Stanislaus Kostka (1550-1568)

This young seminarian, now patron of Poland, died before he was able to be ordained . . .

Stanislaus Kostka

Feast Day: November 13
Canonized: December 31, 1726

“I expect great things of him,” St. Peter Canisius of wrote Stanislaus Kostka. He had in mind the accomplishments of St. Francis Xavier and other early Jesuits. But Stanislaus died before he could do anything … except live for God and become a saint.

Polish nobleman John Kostka did everything he could to oppose his son’s desire to become a priest. He encouraged his oldest son Paul to bully his brother and lure him into more worldly pursuits. But Stanislaus was determined to join the Jesuits. With Paul in hot pursuit, he fled to Dilligen, Germany, where Canisius (today a Doctor of the Church) welcomed him. Then to demonstrate his resolve, Stanislaus walked the 350 miles to Rome, where St. Francis Borgia, the Jesuit general, accepted him.

Stanislaus kept a journal during his novitiate. His notes reflect both a youthful idealism and an adult commitment. “Think of the joy,” he once wrote, “that the soul will feel in its escape from the prison of this body. So long has it lived in perpetual exile, expelled from its own heavenly home. How much greater its uncontainable joy and complete satisfaction when it arrives in its own country to enjoy the vision of God with the angels and the blessed.”

But Stanislaus, now the patron of Poland, did not complete his priestly training. Nine months into his novitiate he became very sick. Early on the morning of the feast of the Assumption, he told a priest that he saw Mary surrounded by many angels. Shortly afterward he died. Stanislaus was only 17.

His story behooves us to reflect on John Kostka, who discouraged Stanislaus’ vocation, and always encourage our children and grandchildren to follow whatever direction God seems to be calling them.

This column is written for Legatus Magazine by Bert Ghezzi. He writes and speaks frequently about saints. Ghezzi’s books include “Voices of the Saints,” “Mystics and Miracles,” and “Saints at Heart.” Online: bertghezzi.com