St. Hyacinth the Apostle of Poland and South Russia
His Excellency, Bp. Daniel Dolan, published the following post on his Twitter:
Poles love their native land, but the Faith, souls and our heavenly homeland more. Today is St Hyacinth, Dominican apostle to tens of thousands in Scandinavia, Scotland, Russia, Greece Ukraine... Also birthday of the great King Jan Sobieski who saved Europe from the Crescent.
10:36 PM, 17 авг. 2021 г. Twitter for iPad
Source: Twitter: Bp. Daniel Dolan
A few words of pre-Vatican II authors about St. Hyacinth:
THE BOOK OF SAINTS:
HYACINTH (St.) (Aug. 16)
(13th cent.) Of an illustrious family of Silesia, he was born in 1185 near Breslau and, having completed his course of studies, became a Canon of Cracow. Repairing to Rome with the Bishop, his uncle, he met the great St. Dominic, whose Order he joined. After six months of Novitiate he made his profession and returned to his own country, converting many sinners on the way. Both at Cracow and elsewhere throughout Poland, he induced a great number of indifferent Christians to reform their lives, and founded monasteries in several places. He next journeyed through Pomerania, Denmark, Sweden and Norway; afterwards to the South of Russia, where he penetrated as far as the Black Sea. In a third journey he founded a monastery even in the distant and unlikely city of Kieff. After two years' rest at Cracow, he undertook (A.D. 1231) the longest of his Apostolic expeditions, penetrating into Asia, where he reached the frontiers of Thibet, and even made his way into China. He was an old man when he returned to Cracow, where he died shortly afterwards (A.D. 1257). St. Hyacinth was canonised A.D. 1594, and his Feast was ordered to be kept throughout the Western Church.
(THE BOOK OF SAINTS, A DICTIONARY OF SERVANTS OF GOD CANONISED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: EXTRACTED FROM THE ROMAN & OTHER MARTYROLOGIES, COMPILED BY THE BENEDICTINE MONKS OF ST. AUGUSTINE'S ABBEY, RAMSGATE, A. & C. BLACK, LTD. 4, 5 and 6 SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W. I, 1921, NIHIL OBSTAT: Innocent Apap S.Th.M.O.P., Censor Deputatus, IMPRIMATUR: Edm. Can. Surmont. Vic. Gen., 19 Feb. 1920, p. 139)
LIVES OF THE SAINTS:
August 16. - ST. HYACINTH. Hyacinth, the glorious apostle of Poland and Russia, was, born of noble parents in Poland, about the year 1185. In 1218, being already Canon of Cracow, he accompanied his uncle, the bishop of that place, to Rome. There he met St. Dominic, and received the habit of the Friar Preachers from the patriarch himself, of whom he became a living copy. So wonderful was his progress in virtue that within a year Dominic sent him to preach and plant the Order in Poland, where he founded two houses. His apostolic journeys extended over numerous regions. Austria, Bohemia, Livonia, the shores of the Black Sea, Tartary, and Northern China on the east, and Sweden and Norway to the west, were evangelized by him, and he is said to have visited Scotland. Everywhere multitudes were converted, churches and convents were built; one hundred and twenty thousand pagans and infidels were baptized by his hands. He worked numerous miracles, and at Cracow raised a dead youth to life. He had inherited from St. Dominic a most filial confidence in the Mother of God; to her he ascribed his success, and to her aid he looked for his salvation. When St. Hyacinth was at Kiev the Tartars sacked the town, but it was only as he finished Mass that the Saint heard of the danger. Without waiting to unvest, he took the ciborium in his hands, and was leaving the church. As he passed by an image of Mary a voice said: "Hyacinth, my son, why dost thou leave me behind? Take me with thee, and leave me not to mine enemies." The statue was of heavy alabaster, but when Hyacinth took it in his arms it was light as a reed. With the Blessed Sacrament and the image he came to the river Dnieper, and walked dry-shod over the surface of the waters. On the eve of the Assumption he was warned of his coming death. In spite of a wasting fever, he celebrated Mass on the feast, and communicated as a dying man. He was anointed at the foot of the altar, and died the same day, 1257.
Reflection. - St. Hyacinth teaches us to employ every effort in the service of God, and to rely for success not on our own industry, but on the prayer of His Immaculate Mother.
(LIVES OF THE SAINTS, With Reflections for Every Day in the Year, COMPILED FROM THE "LIVES OF THE SAINTS" by Rev. ALBAN BUTLER, New York, Cincinnati, Chicago, BENZIGER BROTHERS, PRINTERS TO THE APOSTOLIC SEE, 1913, Imprimatur. +Michael Augustine, Archbishop of New York, New York, January 21, 1887, pp. 282-283)
Based on the example of the life and apostolic activity of St. Hyacinth, at least four conclusions can be drawn:
- The fact that St. Hyacinth founded a monastery of the Latin Rite in Kiev, where he celebrated the Holy Mass without hindrance, testifies to the fact that the church in Kievan Rus was in unity with the Apostolic See. This fact refutes the far-fetched story, according to which St. Vladimir allegedly founded a church separated from Rome;
- Saint Hyacinth gives us an example of the true love of God and neighbor. For him his neighbors were not only people of his own nationality, but also people of other nationalities. For him, his neighbors were not only Europeans, but also Asians;
- How far from the example of St. Hyacinth are those who consider their nationality above others. Many nationalists* and all racists don’t like examples of such Saints, because the lives of these Saints do not align with nationalist or racist ideology;
- Speaking of the great Polish King, Jan Sobieski, we can find a lot in common with St. Hyacinth. Like St. Hyacinth Jan Sobieski believed that his neighbors were not only people of his own nationality. He proved this in practice by marrying a French woman and putting his life in danger by fighting for Vienna and for all the peoples of Europe.
*Not all of them
Fr. Valerii
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