In her divine wisdom, Holy Church always has the right words to elevate the heart and mind of the faithful in all her commemorations or feasts. Invoking the intercession of St. Casimir, on his memorial, March, 4, she begins by asking: “All-powerful God, to serve you is to reign…” 1
Truly, those who put their confidence in God and surrender their entire life to His service, whether in the religious, or—like St. Casimir—in the lay state, receive a hundredfold on this earth, and even more in Heaven. This young man was bereft of neither outstanding qualities nor territories to govern, and he knew how to choose a path for his life that would win him the eternal Kingdom. Without succumbing to avarice—a common vice among the monarchs of his time—his fidelity to the noble ideal of being a saintly prince remained untarnished.
Born in the splendour of a court
Casimir was born on October 3, 1458, in the castle of Wawel, in Krakow. His father, Casimir IV, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and accordingly he governed a vast territory which stretched eastward almost to Moscow and southward to the Black Sea. His mother was the Archduchess Elizabeth, daughter of Albert II of Habsburg, King of the Romans and sovereign of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia.
Our saint was the third of 13 children, and it is said that their mother “prepared them for the thrones of Europe while still in the cradle.” 2 He, like his other siblings, received an excellent upbringing, for, as Elizabeth considered each son a future monarch, and each daughter a future queen, she spared no efforts in the education of her children. However, while she was devout, she raised them with a view to the court and the diplomatic life, and not for sanctity, erroneously believing, as, alas, many assert today, that the pursuit of perfection is only for those who forsake the world for a religious life. But from a tender age Casimir understood that he should be a saint as well as being a prince, and this meant “being faithful to God’s designs, even while ‘surrounded by the splendour of the royal court and worldly attractions,’” 3 according to the prayer for the Mass of his feast in Lithuania.
The court of Krakow was sumptuous and refined like the others of that historical period. Delicacies were served at table and banquets were protracted affairs. Conscious of the duties inherent to his princely condition, St. Casimir did not bow out of social life. He was amiable and joyful during feasts, but withdrew from them as soon as he could. He did not cast off royal attire, but, out of a spirit of poverty, he used an inner tunic of common cloth. It is known that his luxurious garments hid a hair shirt and that he practised many other mortifications. Because of his discretion in these religious practices and penances, he became known as “the embodiment of silent devotion.” 4
A pure, patient, and magnanimous adolescent
His open-handed generosity with the poor, widows, pilgrims, prisoners or the elderly stood out in the life of the court, for he did not stop at giving his belongings; he also gave of his own time for the good of others.
If he was magnanimous in the corporal works of mercy, he was much more so in the spiritual ones, and would wisely, kindly and patiently admonish those around him—including his own father—when he saw that something was not in accord with the truth or was lacking in the greatest possible perfection. He readily pardoned offences and prayed for those closest to him as well as for his subjects, whom he desired to see on the right path and ardent in the Faith.
His biographers highlight his outstanding purity, which shone to such a degree that one of his teachers, Bonaccorsi, called him “divus adolescens — divinized youth.” 5 It was his life’s goal to practice this virtue perfectly, in body and soul. He never let his heart be swayed by any worldly affection and he always remained vigilant so that nothing would tarnish him.
Love for prayer and the liturgy
What was the source of all of these virtues? Their font was Jesus Crucified, upon Whose Passion he often meditated, and the Blessed Virgin, to whom he dedicated his entire life.
Whether in Krakow or in Vilnius, capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he would publicly carry out the Stations of the Cross, a devotion which was then emerging and one that profoundly touched his soul. These meditations inflamed his love of the cross and of sacrifice and fueled his desire to give his life for Christ, Who allowed Himself to be scorned and crucified for love of mankind.
Liturgical ceremonies enchanted him and he never lost an opportunity to attend Mass. It was at these moments that his devotion and ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament became most evident to those around him.
When it happened that he was nowhere to be found in the Royal Court, he was invariably in some church, absorbed in prayer. Both in Poland as well as Lithuania he was a frequent visitor to churches, or when he found them closed, he did not hesitate to pray at their doors.
He was commonly seen kneeling in prayer to Our Lady. It is said that that he daily prayed the hymn “Omni die dic Mariæ meæ laudes anima — May my soul sing the praises of Mary every day,” 6 spreading it among his subjects. He was especially drawn to the splendid purity of the Mother of God. He asked her for the gift of wisdom and the virtue of justice in governing and the spirit of vigilance, in order to avoid succumbing like Solomon (cf. 1 Kgs 11:1-6).
Two years as regent of Poland
In the year 1481, King Casimir IV, his father, had to transfer his residence to Lithuania, leaving him as regent in Krakow.
For two years St. Casimir governed Poland, ministering equitably to all of his vassals of every class. Clerics, nobles, and plebeians felt well attended; he applied himself with such good sense to administration that within a short time he stabilized the royal treasury, cutting useless expenses and dismissing profiteers. In this way, he freed many royal properties from mortgages.
