Since our dear friend Mr. Michta seems to be confused about our Catholic saints, as per his comment below:

"Pisano raz Sw. Stanislaw Kostka, to Sw. Stanislaw Biskup Polski, a jeszcze innym razem Sw. Stanislaw Benevolent Society, to jednak zawsze wiadomo bylo, ze to jest jedno i to samo Towarzystwo. Zupelnie jak z Matka Boska. Jedna jest Jasnogorska, druga Ostrobramska, jeszcze inne: Lichenska, Ludzmierska, z Mediagore, z Lourdes, Fatimska, z Guadeloupe itd. Nazw jest kilkaset, ale to jest zawsze jedna i ta sama Matka Boska."

Autorem powyzszych tekstow jest Gabriel Michta
Lipcowy numer "Naszej Gazetki" 2004

attached is information (in English) to show that although similar names may make one Matka Boska, Similar Names DO NOT Make One and the Same Saint Stanislaus.  Alas, as the Catholic Encyclopedia so clearly shows Ð Sw. Stanislaw Biskup Polski IS NOT Sw. Stanislaw Kostka, although some people would like to merge them into one body, I think the saints themselves might object!

The attached information can easily be found on the Internet but, for your ease in reading, has been copied into this document.  The reference source is given at the bottom of each column.  As we all know, the TRUTH is built upon facts, not opinion.  In hopes of building a better understanding of truth, I provide you with the information below ' musimy przede wszystkim dzialac otwarcie i mowic prawde'.

Halina Grochowski-Jimenez

St. Stanislaus of Cracow

Bishop and martyr, born at Szczepan—w (hence called Szczepanowski), in the Diocese of Cracow, 26 July, 1030; died at Cracow, 8 May, 1079; feast on May 7 in Roman Martyrology, but on 8 May in Cracow, which has a special feast of the translation of his relics on 27 September; patron of Poland and the city and Diocese of Cracow; invoked in battle. In pictures he is given the episcopal insignia and the sword. Larger paintings represent him in a court or kneeling before the altar and receiving the fatal blow. No contemporary biography of the saint is in existence. At the time of his canonization a life appeared written by a Dominican Vincent(?) (Acta SS.,May, II, 196) which contains much legendary matter. His parents, Belislaus and Bogna, pious and noble Catholics, gave him a religious education. He made his studies at Gnesen and Paris(?). After the death of his parents he distributed his ample inheritance among the poor. Lambert Zula, Bishop of Cracow, ordained him priest and made him pastor of Czembocz near Cracow, canon and preacher at the cathedral, and later, vicar-general. After the death of Lambert he was elected bishop, but accepted only on explicit command of Pope Alexander II. He worked with his wonted energy for his diocese, and inveighed against vices among high and low, regardless of consequences. Boleslaw II had become King of Poland. the renown he had gained by his successful wars he now sullied by atrocious cruelty and unbridled lust. Moreover the bishop had several serious disputes with the king about a piece of land belonging to the Church which was unjustly claimed by Boleslaw, and about some nobles, who had left their homes to ward off various evils threatening their families and who were in consequence cruelly treated by the king. Stanislaus spared neither tears nor prayers and admonitions to bring the king to lead a more Christian life. All being in vain, Boleslaw was excommunicated and the canons of the cathedral were instructed to discontinue the Divine Offices in case the king should attempt to enter. Stanislaus retired to the Chapel of St. Michael in a suburb of Cracow. The king was furious and followed the bishop with his guards, some of whom he sent to kill the saint. These dared not obey, so Boleslaw slew him during the Holy Sacrifice. The body was at first buried in the chapel, but in 1088 it was transferred to the cathedral by Bishop Lambert II. St. Stanislaus was canonized 1253 by Innocent IV at Assisi.

