Our Patron Saint's Biography

The Son of a Polish Senator, Saint Stanislaus Kostka was born at Rostkovo Castle in Poland on October 28, 1550. He was educated by a private tutor and then sent to the Jesuit College in Vienna when he was fourteen. He was soon known for his studious ways, deep religious fervor, and mortifications. After he recovered from a serious illness, during which he experienced several visions, he decided to join the Jesuits. Opposed by his father and refused admission by the Vienna provincial, who feared his father reaction if he admitted the youth, Stanislaus walked 350 miles to Dillengen where Saint Peter Canisius, provincial of Upper Germany, took him in and then sent him to Rome, where Saint Francis Borgia, father general of the Society of Jesus, accepted him into the Jesuits in 1567, when he was seventeen. He practiced the most severe mortifications, experienced ecstasies at Mass, and lived a life of great sanctity. He died in Rome on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, only nine months after joining the Jesuits. Representations of Saint Stanislaus in art have been varied. Sometimes he is depicted receiving Holy Communion from the hands of angels. Sometimes he is shown receiving the Infant Jesus from the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Stanislaus is honored as patron saint of Jesuit novices, students, and youth. He also one of the patron saints of Poland. Saint Stanislaus Kostka's feast is celebrated on November 13.

Taken from Dictionary of Saints by John J. Delaney