Bishop Piotr Sawczuk elevates Milejczyce church to Sacred Heart sanctuary

On 12 June, Bishop Piotr Sawczuk of the Drohiczyn diocese presided over a ceremony that raised the Church of St. Stanislaw in the village of Milejczyce, Poland, to the status of the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus the Good Shepherd. The Mass was attended by thousands of faithful, clergy, local officials, parliamentarians and pilgrims from across Poland and abroad, and was televised on Catholic TV.

The venerated image of the Sacred Heart, dating from the late 17th century, has attracted about 50 000 pilgrims each year. It survived the partitions of Poland, a period of conversion to Orthodoxy under Russian rule, and suppression during the communist era before being restored to Catholic worship. The sanctuary designation formally acknowledges the long‑standing devotion and its importance for the regional Catholic community.