St Stan Illustrated Story

I t was not long before the capital itself fell into the hands of the enemy. Plunder, pillage, and outrage – not only of the lay pop- ulation, but also in religious houses and churches – became common- place. An eyewitness tells us that, in the streets of Warsaw, “the Swedish soldiers kill at will and with impunity.” One day as Stanislaus and a companion were returning from the Old City, they suddenly came upon a Swedish soldier who at once drew his sword. The companion fled in terror, but Stanislaus, in his youthful enthusiasm for a martyr’s death, welcomed the opportunity to shed his blood for the Faith. He dropped to his knees, bared his neck and braced himself for the blow. The sword fell thrice, with great force, and caused intense pain. And yet, unbelievable though it may seem, “by the decree of Divine Providence” (as he himself was later to say in his Will), he sustained no wound. Indeed, the pain itself dis- appeared within a short time and with it his hope of martyrdom. The abnormal conditions of the time made study difficult. We do not know just how much of his theological course he completed at this pe- riod. We do know that he began it in 1655, under the guidance of the Franciscan Fathers, at St. Anthony’s Monastery. yet we also know that afterApril 1656 the only religious left inWarsawwere the Piarist Fathers. 43