The cause of beatification of the "Mother of the lepers" opens in Poland

Following the opening of his cause, Bishop Bryl preached during a mass in the cathedral, describing Błeńska as a woman of faith whose actions were rooted in prayer.

Wanda Blenska, missionary doctor and "Mother of the lepers". In 1951 he founded a leprosy treatment center in Uganda, where he treated lepers for 43 years

The cause for the beatification of a Polish medical missionary known as the "mother of lepers" was opened on Sunday.

Bishop Damian Bryl inaugurated the diocesan phase of the cause of Wanda Błeńska in the cathedral of Poznań, western Poland, on October 18, the feast of St. Luke, patron saint of doctors.

Błeńska has spent more than 40 years in Uganda caring for patients with Hansen's disease, also known as leprosy, training local doctors and transforming the St. Francis Hospital in Buluba into an internationally renowned treatment center.

Following the opening of his cause, Bishop Bryl preached during a mass in the cathedral, describing Błeńska as a woman of faith whose actions were rooted in prayer.

"From the very beginning of her choice of life path, she began to collaborate with the grace of God. As a student, she was involved in various missionary works and was grateful to the Lord for the grace of faith," she said, according to the website of the Archdiocese of Poznań.

The archdiocese reported that there were "thunderous applause" when it was announced that Błeńska could now be called the "Servant of God".

Mgr Bryl, an auxiliary bishop, replaced Archbishop Stanislaw Gądecki of Poznań, who was supposed to celebrate mass but tested positive for coronavirus on October 17. The archdiocese said Archbishop Gądecki, president of the Polish bishops' conference, isolated himself at home after the positive test.

Błeńska was born in Poznań on October 30, 1911. After graduating as a doctor, she practiced medicine in Poland until her work was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War.

During the war, he served in the Polish resistance movement known as the National Army. Subsequently, he pursued advanced studies in tropical medicine in Germany and Great Britain.

In 1951 he moved to Uganda, serving as a primary at a leprosy treatment center in Buluba, a village in eastern Uganda. Under his care, the facility expanded into a 100-bed hospital. She was named an honorary citizen of Uganda in recognition of her work.

He passed the leadership of the center to a successor in 1983 but continued to work there for the next 11 years before retiring to Poland. She died in 2014 at the age of 103.

In his homily, Bishop Bryl recalled that Błeńska often said that doctors should love their patients and not be afraid of them. He insisted that “The doctor must be a friend of the patient. The most effective cure is love. "

“Today we remember the beautiful life of Dr. Wanda. We give thanks for this and ask that the experience of meeting her touch our hearts. May the beautiful wishes with which he lived be awakened in us too, ”said the bishop.