(Short Version)
March 4: Saint Casimir—Optional Memorial
1458–1484
Patron Saint of Poland, Lithuania, and Lithuanian youth
Believed to have been canonized by Pope Leo X in 1521 or Pope Adrian VI in 1522
Canonization confirmed by Pope Clement VIII in 1602
Saint Casimir was born on October 3, 1458, the second son and third child in the Polish royal family. His father, King Casimir IV, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. The family grew to thirteen children, all of whom were raised in the Catholic faith and given an excellent education.
From a young age, Casimir had no desire for power, war, riches, or nobility. He had fallen in love with his God and the Blessed Virgin. He prayed frequently, often slept on the floor, engaged in other penitential practices, spent entire nights meditating on the Passion of our Lord, dressed simply, and desired to live a life of chastity. He was charitable to the poor, manifested the virtues, and edified all who encountered him.
When Casimir was only thirteen, his father named him to fill the empty Hungarian throne. In the face of opposition by the Hungarian people, King Casimir IV sent his son to lead the Polish army in battle against the Hungarians and take the throne. Casimir opposed the war, and in time the effort failed and Casimir returned to Poland. Upon Casimir’s arrival home, his angry father imprisoned Casimir in a tower for three months.
In the solitude of imprisonment, Casimir returned to his life of prayer and deepened his union with God. Afterward, he refused an arranged marriage. After completing his studies at age sixteen, Casimir worked closely with his father, but his heart remained with God and the Blessed Mother. When Casimir was twenty, his father had to tend to matters in Lithuania for five years. During his father’s absence, Casimir ruled Poland with thoughtfulness, justice, and charity. At age twenty-five, Casimir became ill with a lung disease. His father rushed back to Poland to be with his son, and on March 4, 1484, Casimir died.
After his death, devotion to Casimir quickly exploded. Many people prayed to him, and many attributed miracles to his intercession. In 1519, when the Lithuanian army was engaged in battle with the Russians, it is said that Saint Casimir appeared to the Lithuanian soldiers in a vision and directed them to a place where they successfully defended their city.
Casimir was likely canonized in the 1520s, and Pope Clement VIII officially confirmed his sainthood in 1602, adding him to the Roman liturgical calendar for Poland and Lithuania. In 1620, Saint Casimir was added to the Roman Calendar of the universal Church.
Saint Casimir, at an early age you fell in love with God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. You prayed to them unceasingly and devoted your life to their service. You were a true prince in the court of the Great King of Heaven. Please pray for me, that I will always avoid the lures of this world, keeping my eyes fixed only on Heaven. Saint Casim
