- Eugene Bossilkov
Infobox Saint
name=Blessed Eugene Bossilkov
birth_date=November 16 ,1900
death_date=death date and age|1952|11|11|1900|11|16
feast_day=November 13
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
titles=Bishop ,Martyr
beatified_date=1998
beatified_place=Rome ,Italy byPope Paul VI Blessed Eugene Bossilkov , born Vincent Bossilkov, a member of thePassionist Congregation, bishop and martyr, bornNovember 16 ,1900 inBelene ,Bulgaria ; diedNovember 11 ,1952 . Beatified byPope John Paul II in 1998.Life
Born to a family of Bulgarian
Latin Rite Catholic s on November 16th 1900, Vincent Bossilkov entered thePassionist Congregation at the age of 14. The Passionists are an Italianreligious order founded bySaint Paul of the Cross in the eighteenth century and present in Bulgaria since 1781. [Mercurio, R: "The Passionists", page 43. The Liturgical Press, 1991] Vincent studied in the various Passionist houses inHolland andBelgium and took the religious name Eugene. He professed his vows in 1920 and was ordained to thepriesthood in 1926. He had returned to Bulgaria in 1924 and from then had pursued his theological studies further. In 1927 he went toRome to take his doctorate at thePontifical Oriental Institute , where he wrote his thesis on the subject of the Union of Bulgarians with theHoly See during the early 13th century. On his return to Bulgaria he served in various Diocesan offices, but he preferred actively working with thelaity . He took up a post asparish priest in theDanube valley. Here his reputation for scholarship grew and he was noted for his work with the youth of the parish. [Hogland, V: [http://www.cptryon.org/cpexams/bossilkov/bio.html "A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",] ]In the wake of
World War II theKingdom of Bulgaria was invaded by theSoviet Union and a newCommunist government was installed byJoseph Stalin . The new regime began to enacts laws which were aimed at the destruction of religion. In the midst of all this, Eugene was appointedBishop ofNicopolis in 1947. [Mercurio, R: "The Passionists", page 179. The Liturgical Press, 1991] From 1949 the attitude of the State to religious orders worsened. In the same year theApostolic Delegate wasdeported , Church property was seized and religious congregations suppressed. In 1952 the mass arrests of Church dignitaries began. OnJuly 16 , Bishop Eugene was seized in Sophia. [Mercurio, R: "The Passionists", page 179. The Liturgical Press, 1991]Martyrdom
Bishop Eugene faced both physical and mental
torture in prison where he was asked to confess to being the leader of a Catholicconspiracy aiming to subvertCommunism . [Hogland, V: [http://www.cptryon.org/cpexams/bossilkov/bio2.html "A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",] ] At a political show trial, two guns supposedly seized from the Catholic college in Sophia were presented as evidence. In fact the pistols were part of a museum exhibit. [Hogland, V: [http://www.cptryon.org/cpexams/bossilkov/bio2.html "A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",] ] Bishop Eugene was found guilty and the official sentence against him read;By virtue of articles 70 and 83 of the
penal code , the Court condemns the accused, Eugene Bossilkov, to be sentenced to death byfiring squad , and all his goods confiscated... Dr.Eugene Bossilkov, Catholic bishop; completed his religious studies inItaly and was trained by the Vatican forcounter-revolutionary activities andespionage . He is one of the directors of a clandestine Catholic organization. He was in touch withdiplomats from theimperialist countries and gave them information of a confidential nature. The accused convoked a diocesan council in which it was decided to combatCommunism through religious conferences, held inBulgaria , activities called ' a mission.' Noappeal of his sentence is possible. [ [http://www.cptryon.org/cpexams/bossilkov/bio3.html Condemnation and Martyrdom of Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.] ]Eugene was executed by firing squad in the grounds of the Prison on the night of
November 11 at 11:30 pm. His body was thrown into amass grave and has never been recovered. [Hogland, V: [http://www.cptryon.org/cpexams/bossilkov/bio3.html "A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",] ] News of Eugene's death was not confirmed until 1975 when a Bulgarian minister visited the Vatican and was asked byPope Paul VI what had happened to theBishop [Hogland, V: [http://www.cptryon.org/cpexams/bossilkov/bio3.html "A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",] ] .Pope Pius XII had mentioned Bishop Bossilkov in his encyclical letter "Orientales Ecclesias " to the Oriental Churches in 1952. [Hogland, V: [http://www.cptryon.org/cpexams/bossilkov/bio3.html "A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",] ]Beatification
Evidence regarding the Bishop's death was collected during the 1980s and then put before the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints inRome . At meetings in 1993 and 1994 the Congregation declared it was favourable to the cause of Bishop Bossilkov as a Catholicmartyr from a theological and juridical perspective. OnMarch 15 ,1998 Pope John Paul II declared Bishop Eugene 'Blessed '. [Hogland, V: [http://www.cptryon.org/cpexams/bossilkov/bio3.html "A Modern Christian Martyr: Bishop Eugene Bossilkov, C.P.",] ]External links
* [http://www.vatican.net/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/1998/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19980315_beatificazione_en.html Homily of John Paul II at the beatification of Blessed Eugene]
References
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