Józef Bilczewski (26 April 1860 – 20 March 1923) was a Polish Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Lviv from 1900 until his death.

He earned a reputation as a learned and cultured man; these qualities led to Emperor Franz Joseph I nominating him for the Lviv archdiocese as its head.

[1][3] His cause for sainthood commenced in 1944 and he became titled as a Servant of God while the confirmation of his life of heroic virtue allowed for him to be named as Venerable on 18 December 1997.

[2] Józef Bilczewski was born in Wilamowice on 26 April 1860 as the eldest of nine children to commoners, Franciszek Biba and Anna Fajkisz.

He has current living descendants, residing mainly in Poland and England, who carry the family name Lukaszka, Makuch and Pietrzak.

In 1900 he was elected as the rector of that college but gave up the post not long after once Emperor Franz Joseph I selected him on 30 October 1900 to lead the Archdiocese of Lviv as its archbishop; Pope Leo XIII formalized the appointment on 17 December 1900.

The archbishop also encouraged devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and urged priests to implement Eucharistic Adoration in their parishes.

He also organized courses for the priests wanting to be prepared for social work among the poor and financed several Catholic societies.

[2] Bilczewski did his best alongside Andrzej Sheptytsky to help mediate and smooth tensions though this did not quite achieve positive results and the two worked with the apostolic nuncio Achille Ratti - future pope - in this regard.

[1][3] He died on 20 March 1923 due to a pernicious anemia which had first struck him not long before on 18 January; Pope Pius XI hailed him as one of the greatest bishops in the world and since 2001 his heart has been put in an urn and moved to the Lviv Cathedral.

The confirmation of his model life of heroic virtue allowed for Pope John Paul II to title him as Venerable on 18 December 1997.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano formalized the date on 24 February 2005 at a consistory representing the ill John Paul II who died over a month later.