedication to the best of your ability. A Novena to St. Andrew Bobola will be led by His Excellency Bishop Piotr Turzyński, delegate of the Polish Episcopate, from May 2 to 10, 2025.
We commend you, my brother priests, to our prayers and entrust you to the care of St. Andrew Bobola, so that he may intercede for you and obtain blessings from God.
With every prayerful best wish I remain,
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, S.T.D.
Bishop of Worcester
A pdf of the letter is attached for sharing with your parishioners through Flocknote, your website or other available means. It is also included in Parish letters and inserts on the diocesan website and in the CSM Resources folder for bulletin inserts.
