It is a place that could have ceased to exist. But thanks to the determination of a Polish priest, the only St. Andrew Bobola Shrine in the United States has been established. “It was St. Andrew himself who gave me signs that it should be built,” says Fr. Krzysztof Korcz, custodian of the new shrine in Dudley, Massachusetts, in an interview with Vatican News. The priest travelled to the Vatican and received the blessing of Pope Leo XIV.

On a Mission with the Saint’s Image

“I’m overjoyed that St. Andrew Bobola came to meet Pope Leo XIV,” says Fr. Korcz. He brought an image to the Vatican that, he emphasizes, has become a tool for spreading devotion and a symbol of the new shrine.

It is a photocopy of the statue of St. Andrew Bobola created in 1954 when the church in Dudley was originally built. “None of this would have happened without the spiritual support of the well-known Jesuit, Fr. Louis Gallagher,” Fr. Korcz adds. He notes that Fr. Gallagher was one of those who helped rescue the relics of St. Andrew from Moscow.

Bobola Saved the Church

The Shrine of St. Andrew Bobola in Dudley—the only one in the U.S.—was officially dedicated on May 11th of this year by Bishop Robert McManus of the Diocese of Worcester. As Fr. Korcz recalls, just a few years ago he himself doubted the parish could be saved. “After the pandemic, we were down to just 120 families. I was planning to meet with the bishop and propose merging our parish with St. Joseph’s Basilica in Webster—essentially closing our parish,” he says. But that meeting, scheduled for June 29, 2023, was—according to Fr. Korcz—was “providentially cancelled.” “That’s when the signs from St. Andrew Bobola began,” he adds.

Miracles That Changed Everything

Fr. Korcz received a phone call from a man in Chicago whose wife had suffered a stroke. After praying through the intercession of St. Andrew Bobola, she recovered. “He told me: ‘I had a dream that I should have a Mass said at a church dedicated to St. Andrew Bobola in the U.S. I found your parish. It is the only one like it in all of America. I was stunned,’” recalls Fr. Korcz.

Then came another miracle. “A parishioner diagnosed with colorectal cancer asked me to pray for her during a novena. The next day, doctors told her that a stage-three tumor had shrunk to just 0.02,” the pastor of the Shrine recounts. It was Bishop McManus who recommended that Fr. Korcz pray the novena. The diocesan bishop also gave the healed parishioner permission to publicly share her testimony.

A Pilgrim of Hope for America

St. Andrew Bobola not only saved the church—he became a pilgrim of hope. “During the preparations for the shrine’s establishment, I received a sign from St. Andrew Bobola to leave the rectory and travel with his image and relics to Polish American parishes,” says the custodian of the Dudley Shrine. He emphasizes that it was St. Andrew who drew over 1,000 pilgrims from ten states to the May 11 celebration. Just a month and a half later—on June 25—Fr. Krzysztof Korcz met with Pope Leo XIV, who blessed the image of the saint.

A Great Martyr Reminds Us of Core Values

“In these challenging times, St. Andrew Bobola, as one of the Church’s greatest martyrs, reminds us: ‘Remain faithful to the faith of your fathers,’” says Fr. Korcz. He adds that the saint’s message to the Polish people remains relevant today. “God, Honor, Homeland—these are values worth dying for, as he did,” he says.

Fr. Korcz firmly believes that St. Andrew Bobola continues to give signs and perform miracles to bring hope to today’s Christians. “He shows us that his martyrdom was not in vain,” the Polish priest affirms.

Wojciech Rogacin, Karol Darmoros