Who is Saint Stanislaus Kostka? When students were asked this question, a variety of answers presented themselves. “Is it a saint?” “I’ve heard of him,” and “I know a collegio is named after him,” were popular answers. Perhaps a little more specific was the response, “He’s the patron saint of our school.”
Why is he the school’s patron saint? Does this have anything to do with a day off on March 14 ? Is Kostka that guy in the stained glass window in the theater? So many questions. Now for some answers.
Saint Kostka lived in Poland in the second half of the 16th century. He was the son of a Polish senator, and attended the Viennese Jesuit College at age 14 with his older brother. He was a cheerful and pious person, while his brother was not, and was often at the receiving end of beating at his brother’s hand.
The fact that Kostka was a victim of bullying is one of the reasons Fr. Fitterer believes he is the patron saint of the school. “Bullying is a far greater issue today in schools than it should be,” he said. “You would think that after all these years people would have stopped.”
Once, when he was staying at the home of a friend, Stanislaus got gravely sick but was not permitted to call for a priest. Instead, he prayed and was visited by his patron saint, Saint Barbara and two angels, who gave him communion, and then by Our Lady, who healed him and told him to be a Jesuit. Kostka experienced difficulty joining the society near his home because they feared the wrath of his father, so he walked 500 miles on foot to Rome to join there. His tutor and brother were furious and tried to chase him, but they gave up due to difficulties on the journey. Kostka then attended a Jesuit college in Rome and was a Jesuit novice from the age of seventeen. He was a student of Saint Francis Borgia and a friend and briefly and employee of Saint Peter Canisius.
The other reason that Kostka is the Patron saint of Seattle Prep is because he had to make the decision to become a Jesuit and follow through on that decision, much like Prep students are taught to think about decisions, including factors leading up to and consequences that may result from those decisions. Kostka teaches us about the important ability to follow through on our choices. This is especially significant because Kostka had to go against his family’s wishes to be a Jesuit.
Stanislaus Kostka died only ten months after becoming a Jesuit. In his last ten months, he lived his new life to the fullest, despite health issues. He became a saint December 31, 1726. Saint Kostka is often invoked for heart palpitations and dangerous illness.
Yes, March 14 is the day that Prep students remember Saint Kostka. No, our patron saint is not Saint Ignatius. And yes, Saint Kostka is the guy in the stained glass window in the chapel. Now, on the frequent occasion when a student wanders in to the theater to meditate on the important Jesuits that form the soul of our school, they can look up at the towering figure of Saint Stanislaus Kostka and remember that he too was bullied, and he too followed through on a big life decision and did not regret it.