St. Stanislaus

Their story

Stanislaus was born around 1030 in the village of Szczepanów, in Poland. He studied for the priesthood, possibly in Gniezno and Paris, and after his ordination served in Kraków, where he became known as an eloquent preacher and a wise adviser. In 1072 he was chosen as bishop of Kraków. He was devoted to the poor, visited his parishes faithfully and worked to raise the standards of the clergy. The king of Poland at the time, Boleslaus II, was a brave soldier but a cruel and immoral ruler, and his injustice and violence caused great suffering. Stanislaus spoke to him privately, urging him to change his ways. When the king did not listen, the bishop publicly rebuked him and finally excommunicated him. In 1079, in his fury, the king went to a small church outside Kraków where Stanislaus was celebrating Mass. When his soldiers refused to harm the bishop, Boleslaus killed him with his own hands. The murder shocked the whole country, and the king was soon forced to flee Poland. Stanislaus was canonized in 1253 and became one of Poland's patron saints, honored as a defender of moral order and of the freedom of the Church. Pope St. John Paul II, who was archbishop of Kraków centuries later, had a great devotion to him.