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Saint Raphael Kalinowski
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Saint Raphael Kalinowski

The Vilnius officer exiled to Siberia who revived the Carmelites in Poland

Rank
Saint
Kind
Priest, Religious
Life
1835 – 1907
Era
20th century
Feast
20 November
Countries
Poland, Lithuania
PolandLithuania

Life story

Józef Kalinowski was born on 1 September 1835 in Vilnius, then in the Russian Empire. He trained as an engineer and served in the Russian army as a captain. When the Polish and Lithuanian uprising against Russia broke out in 1863 he resigned so as not to have to fight fellow Poles, and then took charge of military affairs for the insurgent authorities in Lithuania, without fighting personally.

He was arrested in 1864 and sentenced to death; the sentence was commuted to ten years of hard labour. He was sent to the salt mines at Usolye near Irkutsk in Siberia, after a journey of about nine months. He was released in 1873 but was not allowed to return to Lithuania. He then went to France as tutor to Prince August Czartoryski.

In 1877 he entered the Discalced Carmelite novitiate and took the name Raphael of Saint Joseph. He made solemn vows in 1881 and was ordained a priest in 1882. He devoted much effort to restoring the Carmelite order in the Polish lands, including the monastery at Wadowice, and served as superior and spiritual guide to many. He also took an interest in Christian unity and in the lives of Carmelite nuns.

He died of tuberculosis on 15 November 1907 at Wadowice. John Paul II beatified him on 22 June 1983 in Kraków and canonised him on 17 November 1991 in Rome. His feast is on 20 November; some Carmelite groups keep it on 19 November.

Works and witness

  • Resigned his captaincy in the Russian army in 1863 rather than fight fellow Poles
  • Sentenced and sent to hard labour in the Usolye salt mines, Siberia, until 1873
  • Tutor to Prince August Czartoryski in France
  • Entered the Carmelites in 1877 and was ordained a priest in 1882
  • Helped restore the Carmelites in Poland; canonised on 17 November 1991

Saints from the same country

Saint Stanislaus of Kraków, Saint John Paul II, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Saint Faustina Kowalska

References

  • Martyrologium Romanum
  • Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
  • Discalced Carmelite Order – profile of Saint Raphael Kalinowski

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.