Józef Andrasz (born 16 October 1891 in
Wielopole, Nowy Sącz County; died 1 February 1963 in
Kraków) was a Polish
Roman Catholic priest, writer, translator and editor. A member of the
Society of Jesus, he was a confessor of
Faustina Kowalska.
Career
Andrasz worked in the
Apostleship of Prayer
The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network is a Pontifical Society of the Catholic Church, which encourages Catholics to prayer and action as part of the church's universal mission. The Network provides monthly prayer intentions determined by the Pope. It ...
publishing house in Poland (''Wydawnictwo Apostolstwa Modlitwy''). He was responsible for the publication of 41 volumes in the series The Library of the Internal Life (''Biblioteka Życia Wewnętrznego''). They were mostly translations of great works on
asceticism
Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
that he had worked on himself. He was also the editor-in-chief of the popular Catholic paper "The Messenger of the Heart if Jesus" (''Posłaniec Serca Jezusowego''). He was also national manager of the ''Apostleship of Prayer'' and of ''Catholic Action for Family Consecration'' -(''Dzieło Poświęcenia Rodzin'').
While
Faustina Kowalska stayed with her order in Kraków, he became her confessor. She mentioned Andrasz many times in her ''Diary'' in terms such as follow:
:"It is a strange thing that, until I met Father Andrasz, confessors could neither understand me nor set my mind at rest concerning these matters
he revelations (p.111), and
:"I am very grateful to the Lord for having given me an enlightened priest" (p. 1596).
The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy
/ref>
Initiation of Divine Mercy
In 1943 Andrasz initiated public devotion to the Divine Mercy
The Divine Mercy is a form of God's compassion, an act of grace based on trust or forgiveness. In Catholicism, it refers specifically to a devotion which had its origin in the apparitions of Jesus Christ reported by Faustina Kowalska.
Etymolog ...
in the Divine Mercy Sanctuary (Kraków) Divine Mercy Sanctuary may refer to:
* Divine Mercy Sanctuary, Kraków, with the remains of saint Faustina Kowalska and the most popular Divine Mercy image by Adolf Hyła
* Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy, Vilnius, with the first Divine Mercy image b ...
. The same year, under his direction, a popular version of the Image of Divine Mercy since exhibited in the sanctuary, was painted by Adolf Hyła
Adolf Hyła (2 May 1897 – 24 December 1965)Słownik Artystów Polskich i Obcych w Polsce działających Wrocław. 1979. (In Polish). Accessed from August 10, 2012. was a Polish people, Polish painter and art teacher.''Faustina: The Apostle of D ...
.
See also
* Michał Sopoćko
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrasz, Jozef
1891 births
1963 deaths
People from Nowy Sącz County
People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
20th-century Polish Jesuits
Divine Mercy