St. Stanislas Kostk Born at Rostkovo near Prasnysz, Poland, about October 28, 1550; died at Rome during the night o 14-15 August, 1568. He entered the Society of Jesus at Rome, October 28, 1567, and is said t have foretold his death a few days before it occurred. His father, John Kostka, was a senator of th Kingdom of Poland and Lord of Zakroczym; his mother was Margaret de Drobniy Kryska, the siste and niece of the Dukes Palatine of Masovia and the aunt of the celebrated Chancellor of Poland Felix Kryski. The marriage was blessed with seven children, of whom Stanislas was the second. Hi older brother Paul survived him long enough to be present at the celebration of the beatification o Stanislas in 1605.
The thought of joining the Society of Jesus had already entered the mind of the saintl young man. It was six months, however, before he ventured to speak of this to the superiors of th Society. At Vienna they hesitated to receive him, fearing the tempest that would probably be raise by his father against the Society, which had just quieted a storm that had broken out on account o other admissions to the Company. Stanislas quickly grasped the situation and formed the plan o applying to the general of the Society at Rome. The distance was five hundred leagues, which had t be made on foot, without equipment, or guide, or any other resources but the precarious charity tha might be received on the road.
The prospective dangers and humiliations of such a journey, however did not alarm his courage. On the morning of the day on which he was to carry out his project h called his servant to him early and told him to notify his brother Paul and his tutor in the course of th morning that he would not be back that day to dinner. Then he started, taking the first opportunity to exchange the dress of gentleman for that of a mendicant, which was the only way to escape th curiosity of those he might meet. By nightfall Paul and the tutor comprehended that Stanislas ha turned from them as he had threatened. They were seized with a fierce anger, and as the day was ended the fugitive had gained twenty-four hours over them.
They started to follow him, but were not able to overtake him; either their exhausted horses refused to go farther, or a wheel of their carriag would break, or, as the tutor frankly declared, they had mistaken the route, having left the city by different road from the one which Stanislas had taken. It is noticeable that in his testimony Paul gives no explanation of his ill-luck. Stanislas stayed for a month at Dillingen, where the provincial of that time, the Blessed Pete Canisius, put the young aspirant’s vocation to the test by employing him in the boarding-school. Subsequently he went on to Rome, where he arrived October 25, 1567.
As he was greatl exhausted by the journey, the general of the order, St. Francis Borgia, would not permit him to ente the novitiate of Saint Andrew until several days later. During the ten remaining months of his life according the testimony of the master of novices, Father Giulio Fazio, he was a model and mirror o religious perfection. Notwithstanding his very delicate constitution he did not spare himself th slightest penance. He had such a burning fever his chest that he was often obliged to apply cold compresses. On the eve of the feast of St. Lawrence, Stanislas felt a mortal weakness made worse by a high fever, and clearly saw that his last hour had come.
He wrote a letter to the Blessed Virgin begging her to call him to the skies there to celebrate with her the glorious anniversary of her Assumption. His confidence in the Blessed Virgin, which had already brought him many signal favours, was this time again rewarded; on August15, towards four in the morning, while he was wrapt in pious utterance to God, to the saints, and to the Virgin Mary, his beautiful soul passed to its Creator. His face shon with the most serene light. The entire city proclaimed him a saint and people hastened from all part to venerate his remains and to obtain, if possible, some relics . He was canonized on December 31, 1726.
St. Stanislasis one of the popular saints of Poland and many religious institutions have chosen him as the protector of their novitiates. The representations of him in art are very varied; he is sometimes depicte receiving Holy Communion from the hands of angels; sometimes receiving the Infant Jesus from th hands of the Virgin; or he is shown in the midst of a battle putting to flight the enemies of his country. At times he is depicted near a fountain putting a wet linen cloth on his breast. He is invoked for palpitations of the heart and for dangerous cases of illness.
