Bl. Bogumilus

Bogumilus, a native of Poland, became the parish priest of a church he himself had built at Dobrow, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. In 1167 he was consecrated archbishop of the Polish see of Gniezno. Bogumilus recited the divine office with much care and devotion according to Gniezno's particular liturgical traditions. Each day before celebrating Mass, he would prepare by prostrating himself in prayer, extending his arms in the form of a cross. It was thus that he asked the angels to present his prayers to God, and petitioned the Blessed Virgin Mary to obtain for him the purity of heart requisite to consecrate the Eucharist worthily. His great devotion to the Mother of God prompted him to recite daily the Office of the Blessed Virgin and an early form of the rosary. He gave much of his time to mental prayer, which he punctuated with fervent aspirations: "May I love you, O Lord, my strength; O Lord, my pillar, and my refuge, and my deliverer." On his deathbed, Bogumilus experienced a vision of the Madonna and Child, surrounded by a throng of angels, inviting him to heaven.