St Hyacinth--1185-1257

Born in Poland shortly before 1200, the young Hyacinth came under the influence of Ivo the bishop of Crakow. He appointed him a canon of the cathedral and sent him to Paris and Bologna to study theology and canon law. Ivo journeyed to Rome with Hyacinth, his relative Ceslaus, and two other clerics. In Rome, they met St. Dominic. Ivo asked Dominic to send some friars to Poland. Dominic invited Hyacinth and his companions to join the order in Rome and promised to send them back to Poland. Hyacinth, Ceslaus, and the others, completed the novitiate and were accepted to the Order by Dominic. At that time, Hyacinth was a little over twenty years old.

It is said that Hyacinth walked 25,000 miles throughout northern Europe in his Dominican life of establishing houses, preaching, and working miracles. He undertook missionary activity in Ruthenia and Prussia. The mission to Kiev was undertaken in 1228-1233. One day, during his mission in Ruthenia, Hyacinth was celebrating the Holy Mass in a church in Kiev. When he finished, someone told him that the Tartars had invaded the town, plundering homes and murdering the inhabitants. Without thinking, Hyacinth took the ciborium with the Blessed Sacrament from the altar and intended to runaway. Suddenly he heard a voice: 'Hyacinth, you have taken my Son but you are leaving me?' After this he took the statute of the Blessed Mother, which felt weightless under his arm, and safely left the city. Our window portrays him carrying the statue.

Symbols: Sunflower (?); with Marian monogram; burning church.