This resolute and temperate young man made valiant efforts to maintain good conduct in the negotiations of the State among his vassals. For him, everything touched on God’s glory: from a simple algebraic calculation to great decisions in which the vital interests of the nation were at stake. But his constancy and steadfastness in upholding the interests of the kingdom did not prevent him from finding time to attend to those of his inner circle, as is seen in a letter from February 1, 1481, addressed to the noble leaders of the city of Braslava: “I would like very much—not only out of justice, which I highly esteem and seek to respect—to satisfy you, which I desire in a special way.” 7
And since Poland was a Catholic country, St. Casimir, as prince regent, felt compelled to make every attempt to tighten relationships with Rome, somewhat neglected by his father.
Last months of his life
The weight of responsibility and the heavy workload of those years at the head of the Polish government as well as his continual mortifications took their toll on the holy prince. In the spring of 1483, he withdrew with his family to Lithuania, in order to regain his strength.
There, as in Poland, the annals record his special care for the neediest, and the generosity he showered on convents and churches. He tirelessly sought to honour and serve the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus in the Eucharist, through a worthy temple and lavish liturgical objects.
He spent the last six months of his life between Vilnius and Trakai, helping his father in the chancellorship of the Lithuanian State and promoting the Faith among the people. However, because of his compromised health he fell victim to a virulent form of tuberculosis which sapped his remaining strength. He was 25 years old and had kept his virginal purity intact, but his mother still held out hope of seeing him married to the daughter of the Emperor Frederick III, not understanding that God had other plans for this chosen man.
“Still more admirable in Heaven”
On March 4, 1484 St. Casimir surrendered his soul to God. His body was interred in the royal tomb, in the Cathedral of Vilnius. Despite the humidity of the church, his body was found to be whole and incorrupt when it was exhumed, 120 years later, in 1604. According to witnesses, it exuded a pleasing odour. His clothes were also intact. Resting upon his chest was a copy of the Marian hymn he prayed daily: “Omni die dic Mariæ.” A beautiful symbol of a holy life, in which each day was a hymn of praise to the Mother of God!
Those who give themselves unreservedly to God in this valley of tears do not forsake those left behind when they enter the glory of the beatific vision. On the contrary, they often do more for them from Heaven than they could during their earthly pilgrimage. This is the “ministry” of the saints. St. Casimir is known far and wide as an amiable and charitable friend of the poor, and for Lithuanians and Poles, the protector of their homeland.
During the times in which Lithuania passed through difficult periods as a nation, the young and holy prince always extended help to his compatriots. Devotion to him was a powerful instrument in the hands of the Jesuits, for preserving the Catholic Faith when it was assailed by Protestant propaganda. The sons of St. Ignatius were drawn by his noble character and the strength of his faith, and they exhorted Lithuanians to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church, in imitation of St. Casimir. From that time onward, devotion to him spread not only in Lithuania and Poland but across the world, as churches sprang up in his honour, confraternities were placed under his protection and thousands of newborns received his name. Eulogies to the young prince were even engraved on bells as if to make the marvels of his sanctity echo. “Casimire, terris mire, cœlis mirabilior — Casimir, admirable on earth, and still more admirable in Heaven,” 8 is the inscription on the bell of the church of Kraziai.
His exemplary life deeply marked his contemporaries, and it was from Vilnius that the request for his canonization originated. Having ascertained that his life had been a continual testimony to the presence of God among men, Leo X raised him to the honour of the altar in 1521. Urban VIII entrusted Lithuania to his protection, and because of his heroic purity and perseverance on the straight path Pius XII, in 1948, proclaimed him “Patron of Lithuanian youth, within and outside the country.” In this way, St. Casimir, who was never crowned king, having died in his youth, merited the crown of glory in Heaven. ◊
Notes
1 MEMORIAL OF ST. CASIMIR. Oração do Ofício das Leituras. In: COMISSÃO EPISCOPAL DE TEXTOS LITÚRGICOS. Liturgia das Horas. Petrópolis: Vozes; Paulinas; Paulus; Ave Maria; 2000, v.III, p.1285.
2 GAVENAS, Pranas. São Casimiro. O primeiro santo jovem leigo da era moderna. São Paulo: Salesiana D. Bosco, 1984, p.19.
3 Idem, p.28.
4 HÜMMELER, H. Helden und heilige, apud GAVENAS, op. cit., p.41
5 SANCHEZ ALISEDA, Casimiro. San Casimiro. In: ECHEVERRÍA, Lamberto de; LLORCA, Bernardino; REPETTO BETES, José Luis (Org.). Año Cristiano. Madrid: BAC, 2003, v.III, p.73.
6 HERALDS OF THE GOSPEL GREGORIAN CHANT STUDY COMMISSION. Liber Cantualis. São Paulo: Salesiana, 2011, p.167.
7 GAVENAS, op. cit., p.35.
8 Idem, p.64.
