St. Casimir, Patron of Poland and Lithuania, and the son of King Casimir IV of Poland, died at the age of 25, after having led a life of great piety and austerity.
Newsroom (10/03/2023 1:40 PM, Gaudium Press) Casimir was born on 3 October 1458, in the castle of Wawel in Krakow. His father, Casimir IV, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and it fell to him to govern an extensive territory that stretched almost as far east as Moscow and as far south as the Black Sea. His mother was the Archduchess Isabella, daughter of Albert II of Habsburg, King of the Romans and sovereign of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia.
This Saint was the third of 13 children. Both he and his brothers received an excellent education, for, as their mother Elizabeth saw in every son a future monarch, and in every daughter a queen, she spared no effort in instructing the children.
Although she was pious, she educated them in the ways of the court and diplomatic life, and not with holiness in mind, wrongly judging – as many do, unfortunately, even today – that the search for perfection is reserved only for those who withdraw from the world to lead a religious life.
Casimir, on the contrary, from an early age understood that he had to be holy, without ceasing to be a prince, and that meant “being faithful to God’s designs, even ‘surrounded by the luxury of the royal court and worldly attractions'”.
St. Casimir participated in social life, and while he was amiable and joyful at parties, he withdrew from them as soon as he could. He did not disdain princely finery, but, out of a spirit of poverty, he wore an inner tunic of ordinary cloth. It was known that his rich clothes concealed a sackcloth and that he performed many other mortifications.
Pure, patient and magnanimous adolescent
Within the palace life, his extreme generosity towards the poor, widows, pilgrims, prisoners or the elderly was remarkable, for, not content with giving of what was his, he even gave of his own time for the benefit of others.
If he was magnanimous in corporal works of charity, he was much more magnanimous in spiritual ones, admonishing those around him – even his father – with wisdom, kindness and patience, whenever he saw something which offended the truth or was deprived of the greatest possible perfection. He was also able to forgive the offences done to him and to pray for those closest to him, and for his subjects whom he wished to see on the right path and ardent in the Faith.
His biographers highlight his exquisite purity, which shone through to the point that one of his teachers, Bonaccorsi, called him a “divinized youth”. To practice this virtue perfectly, in body and soul, was his life’s goal. For this reason he never gave his heart to any affection of this world and was always vigilant so that nothing could stain it.
Love of prayer and the liturgy
Where did so many virtues come from? From Jesus Crucified, on whom he often meditated, specifically on the Passion of Our Lord, and from the Blessed Virgin, to whom he dedicated his whole life.
When he was in Krakow or in Vilnius, capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he was often seen walking and praying the Stations of the Cross, a devotion that had appeared in those years and which touched his soul deeply. These meditations made him love both the Cross and sacrifice, and gave him the desire to give his life for the One who wanted to be mocked and allowed Himself to be crucified for love of humanity.
He loved liturgical ceremonies and never missed the opportunity to attend Mass. On those occasions, his piety and his ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament were evident to the eyes of all those present.
When no one knew where he was in the royal palace, he could be found in some church, absorbed in prayer. Both in Poland and in Lithuania, he loved to visit them and would not hesitate to pray at their doors if he found them closed.
It was common to see him, at various times, kneeling at the feet of Our Lady in prayer. It is said that he recited every day the hymn “May My soul Sing Praises to Mary”, while spreading it among his subjects. He was attracted above all by the splendid purity of the Mother of God. He asked Her for the gift of wisdom and the virtue of justice to know how to govern, as well as the spirit of vigilance, so as never to succumb like Solomon (cf. I Kgs 11:1-6).
Two years as Regent of Poland
In 1481, King Casimir IV, his father, had to transfer his residence to Lithuania, leaving Casimir as Regent in Krakow.
For two years St. Casimir governed Poland, during which time he did not fail to attend to any of his subjects, regardless of the social class to which they belonged. Clerics, nobles and commoners alike were welcomed in their demands, and he applied so much common sense to his administration that he managed to stabilize the royal treasury in a short time, cutting down on useless expenditure and driving away profiteers.
A young man of resolute and temperate spirit, he made great efforts to maintain among his vassals good conduct in the affairs of the State. For him, the glory of God involved everything: from a simple algebraic calculation to making great decisions, even in which the most important interests of the nation were at stake.
Since Poland is a Catholic country, St. Casimir, as Prince Regent, could not but strive to strengthen his relations with Rome, which had been somewhat neglected by his father.
The last months of his life
The weight of the responsibilities and the intense work of those years at the head of the Polish government eventually exhausted the holy prince. Added to this were the continuous mortifications he made. He retired with his family to Lithuania in the spring of 1483 to regain some energy.
He spent the last six months of his life between Vilnius and Trakai, helping his father in the chancellery of the Lithuanian State and promoting the Faith among the people. His health being compromised and his body extremely weak, he was attacked by a violent form of tuberculosis that consumed his last bit of strength. He was 25 years old and had kept his virginal purity intact, but his mother still hoped to see him married to the daughter of Emperor Frederick III, without understanding that the divine designs for this chosen man were different.
On 4 March 1484, he gave his soul to God. His body was buried in the vault of the royal family in Vilnius Cathedral. Despite the dampness of the place, his body was whole and incorrupt when it was exhumed 120 years later, in 1604. According to witnesses’ accounts, his body exuded a pleasant odour, and his clothes were also intact. On his breast rested a copy of the Marian hymn that he recited every day: “Omni die dic Mariæ”. A beautiful symbol of a holy life, in which every day was a hymn of praise to the Mother of God!
Known as kind, charitable and a friend of the poor, for Lithuanians and Poles St. Casimir is, above all, the protector of their homeland.
Text taken, with adaptations, from the magazine Heralds of the Gospel n. 147, March 2014.
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
