SHOWING THE WAY TO GOD
By Fr Tom Renshaw SJ, Rector, Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview
Saint Stanislaus Kostka, whose feast day we celebrate each November, was the first Jesuit to be officially recognised by the Church for his life of holiness, being beatified in 1605, 36 years after his death. In contrast, the beatification of Ignatius took place in 1609 and Francis Xavier in 1619. There was some concern that Kostka would become the first saint of the Society of Jesus; however, this did not happen with Ignatius and Xavier both being canonised in 1622. Kostka had to wait another 104 years, being canonised in 1726.
Stanislaus Kostka was born into a distinguished noble family in 1550 in what was then Rostkowo in Poland. At the age of 14, his father enrolled him and his older brother Paul at the newly established Jesuit school in Vienna. Stanislaus was considered to be a serious and quiet young boy who was committed to his studies. He also took his spiritual life seriously, being known to pray regularly. This caused tensions between him and his brother Paul who would often abuse him physically and verbally.
Towards the end of 1565, Stanislaus fell ill and was not expected to recover. He yearned to receive the Eucharist, but his brother Paul kept putting this off. Stanislaus prayed to Saint Barbara, the patron of the sodality he belonged to, and he had a mystical experience of Saint Barbara and two angels appearing to him and bringing him Communion. This brought much consolation.
Banner image: Stained glass depiction of Saint Stanislaus Kostka from the Kostka Chapel at Xavier College Kew.
Following on from this experience, he was determined more than ever to become a Jesuit. He approached the Provincial in Vienna, who indicated to him that he would need his parents’ consent. Stanislaus knew that his parents and his family were not in favour of his desire to join the Jesuits. The local Jesuits in Vienna feared displeasing his father, so they encouraged Stanislaus to approach St Peter Canisius, who was the Provincial of Germany. St Peter in turn encouraged St Stanislaus to approach the then Superior General in Rome, St Francis Borgia. In Canisius’ letter of introduction for Kostka, he wrote to St Francis Borgia, stating:
“He is a Polish noble and his name is Stanislaus. He is an excellent, intelligent young man. On his arrival here he was so eager to carry out his long-standing ambition – some years ago he committed himself unreservedly to the Society of Jesus, though not yet admitted to it. He was eager to be sent to Rome to be as far away as possible from any harassment by his family. He also wished to advance as much as he could in the path of holiness. We expect great things of him”.
St Stanislaus was admitted to the Jesuit novitiate in Rome in October 1567 but sadly died of a fever less than a year later, on August 15, 1568 at the age of 18. Known for his generosity of heart and his holiness, Kostka is buried in the Church of St Andrew on Quirinal Hill in Rome.
In 2018, on the 450th anniversary of his death, the late Pope Francis sent the following message to a group of young pilgrims who were walking from Przasnysz to Rostkowo, from the place of Kostka’s baptism to the place of his birth:
“I encourage you to remember, not only during this march, but on all the paths of your daily life, that you too are capable of performing this ‘race’. You too are driven by the love of Christ and strengthened by his grace. Be brave! The world needs your freedom of spirit, your confident gaze on the future, your thirst for truth, goodness and beauty. Saint Stanislaus teaches you that freedom which is not a blind race, but rather the ability to discern the goal and to follow the best ways of behaviour and life. He teaches you always to seek first of all friendship with Jesus; to read and meditate on His word and welcome in His Eucharist His merciful and powerful presence, to resist the conditioning of the worldly mentality.
“Saint Stanislaus teaches you not to be afraid of the risk and dreams of true happiness, whose source and guarantee is Jesus Christ. ‘Jesus is the Lord of risk, He is the Lord of the eternal ‘more’ … He wants your hands to continue building the world of today. And he wants to build that world with you” (cf Address at the Prayer Vigil of World Youth Day, Krakow, 30 July 2016). May Saint Stanislaus support you from heaven, and inspire you with his motto: ‘Ad maiora natus sum’ – ‘I was born for greater things’.”