I write this
on April 11, the Feast of St. Stanislaus. 
His name always reminds me of a humorous incident.  I was working as a dental assistant while
still in high for a father and son team. One afternoon, the elder dentist
called me into the room with a young patient.  
 “Go ahead,” he said to the second grade little
boy.  “Tell her your name and what school
you go to.”
“My name is
Thteven Thelke and I go to Thaint Thtanithlauth thcool,” the young lad dutifully
replied.   
Dr. Lynch smiled
and whispered to me, “Maybe his parents should send him to a different
school.”

I trust that
Steven Selke has a handle on the letter “s” by now. Many years later, I again encountered St. Stanislaus. My
husband Mark had the opportunity to purchase two reliquaries from a church that was closing.  In them were the relics of 4 saints. Relics
themselves cannot be sold, so he was paying for the old wooden
reliquaries.  A relic of St. Stanislaus
was in one of them.  
His Life and Death
Along with the relics came information on each
of the saints.   We learned that St. Stanislaus
Szczepanowski (separate from St. Stanislaus Koska) died at the age of 48, martyred
by the Polish King Boleslaus II the Bold on April 11,1079.  There is some disagreement as to the date of
his death, so in Poland his feast is celebrated on May 8.
Stanislaus was born in Southern Poland, the
only son of noble and pious parents. He became a priest and served the Church
of Krakow. After the death of his diocese’s bishop, Stanislaus was chosen his
successor in 1071 and became an influential preacher.
However, his influence brought him into conflict
with King Boleslaus II, who was notorious for his violent and depraved
lifestyle.  After a series of disputes
with the king, Stanislaus failed to reform him and finally excommunicated the
sovereign. The king accused Stanislaus of treason, and personally killed him
with a sword while he was saying Mass.   His many faithful followers were
outraged, which led to the king’s dethronement. Stanislaus canonized by
Pope Innocent IV in
1253 and is the patron saint of Poland.
Honored
by St. Pope John Paul II
As pope, Saint John Paul II –often honored him. In a 2003 letter to the
Polish Church, he said of St. Stanislaus: “He taught the moral order in the
family based on sacramental marriage. He taught the moral order within the
State, reminding even the king that in his actions he should keep in mind the
unchanging Law of God.” Through St. Stanislaus, God taught the Polish Pope’s
homeland to respect “the Law of God and the just rights of every person.”

St. Stanislaus, pray for
us!  Help us to have courage like you had to be not afraid to speak the truth.

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