Zygmunt Gorazdowski

Despite precarious health, Gorazdowski dedicated his ministry to the relief of misery in all its forms, which earned him the nicknames "father of the poor," "father of the beggars," and "priest of the homeless." In Lviv, he opened a workhouse for homeless beggars, a soup kitchen, an establishment for the incurably ill and convalescents, as well as a home for poor students. Above all, he created the "House of the Child Jesus," intended to welcome single mothers and abandoned children, a work through which many children were saved. A prolific writer, he composed a widely circulated catechism and numerous works intended for parents, educators, and youth, and he promoted the Catholic press. To perpetuate and support these works, he founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph (Sisters of Mercy of Saint Joseph) on February 17, 1884, dedicated to the service of the poor, the sick, and the oppressed. The congregation received marks of esteem from the Holy See at the beginning of the 20th century and was approved by the Church. It subsequently spread beyond Galicia, into Poland and other countries.

In the eyes of the Church, Gorazdowski's holiness lies in the deep unity between his charitable action and his spiritual life. According to Pope Benedict XVI, he was "famous for his piety founded on the celebration and adoration of the Eucharist": it was from the offering of Christ lived at the altar that his impetus toward the sick, the poor, and the needy sprang. In the founding of the association of priests, the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, and his numerous charitable institutions, he always let himself be guided by the spirit of communion fully revealed in the Eucharist. During the beatification in 2001, John Paul II had for his part praised his "full fidelity to the poor, chaste, and obedient Christ" and the way in which he united action with contemplation. His perseverance in the service of the most destitute, accomplished at the cost of fragile health and without seeking recognition, caused a solid reputation for holiness to grow around him, attested to by the clergy and the faithful of Lviv.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Gorazdowski was opened in 1989, and he received the title of Servant of God. After the recognition of the heroic nature of his virtues, which led to him being declared venerable, Pope John Paul II beatified him on June 26, 2001, during his trip to Ukraine, at a celebration at the Lviv hippodrome. On this occasion, the Pope presented him as an "authentic pearl of the Latin clergy" of Lviv. Pope Benedict XVI proceeded with his canonization on October 23, 2005, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. This mass, which concluded the 11th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and the Year of the Eucharist, saw the simultaneous elevation of five new saints: alongside Gorazdowski were canonized Archbishop Józef Bilczewski, Gaetano Catanoso, Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, and Felix of Nicosia. His liturgical feast is celebrated on January 1, the anniversary of his death.

The legacy of Zygmunt Gorazdowski is perpetuated first through the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph which he founded, still active in education, catechesis, and hospital and charitable service, in Poland as in other countries. Born Polish and having worked in a city that is today Ukrainian, he is readily presented as a figure of unity between Poles and Ukrainians, and his cult is alive in Lviv where he deployed his ministry. His example of concrete charity towards beggars, the incurably ill, mothers in distress, and abandoned children makes him a model of service to the poorest, rooted in the Eucharistic spirituality that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI highlighted. The first saint canonized in direct connection with the city of Lviv among the figures of the Latin clergy, he is honored every January 1st.