St. Albert Chmielowski
Painter, Franciscan Brother, and Servant of the Poor
Feast Day: December 25
Biography
St. Albert Chmielowski (1845–1916) was born Adam Chmielowski on August 20, 1845, in Igołomia, near Kraków, in a Polish noble family. As a young student he joined the January Uprising of 1863 against Russian rule and was severely wounded, losing a leg. He then studied painting in Warsaw, Paris, and Munich and became a respected artist. In 1880 he entered the Jesuit novitiate, but he left after a period of severe spiritual distress. Recovering, he joined the Secular Franciscans and increasingly felt called to serve the poor. His painting Ecce Homo, an image of the suffering Christ, marked his conversion of heart. In Kraków he came to know the city's public warming shelters, where the homeless slept in misery, and chose to live among them. On August 25, 1887, he received the habit and became Brother Albert. In 1888 he founded the Brothers of the Third Order of St. Francis Servants of the Poor, known as the Albertines, and in 1891 the Albertine Sisters. They ran shelters, soup kitchens, and homes for the sick, the elderly, and the homeless. He died in Kraków on December 25, 1916. Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope St. John Paul II, wrote a play about him, Our God's Brother, and as pope beatified him in 1983 and canonized him in 1989. St. Anastasia is also commemorated today, the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord.
Patronages
Symbols
Prayer
St. Albert, you laid down your brushes to serve Christ in the poorest of your city. Pray for the homeless and for all who shelter and feed them. Help me to see the suffering face of Jesus in those who have nothing, and to be good like bread for everyone I meet, generous and humble in His service. Amen.
Asking for Intercession
Catholics ask saints to pray with us and for us, as we ask friends on earth. St. Albert Chmielowski, who lives in God's presence, intercedes before His throne. Speak from your heart: “St. Albert Chmielowski, please pray for me…” You may also pray the prayer above or include this intention in your Rosary.