St. Casimir, Prince of the Poor

His short, 24-year life was not one that was full of extraordinary events. He was kind. He prayed unceasingly and won the hearts of the people of Lithuania and Poland.
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     On March 4th, the Catholic Church honors the memory of St. Casimir (1458-1484), patron saint of Lithuania and Poland. Casimir (in Polish, Kazimierz) was born a prince at Wawel Castle in Kraków during the time of the great Poland Lithuanian Commonwealth when Poland and Lithuanian were united as one country. He was the third child born to the Jagiellonian line of Casimir IV, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania and Queen Elisabeth Habsburg of Austria. 

     Raised under the tutelage of Father Jan Długosz, Prince Casimir became a pious, intelligent, and prayerful child. During his short lifetime he distinguished himself by his piety, generosity towards the sick and poor, and devotion to God and Mother Mary. 

← Statue of St. Casimir located in the church of Drądżewa at the ethnographic Museum in Sierpc, Poland.

     He failed at being a warrior and military man when his father sent him out to fight but in Wilno (now Vilnius) in Lithuania, Casimir, born of kings and in line to be a king himself, was a defender of the poor, known for his kindness and almsgiving for those in need. He said about himself  "a Prince can do nothing more honorable than to serve Christ himself among the poor." He didn’t puff himself up as somebody special. The king's son, went out into the streets, talked and cared for the people of his land.  

     His piety was legendary, kneeling and praying before the closed doors of the Vilnius church, witnessed by others.  He is often painted kneeling at night in front of the cathedral doors that emphasize his ardent devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

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   Jan Długosz witness to the prayers of Casimir by Polisih painter Florian Cynk. Wikipedia.

     He had a special devotion to the Mother of God and was especially attached to the Latin hymn Omni die dic Mariae [On every day praise Mary], which he treated as a daily prayer.

 "Omni die dic Mariae Mea  laudes anima: Ejus festa, ejus gesta Cole devotissima."

“Daily, daily sing to Mary, Sing, my soul, her praises due: All her feasts, her actions honor with the heart's true devotion.”

He died young and took that devotion to the grave. Years after his death, when the prince's coffin was opened in 1604, the text of the hymn was found to be buried with him, written on parchment and located under his head. 

His tomb was the site of miracles. His canonization ceremony took place in 1604. His remains are interred in the magnificent Saint Casimir's Chapel in the  Archcathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and St. Ladislaus (simply called Vilnius Cathedral) built in 1636.
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   He was kind. He prayed unceasingly. And won the hearts of his people.

  Churches and chapels throughout Poland and Lithuania were built in his name. Immigrating to various parts of the world, the people of Poland brought that devotion with them. 

​←St. Casimir at St. Casimir’s Church, Buffalo, NY 

In church iconography, the princely saint is recognizable by his crown and often depicted in an ermine cloak (above photo),  holding a cross, a lily or a scroll with the words of his favorite prayer Omni die dic Mariae.

Happy name day to all named Casimir (Kazimierz) and its diminutives: Kaz,  Kazik, Kaziuk, Kaziu, Kaziuś.  You are named after a prince!









For more about feast day and name days see: Polish Customs, Traditions and Folklore, Hippocrene Books, Inc. 2024

Sources:  https://mwmskansen.pl/sw-kazimierz
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