St. Stanislas Kostka

Born at Rostkovo near Prasnysz, Poland, about 28 October, 1550; died at Rome during the night of 14-15 August, 1568. He entered the Society of Jesus at Rome, 28 October, 1567, and is said to have foretold his death a few days before it occurred. His father, John Kostka, was a senator of the Kingdom of Poland and Lord of Zakroczym; his mother was Margaret de Drobniy Kryska, the sister 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. His older brother Paul survived him long enough to be present at the celebration of the beatification of Stanislas in 1605. The two brothers were first taught at home, the main feature of this early education being the firmness, even severity, of their training; its results were the excellent habits of piety, modesty, temperance, and submission. After this they were sent to Vienna with their tutor to attend the Jesuit college that had been opened four years before, reaching Vienna, 25 July, 1564. Among the students of the college Stanislas was soon conspicuous not only for his amiability and cheerfulness of expression, but also for his religious fervour and angelic piety. This spirit of devotion continued to grow during the three years he remained in Vienna. His brother Paul said of him during the process of beatification: "He devoted himself so completely to spiritual thing that he frequently became unconscious, especially in the church of the Jesuit Fathers at Vienna. It is true," added the witness, "that this had happened at home to my brother at Easter when he was seated at table with our parents and other persons." Among other practices of devotion he joined while at Vienna the Congregation of St. Barbara, to which many students of the Jesuit college belonged. If the confidences he then made to his tutor and later to a fellow-member of the Society at Rome are to be believed, it was Saint Barbara who brought two angels to him during the course of a serious illness, in order to give him the Eucharist. So much piety, however, did not please the older brother Paul; his exasperation led him to treat with violence the innocent Stanislas. The latter finally lost patience, and one night after Stanislas had again suffered the harsh comments and blows of his brother he turned on Paul with the words: "Your rough treatment will end in my going away never to return, and you will have to explain my leaving to our father and mother." Paul's sole reply was to swear violently at him.

Meantime the thought of joining the Society of Jesus had already entered the mind of the saintly young man. It was six months, however, before he ventured to speak of this to the superiors of the Society. At Vienna they hesitated to receive him, fearing the tempest that would probably be raised by his father against the Society, which had just quieted a storm that had broken out on account of other admissions to the Company. Stanislas quickly grasped the situation and formed the plan of applying to the general of the Society at Rome. The distance was five hundred leagues, which had to be made on foot, without equipment, or guide, or any other resources but the precarious charity that 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 he called his servant to him early and told him to notify his brother Paul and his tutor in the course of the 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 the curiosity of those he might meet. By nightfall Paul and the tutor comprehended that Stanislas had 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 carriage would break, or, as the tutor frankly declared, they had mistaken the route, having left the city by a 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 Peter 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 25 October, 1567. As he was greatly exhausted by the journey, the general of the order, St. Francis Borgia, would not permit him to enter 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 of religious perfection. Notwithstanding his very delicate constitution he did not spare himself the slightest penance ("Monument hist. Societatis Jesu, Sanctus Franciscus Borgia", IV, 635). 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 (ibid., 636). His confidence in the Blessed Virgin, which had already brought him many signal favours, was this time again rewarded; on 15 August, towards four in the morning, while he was wrapt in pious utterances to God, to the saints, and to the Virgin Mary, his beautiful soul passed to its Creator. His face shone with the most serene light. The entire city proclaimed him a saint and people hastened from all parts to venerate his remains and to obtain, if possible, some relics (ibid., 637). The Holy See ratified the popular verdict by his beatification in 1605; he was canonized on 31 December, 1726. St. Stanislas is 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 depicted receiving Holy Communion from the hands of angels; sometimes receiving the Infant Jesus from the 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 (Cahier, "CaractŽristiques des Saints").

This account has been drawn almost exclusively from the depositions of witnesses cited for the process of canonization of Stanislas (cf. Archivio della Postulazione generale d. C. d. G., Roma). The accompanying portrait is by Scipione Delfine and the oldest of St. Stanislas in existence. Having probably been painted at Rome the year of his death, perhaps after death, it may be regarded as the best likeness. The face is strikingly Slavonic, a fact that is not noticeable in his other portraits.

