Mary Fabyan Windeatt - Saint Hyacinth of Poland: The Story of the Apostle of the North

Saint Hyacinth of Poland

The Story of the Apostle of the North

Mary Fabyan Windeatt

Copyright 1945 by Sheed & Ward, Inc., New York.

First published in 1945, by Sheed & Ward, under the title Northern Lights: The Story of Saint Hyacinth of Poland and His Companions .

This book first appeared in serial form in the pages of The Torch .

Retypeset by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. The type in this book is the property of TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from the Publisher. (This restriction applies only to reproduction of this type , not to quotations from the book.)

Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 93-83094

TAN Books
Charlotte, North Carolina
www.TANBooks.com

1993

To the memory
of my Father,
William Fabyan Windeatt.

BOOKS BY MARY FABYAN WINDEATT

In This Series

Stories of the Saints for Young People ages 10 to 100

THE CHILDREN OF FATIMA
And Our Lady's Message to the World

THE CUR OF ARS
The Story of St. John Vianney,
Patron Saint of Parish Priests

THE LITTLE FLOWER
The Story of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

PATRON SAINT OF FIRST COMMUNICANTS
The Story of Blessed Imelda Lambertini

THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL
The Story of Our Lady's Appearances to St. Catherine Labour

ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT
The Story of Our Lady's Slave,
St. Louis Mary Grignion De Montfort

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
The Story of "The Dumb Ox"

SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA
The Story of the Girl Who Saw Saints in the Sky

SAINT HYACINTH OF POLAND
The Story of the Apostle of the North

SAINT MARTIN DE PORRES
The Story of the Little Doctor of Lima, Peru

SAINT ROSE OF LIMA
The Story of the First Canonized Saint of the Americas

PAULINE JARICOT
Foundress of the Living Rosary and
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Sister Mary of the Compassion, O.P. (Constance Mary Rowe) was born in London. At the age of 15 she began to study art at the Clapham School of Art, and four years later became a student of the Royal College of Art, in London. There she made mural painting her principal aim, working under Sir William Rothenstein, Alfred K. Lawrence and Professor W. Tristram.

The question of "What is 'Good' and what is 'Evil,' " together with the conviction that the human soul was made to attain to the perfection of all truth, led her to the Catholic Church. She was baptized at the Brompton Oratory in September, 1931 and became a Dominican Tertiary in December of the same year. In 1932 she was awarded the Rome Prize for mural paintings, and her time as a student of the British School at Rome was spent in the study of painting in relation to its use in the Church.

Coming to America in 1936, she held exhibitions in New York, Washington, Boston and Providence. In 1937 she entered the cloister of the Dominican Sisters of the Perpetual Rosary, Union City, New Jersey.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For the use of books and other material relative to the life and times of Saint Hyacinth, the author wishes to thank the following:

The Dominican Fathers of Saint Vincent Ferrer's Priory in New York City; the Fathers of the Dominican House of Studies in River Forest, Illinois; the Fathers of the Dominican Priory in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada.

Grateful acknowledgment is also due Mrs. Rose Lang of Brooklyn, New York, and Miss Jane Emmet of New York City, for their aid in translating much valuable source material, and to the Felician Sisters of the Academy of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Buffalo, New Yorkin particular to Sister Mary Benice, Sister Mary Annette, Sister Mary Amandine and Sister Mary Gualbertfor their criticism and suggestions regarding the historical and geographical aspects of this story.

The author is also deeply indebted to the Reverend Norbert F. Georges, O.P, S.T.Lr., Director of the Blessed Martin Guild, for his unfailing help and encouragement in preparing this first English biography of Saint Hyacinth of Poland.

CHAPTER 1

FOUR APOSTLES

I T WAS Ash Wednesday in the year 1220, but the city of Rome was far from being in a Lenten mood. A spirit of exhilaration was abroad that did not correspond to sackcloth or ashes. Indeed, one might have thought it already Easter, especially if one looked at the joyful countenance of Stephen Cardinal Orsini. The old man was radiant.

"Napoleon! My young nephew Napoleon!" he kept repeating every few minutes. "A little while ago the lad was dead, but now he lives!"

Nicholas, the Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum, smiled. He had been present that morning at the Monastery of Saint Sixtus when the news had been brought that Napoleon had been thrown from his horse and killed. Others had been present, too, for this was a great day in the Eternal City. Several communities of nuns, heretofore living without cloister, had agreed to band together at the Monastery of Saint Sixtus under the Rule drawn up for them by the holy Spanish preacher Dominic de Guzman. All had been assembled for Mass and the solemn ceremony of inclosure when the messenger had rushed in.

Recalling all these things now, the Cardinal Bishop of Tusculum looked closely at his old friend. "If I live for a hundred years, I'll never forget this morning's miracle!" he declared. "Your nephew was really dead, Stephen. Anyone could see that. But this Spanish friar...this Father Dominic... why, he was not at all alarmed. He comforted you a little, of coursebut even I could tell that his thoughts were far away from the tragedy."

Cardinal Stephen nodded. "Yes, I know. Instead of being distracted, like the rest of us, he went ahead and offered the Holy Sacrifice. When all was over, he came to where Napoleon's body was stretched on the floor. Thenoh, Nicholas! What wonderful words he spoke!"

Cardinal Nicholas was silent for a moment, remembering how the Spanish friar had knelt beside the broken body of the young man and arranged the shattered limbs; how finally he had arisen, made the Sign of the Cross, then looked heavenwards and cried out joyfully:

"Young man, I say to you, in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, arise!"

Nicholas stretched out a reassuring hand to his old friend. "It has been a wonderful day," he murmured. "And one to remember forever, Stephen. For we have seen a saint at prayer and at work."

In a large house at some blocks' distance from where the two Italian Cardinals sat talking, other men were also discussing the morning's miracle. These men were of a different build and coloring from the Cardinals, howevertall and muscular, with the fair hair and blue eyes that bespoke their Polish birth. The oldest, Ivo Odrowatz, wore the scarlet robes of a Bishop. He was seated in a large chair, with writing materials spread out on a table before him, while at his side stood two young priests, Hyacinth and Ceslaus, his nephews.

"We must try to see this Father Dominic before we go back to Poland," remarked the Bishop. "Oh, my sons! Pray, pray very hard that God will grant us the grace to speak with a man who can raise the dead to life!"

A soft glow stole into Hyacinth's eyes. "Maybe we should also pray for another favor," he suggested. "What do you think, Uncle Ivo? Could you use some of Father Dominic's friars in Cracow?"

"Of course we could use them!" put in Ceslaus eagerly. "What a wonderful idea!"

The Bishop's eyes turned from one young face to the other, and a little smile flickered on his lips. "Would you joke at such a time?" he asked. "If I thought that there was the least chance..."