Saint of the Day: St. Stanislaus of Krakow

Bishop and Martyr (1030-1079)

His life

+ Stanislaus was born near Krakow, Poland, and was ordained a priest after completing his theological studies in Paris.

+ In 1072, he was ordained bishop of Krakow. As a bishop, he was beloved because of his care for the poor and he made frequent pastoral visitations of the clergy.

+ On account of his criticisms about Poland’s King Boleslas II—whom Stanislaus had excommunicated because of his sexual immorality and harsh treatment of his subjects—the king himself murdered Stanislaus as he celebrated Mass in Wawel Castle.

+ Saint Stanislaus was honored as a martyr immediately after his death and he was canonized in 1253.

For prayer and reflection

“The sacrament of Confirmation is received by us only once in our lifetime (just as Baptism is received only once). All of life which opens up in view of this sacrament assumes the aspect of a great and fundamental test: a test of faith and of character. Saint Stanislaus has become, in the spiritual history of the Polish people, the patron of this great and fundamental test of faith and of character. In this sense we honor him also as the patron of the Christian moral order.”—Pope Saint John Paul II

Spiritual bonus

On this day we also remember Blessed Symforian Ducki. A professed brother of the Capuchin Franciscans, he served his community as a cook before being arrested for his faith in the Nazi persecutions of Poland. He was sentenced to forced labor in the concentration camp at Auschwitz and died there on April 11, 1942. Blessed Symforian was beatified in 1999.

Prayer

O God, for whose honor the Bishop Saint Stanislaus
fell beneath the swords of his persecutors,
grant we pray,
that we may persevere strong in faith even until death.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.