Scripture Readings

• First Reading: Tit 3: 1-7

• Responsorial Psalm: Ps 23: 1b-3a, 3bc-4, 5, 6

• Alleluia Verse: 1 Thes 5:18

• Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

Reflection on Today’s Feast

By Fr. George Witt, SJ

What does holiness look like for a Jesuit novice, or for someone discerning a call to enter the novitiate?    

Since every person is different, and since God deals directly and uniquely with each of us, there is no simple, one-size-fits-all answer to the question.  Holiness has many faces.  At the same time, we all need models and good example to inspire us.

For over four-hundred years, the Society of Jesus has held up St. Stanislaus Kostka, SJ, as that model.

Why him?  Consider his story:

 Stanislaus Kostka was born in Poland in 1550.  He entered the Jesuit novitiate at age 17 and died less than a year later, while still a novice. His path to the novitiate had not been easy.

Born to an aristocratic family (his father was a senator of the Kingdom of Poland and his mother was an aunt of the Chancellor of the Kingdom), Stanislaus and his older brother Paul were sent for studies to a prestigious Jesuit school in Vienna.  The brothers were very different from one another (which is not uncommon of course!), but unfortunately Paul resented Stanislaus’ natural piety and his devotion to prayer, and regularly beat him for it.

At one point during their studies, as they lodged in the home on one of their professors, Stanislaus came down with a mysterious illness that set the stage for two miraculous events/visions.  Since Paul refused to send for Holy Communion for his ailing brother, Stanislaus prayed fervently through the intercession of St. Barbara (a favorite saint of his) that he be able to receive Communion before dying.  Miraculously, St. Barbara appeared with two angels who gave him the sacrament.  Later, Mary appeared to him, holding the Christ child.  It is for these reasons that iconographers depict St. Stanislaus in two different ways: sometimes receiving communion from the angels and other times beholding Mary and infant Jesus.

Claims of such miraculous experiences only vexed his brother all the more and their relationship continued to deteriorate.  Their parents, meanwhile, had high hopes for Stanislaus and Paul back in Poland.  But Stanislaus by that point was determined to become a Jesuit.  He knew, however, that neither his brother nor his parents would support him and that he would have to take dramatic action.  So in order to escape their reach, he walked(!) over 300 miles from Vienna to Augsburg to present himself to the Jesuit Provincial of Germany, Fr. Peter Canisius (another Jesuit now considered a saint).  Fr. Canisius sent him to Rome (another 600 miles by foot!) .  Stanislaus was subsequently admitted to the novitiate in Rome by the general superior of the order, Fr. Francis Borgia (yet another Jesuit now considered a saint). According to his novice director, Fr. Giulio Fazio, SJ, Stanislaus quickly became  “a model and mirror of religious perfection.”

Unfortunately, after only a short time there, Stanislaus became gravely ill.  He died on August 15, 1568, ten months into the novitiate experience.  But by that time, his determination, selflessness, devotion to prayer, and total dedication to God  had become well known,  both within the Society and outside it.  Stanislaus Kostka was beatified in 1605 (four years ahead of Ignatius Loyola and fourteen years ahead of Francis Xavier!).  His brother Paul was in attendance at the ceremony. Stanislaus was named a saint in 1726.

Stanislaus’ story is unlike our own in many ways.  A 16th Century Polish youth of noble birth who entered religious life as a 17-year-old would not seem to offer much overlap with today’s college-educated, young-adult novices and candidates.

Despite the differences, however, it is easy to spot elements of Stanislaus’ story that make him relevant today.

• First, he gave up a career path that lay wide-open before him.  Men and women considering religious life today often face a similar choice. After years of schooling and professional training, many candidates are well-prepared for a secular career.  Stanislaus Kostka faced a similar dynamic and opted for religious life.

• Second, Stanislaus was not afraid to go against the tide.  It is common today to experience strong negative reactions from parents and others when a desire to enter religious life is expressed.  Without the support of loved ones, it can be difficult to make this choice, even if one senses that the call is real.  Stanislaus Kostka knew this experience very well. 

• Third, he demonstrated dogged determination, first in entering, then in generously giving himself to all that was asked in the novitiate.  The obstacles to entering religious life today can seem overwhelming.  And perseverance is needed in the novitiate when inevitable challenges arise.  Stanislaus Kostka models these in great abundance.

 All of which is to say that after four-hundred years, Stanislaus Kostka remains a model of holiness for novices and for those considering a vocation to the Society of Jesus.  I encourage you to pray through his intercession for the graces you need to discern your call to enter the Jesuit novitiate. 

St. Stanislaus Kostka, pray for us!

Fr. George Witt, SJ, serves as the Director of Novices at the St. Andrew Hall Jesuit Novitiate in Syracuse, NY, for the USA East Jesuit Province.