St Hyacinth
Written and researched by Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewska
St Hyacinth was a native of Silesia. He was born before c. 1185 in Kamien, a village near Opole, and was the offspring of a noble family of Odrowaz at Schloss Gross-Stein (Kelley, Sean and Rosemary Rodgers, Saints Preserve Us. New York: Random House, 1993). Hyacinth was related to the Bishop of Cracow, Bishop Iwo Odrowaz. Odrowaz was a village about nine kilometers from Kamien. St Hyacinth studied in Cracow, Prague, and Bologna with a Doctor of Theology. In 1218, he became acquainted with Dominic, and received entry into the Dominican Order, from 1219 in Poland. By September 29, 1228, Hyacinth was enrolled with the Dominicans in Cracow in the Holy Trinity Church. He was the founder of a number of houses, such as Cracow Dominican Order in 1222, one is Friesach in 1221, then Kiev in 1223, and finally Danzig in 1227. Hyacinth preached in southern Russia and Prussia (Hoever, S.O. Cisti, PhD, Rev. Hugo, Lives of the Saints. New York": Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1998). He died August 15, 1257, and was canonized in 1594. His tomb is in the Dominican Church in Cracow, Poland.
His connection with the flower of the same name is a curious one. His name was Jacob, which the poles pronounce "Jacko." This, in turn. was rendered into Latin as "Jacinthus," which means "hyacinth" (Jockle, Clemons, Encyclopedia of Saints. London: Alpine Fine Arts Collection, Ltd., 1995
Hyacinth's miracles include: Raising a drowned boy, driving the Tartars back, and he fled a burning Kiev before the Tartars by crossing the river dry-shod. He was said to have seen the Mother of God in a dream and she told him that all his prayers would be heard. On his stretched out cappa, Hyacinth brought his Brothers over the river near Visograd. He healed blind twins. He saved many people when a bridge collapsed.
His feast day is August 15th (in Gorlitz, Berlin, Gurik, Klagenfurt 17th of August). He is patronized in Poland. Lithuania, Pomerania, Prussia, Russia, Wroclav, Cracow, and Kiev. ).
Blessed Bronislawa (1200-August 29, 1259) and Blessed Chester (B: 1177) were both from Kamien Odrowaz Opole.