FRANCIS MERSHMAN
Transcribed by Dawid Nowaczewski

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV
Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company
Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight
Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor
Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

FRANCIS VAN ORTROY
Transcribed by Neil O'Sullivan
Alumnus of Kostka Hall in Melbourne, Australia

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV
Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company
Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight
Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor
Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

(1030-1070)

Poland has given us two saints named Stanislaus. Of these, the better known is the young Jesuit saint, Stanislaus Kostka (1550-1586). But in Poland itself Bishop St. Stanislaus is a national hero. He headed the diocese of Cracow, a predecessor of Pope John Paul II.

The family name of Cracow's Stanislaus was Szczepanowski. His parents were devout members of the nobility. They had been childless, but God finally rewarded their prayers for a family by sending them Stanislaus. From his birth onward, the grateful parents prepared him for the service of God. He was educated for the priesthood at Gnesen, in Poland, and perhaps also at Paris. Once ordained a priest of the Cracow diocese, Father Stanislaus won increasing fame as a preacher and spiritual director. His instruction and good example produced a body of persons, lay and clerical, who were outstanding for their Christian virtue. Therefore, when Bishop Lampert Zula died in 1072, the Catholics of Cracow agreed that Stanislaus should succeed him. Pope Alexander II concurred.

In those days, the king of Poland was Boleslaus II (1058-1080). Boleslaus was a man of ability, but he had grave flaws in character that eventually impaired his rule. At length, some of the chief Polish leaders, including Bishop Stanislaus and the King's own brother, Prince Ladislaus, withstood him. The traditional life story of the Bishop says that when Boleslaus kidnapped the unwilling wife of a nobleman for his own pleasure, Stanislaus rebuked him, threatening excommunication. The King retaliated cruelly by killing the Bishop.

More recent historians say, however, that Stanislaus played an active role in a plot of the Polish leaders to remove their oppressive monarch from office. Learning of the plot, Boleslaus accused Stanislaus of treason and ordered that he be chopped to death, limb by limb. .

Boleslaus was certainly responsible for the Bishop's death - he himself slew him in the Church of St. Michael, Cracow. But since the King's motives for the slaying might have been more political than theological, some have questioned whether the saintly bishop should be referred to as a martyr, which has hitherto been the practice. This is a technical matter.

A century after the brutal slaying of the Bishop of Cracow, Henry II, King of England, would incur responsibility for the execution of an equally forthright English bishop, St. Thomas Becket of Canterbury. In both the Polish and English cases, the victim won canonization, and the monarch had to eat humble pie. In Poland, Boleslaus faced such nationwide opposition that, after killing Stanislaus, he fled to Hungary, never to return; and his brother Ladislaus succeeded him. Stanislaus was hailed not only as a saint but as a national hero. In 1088 his body was enshrined in the Cathedral Church of Cracow, and in 1253 Pope Innocent IV named him to the honors of the altar. Ever since then, the Polish people have found inspiration in his heroic example whenever they have been imposed upon by rulers hostile to their nation's civil and religious rights.

Fortunately for Boleslaus, he profited by his own humiliation. Taking up residence in the Hungarian Benedictine abbey of Osiak, he spent the rest of his life making amends for his sins. An eleventh-century list of saints and martyrs venerated by the Polish Benedictine monks even lists him as a near-saint: ÒBlessed Boleslaus, King and penitent.Ó Here was a wonderful exemplification of Christ's parable of the Good Shepherd. Jesus has not hesitated to leave the 99 sheep - St. Stanislaus of Cracow among them - to seek out and bring back in triumph Boleslaus the stray!

--Father Robert F. McNamara

This page last modified on: 08/03/2004 11:07:40EST
Web Site Copyright 1999-2004 St. Thomas The Apostle Church, All Rights Reserved
Saints Alive Copyright 1984-2004 Rev. Robert F. McNamara, All Rights Reserved