Fr Prof. Benignus Józef Wanat OCD as a promoter of the worship of St Rafał Kalinowski

Abstract

This article shows the commitment of the late Fr. prof. dr. hab. Benignus J. Wanat OCD in spreading the cult of St. Raphael Kalinowski (1835–1907), the January insurrectionist and convict who was transported to Siberia, later a Discalced Carmelite and restorer of this Order on Polish soil, and the first Discalced Carmelite who attained canonisation in the Church, since St. John of the Cross. On the occasion of St Raphael’s beatification in 1983, Father Wanat was a founder of the chapel and museum dedicated to the Saint and located at the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites in Czerna near Kraków. Also, on the occasion of the canonization of Saint Raphael in 1991, while provincial superior, Father Wanat published his biography in the Vatican newspaper „L’Osservatore Romano”, collaborated with artists depicting the Saint and referred a circular letter to the Polish Carmelite Province presenting the life and spirituality of St. Raphael, entitled „New Star of Carmel”.
The author draws on knowledge from publications and personal cooperation, having known many of the details of the case through first-hand witness.