Józef Sebastian Pelczar
Polish bishop, saint of the Catholic Church (1842-1924)
Feast: 19 January (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Józef Sebastian Pelczar was born on 17 January 1842 at Korczyna, near Krosno, at the foot of the Carpathians, in a home steeped in old Polish piety. His parents, seeing his exceptional intelligence, sent him to school in Rzeszów. He was ordained on 17 July 1864.
Auxiliary bishop of Przemyśl from 1899 and then its bishop, he founded the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was an outstanding teacher of the spiritual life. He died on the night of 27–28 March 1924, remembered as a man of God who always did his Lord's will in hard times.
The miracles
The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A bishop and spiritual master who did God's will faithfully through difficult times.
Connected on this site
- Klara Ludwika Szczęsna Blessed“She was the co-founder of the Sisters, Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus which she established with Józef Sebastian Pelczar.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Jósef Sebastian Pelczar
- Wikidata Q680178 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Józef Sebastian Pelczar (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.