Life of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Quiz

Answer: Poland

Kostka was born in a small village called Rostkowo located about 55 miles (89 km) north of Warsaw in Poland. He was the second son of the family, which had seven children in all, with his older brother being the one with whom he spent most time.

Answer: Sixteenth

Stanislaus was born in 1550. His mother, Malgorzata Kryska, was from a well connected family who were rulers of a region of Poland known as the Masovian Voivodeship. His father, Jan, was strict and Stanislaus was raised to be modest and pious, a way of life which seems to have suited his personality.

Answer: Politician

Some sources describe Stanislaus's father as a nobleman, and he was certainly a powerful man. He was a senator of the Kingdom of Poland, which lasted from 1385-1795 and covered a much larger area than present day Poland, extending into the Baltic states and Prussia. Jan Kostka was also a governor of Zakroczym, a prosperous and important town in the Middle Ages.

Answer: Pawel

Pawel's name is the Polish equivalent of the English name Paul, and he is often referred to by the Anglicised version in biographies of Stanislaus. The brothers were sent to a religious school when Stanislaus was fourteen and the young Stanislaus found his already strong faith in God deepened. Pawel, in contrast, found his brother's piety tiresome and reputedly treated Stanislaus badly.

Answer: Vienna

The two youngsters were sent to Vienna, initially lodging at the college before being moved to lodge with a local senator, probably because of family connections and the more luxurious surroundings. Their landlord was a Lutheran, who would not allow priests into his home. This caused a crisis when Stanislaus fell seriously ill and was not allowed viaticum, the eucharist given to those in danger of dying.

Having prayed, Stanislaus had a vision of the Virgin Mary visiting him, following which he recovered.

Answer: Society of Jesus

The Viennese school was run by the Jesuits, who were renowned for education. Having recovered from his nearly fatal illness, and having seen a vision of the Virgin Mary, Stanislaus resolved to join the Society of Jesus, but the leader in Vienna would not accept him without parental consent. His parents, and brother, were strongly opposed, leading Stanislaus to disguise himself in humble clothes and head for Germany, where he was accepted by Father Canisius, who would also later be declared a saint.

Answer: Rome

Having been accepted into the Society of Jesus in Germany in 1567, Stanislaus found himself sent to Rome. Father Canisius felt that Stanislaus was too near his family, who were still opposed to his decision, and that Rome would put sufficient distance between them. Stanislaus arrived in Rome in October and began his novitiate training in earnest.

The following August, Stanislaus had a premonition of his death and shortly afterwards fell ill again with a recurrence of the feverish illness he had previously suffered from. He told those caring for him that he would shortly die, but was not taken seriously as his illness didn't appear severe. On 14th August, he suddenly deteriorated and died early the next day, having seen a vision of Mary and angels coming to take him to Heaven.

Answer: Benedict XIII

Stanislaus had been recognised as being wise and devoted to his religious beliefs as well as having been blessed with visions. The first step towards his becoming a saint came in 1605 when he was beatified, meaning that his name could be invoked as an intermediary. Stanislaus was declared a saint for his sanctity, especially for one so young, and his determination to follow his calling despite family opposition.

An interesting side note is that Pawel, who had been bitterly against Stanislaus becoming a priest, lived long enough to see the beatification of his brother and became a Jesuit himself at the age of sixty.

The other popes listed are from different times in the history of the Catholic church.

Answer: Guyana

Georgetown is the capital of Guyana in the north of South America, although the country is also sometimes described as being Caribbean, especially because of its heritage as a former British colony. The college is described as one of the top three in Guyana, and was named for the saint in 1866. There are also numerous churches dedicated to St Stanislaus in the USA and in Canada, Philippines and India, to name just some.

There is a play about him, paintings (including one from soon after his death), statues and stained glass windows.

Answer: Young people and students

Saint Stanislaus died aged only seventeen, so he is the patron saint of students and Jesuit novices. He is also the person to pray to for help with heart palpitations, broken bones and any serious illness.

His tomb is in San Andrea del Quirinale in Rome and it is on record that Karol Wojty?a, also Polish of course, used to regularly pray at the tomb. He later became Pope John Paul II.

Saint Stanislaus Kostka is referred to by his full name to distinguish him from Saint Stanislaus the Martyr, Bishop of Krakow in the eleventh century.