Albert Chmielowski

Life Chmielowski was born in Igołomia, on the outskirts of Kraków Congress Poland, into a szlachta family, the eldest of four to Wojciech Chmielowski, (1811–1853) and Józefa Borzysławska (1821–1859). His siblings were Stanisław Teodor (b. 1848), Jadwiga Modesta Szaniawska (b. 1850) and Marian Antoni (1852–1903). He was prolific and sent his work to exhibitions in Poland. He was for time a popular artist. Religious themes began to appear at this juncture such as his St. Margaret's vision and his most celebrated work, Ecce homo, currently in the chapel of the Albertine Sisters in Kraków.

Adam Chmielowski's extant artistic output includes 61 oils, 22 watercolours and 15 drawings. Among his better known works are: Po pojedynku ("After the duel"), Dziewczynka z pieskiem ("Little girl with a dog"), Cmentarz ("Cemetery"), Dama z listem ("Lady with a letter"), Powstaniec na koniu ("Insurgent on horseback"), Zachód słońca ("Sunset") and Amazonka ("The amazon").

On 25 August 1887 he joined the Third Order of Saint Francis and took the religious name Albert. He made his first profession at the hands of the Cardinal Archbishop of Kraków Albin Dunajewski and took up residence in the public shelter where he had been volunteering.

The beatification process began with an information process which Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha oversaw from its inauguration in 1946, until its closure in 1947. Theologians approved all his spiritual writings as in line with the faith on 3 May 1956. While the formal introduction to the cause came on 27 January 1966 under Pope Paul VI in which he was announced a Servant of God. Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła – the future Pope John Paul II – oversaw the apostolic process from 15 September 1967 until 1968 while the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later validated the previous processes in Rome on 17 October 1970. The C.C.S. officials and their consultants approved the cause on 13 March 1976 as did the C.C.S. alone on 30 November 1976 while the confirmation of his life of heroic virtue allowed for Pope Paul VI to name him as Venerable on 20 January 1977.

The beatification miracle was investigated on a diocesan level where it occurred and it later received C.C.S. validation on 27 January 1983. A medical board of experts approved the healing as a miracle on 26 May 1983. Theologians followed up that June with the C.C.S. John Paul II approved the said miracle on 9 June 1983 and beatified Chmielowski while on a visit to Kraków on 22 June 1983.

The canonization miracle was investigated in the diocese of origin from 9 September to 24 November 1987 and this process was given its validation on 26 February 1988 before the medical board met to approve it, several months later, on 23 November 1988. Theological experts also assented to this miracle on 3 February 1989 as did the C.C.S. on 21 February 1989. Then John Paul II approved it on 24 February 1989, confirming that Chmielowski would be proclaimed as a saint in due course. John Paul II canonized Chmielowski on 12 November 1989 in Saint Peter's Square.

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