By JIM SCHUH
of The Gazette
Somewhere along the line on the way to sainthood, the Vatican seems to have misplaced St. Bronislava.
In 1839, the Roman Catholic Church beatified the Polish nun - the step before sainthood - but never finished the job. There's hope that while Pope John Paul II is in his native Poland, he might correct that apparent oversight. Bronislava is the patron saint of Krakow, and it was the archbishop of that city, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II.
Parishioners at St. Bronislava Parish in Plover signed petitions earlier this summer asking Rome to make their patron a saint and mailed the documents to the diocesan office at La Crosse. Then Bishop Raymond Burke sent them to his Vatican contacts. The bishop says he's "hopeful" the Church will act on the matter. (Bishop Burke has friends in high places at the Vatican; he served as Defender of the Bond of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura from 1989 until 1994 before returning to head the La Crosse Diocese.) From all indications, all the work necessary to qualify Blessed Bronislava as a saint in the Catholic Church is complete.
For centuries, Poles have considered Bronislava a saint, even though she never had the official designation. Bronislawa Odrowaz was born around 1200 in Kamien, Poland and lived until 1259. She entered the Premonstratensian convent in her mid to late teens, and lived a deeply spiritual life as a sister. She had a close association with the crucifix. Her biography reports that one day on a hillside near her convent, the crucified Christ appeared to her. Bronislava had several holy relatives, including a cousin, St. Hyacinth, and two others - St. Jacez and Blessed Czeslaw.
In the 1890s, the organizers of a new Plover parish named it for Bronislava. There's one other Catholic church in the United States carrying her name, and it's in the Chicago archdiocese - in the 8700 block of South Colfax Avenue. Bronislava also has another presence in Wisconsin - her likeness is among a group of holy women depicted on a sanctuary wall of St. Josephat's Basilica in Milwaukee.
Catholics consider Bronislava as a patron of a happy death and one who helps prevent disease.
At mid-week, when this article was prepared, there was still no word on whether the Pope might declare Bronislava a saint during his homeland visit, which runs from today (Aug. 16) through Monday. According to last week's Catholic Times newspaper, John Paul II is making his 9th trip to his homeland, and the biggest event on his schedule is to inaugurate a new basilica in a Krakow suburb dedicated to the Divine Mercy movement. Some consider it fitting that the Holy Father might use also the occasion to canonize Bronislava.
If the pope does not use his Polish trip to finalize the sainthood process for Bronislava, hope remains that he may do so on her feast day, Aug. 30.
Earlier this week, a Vatican official responded to speculation that the pope might resign on his visit to Poland and take up residence there, saying the pope's plans are to return to Rome.