Aleksander Woźny

Aleksander Woźny's ministry unfolded over 38 years in service to the Saint John Cantius parish in Poznań. He distinguished himself there as a pastor of immense charity and an indefatigable confessor, which earned him the nickname of "prisoner of the confessional" or "Polish Vianney." Anxious to welcome all penitents, he spent many hours each day in the confessional, beginning as early as 5 a.m. to allow workers and employees to confess before their workday.

A pioneer in the dissemination of the spirituality of Divine Mercy, he established one of the very first centers of devotion to Divine Mercy in Poland in his parish. He also encouraged and accompanied the birth of numerous lay movements and communities, such as the "Sons of God" (Figli di Dio), "The Family of the Heart of the Crucified Love" (Rodzina Serca Miłości Ukrzyżowanej), the "Light-Life" movement (Ruch Światło-Życie), the Renewal in the Holy Spirit, and the Neocatechumenal Way.

At the national level, his pastoral expertise and dedication led the Polish Episcopal Conference to appoint him national director for women's ministry, as well as president of the Synod Commission for the Apostolate of the Laity in 1966.

The reputation of holiness of Aleksander Woźny, firmly established during his lifetime due to his humility, his life of prayer, and his pastoral dedication, spread widely after his death.

The process for his beatification officially began after obtaining the nihil obstat decree issued by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on October 22, 2013. The diocesan inquiry was opened on January 25, 2014, by the Archbishop of Poznań, Mgr Stanisław Gądecki, and concluded on May 23, 2015. The legal validity of this inquiry was recognized by a Roman decree on March 4, 2016.

Following the drafting of the Positio, the cause was examined by the Congress of Theological Consultors on February 1, 2022, and then by the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on November 8, 2022, all of whom issued a favorable opinion regarding the heroic nature of his virtues.

On December 17, 2022, Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic nature of the theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) and cardinal virtues of Aleksander Woźny, thereby officially conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

The spirituality of Aleksander Woźny is based on the "little way" of spiritual childhood theorized by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. From his seminary years, his rector, Blessed Michał Kozal, had noted in him a "childlike character." Far from being a mark of immaturity, this trait translated into an absolute, filial, and unwavering trust in Divine Providence, allowing him to endure the hell of the Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps, as well as Stalinist prisons, without ever yielding to despair or resentment. His life motto consisted of "taking the Gospel seriously" (brać na serio całą Ewangelię). In his ministry of spiritual direction, he was renowned for his gift of discernment and his ability to read souls, guiding the faithful toward a holiness lived out daily through small, ordinary actions performed with love. His teachings, homilies, and spiritual retreats, faithfully recorded and transcribed by his parishioners, continue to be published and widely disseminated in Poland (notably through his reference work Drogi / The Ways), inspiring new generations of believers and priests.