August Czartoryski

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August Czartoryski
Blessed August Czartoryski
Noble Family Czartoryski
Coat of Arms Czartoryski
Parents Ladislaus Czartoryski
Maria Amparo, Countess of Vista Alegre
Children none
Date of Birth August 2, 1858
Place of Birth Paris, France
Date of Death April 8, 1893
Place of Death Alassio, Italy

August Franciszek Maria Anna Józef Kajetan Czartoryski, Duke of Vista Alegre (1858-1893) was born on August 2, 1858 in Paris, the only child of Prince Ladislaus (Władysław) Czartoryski and Princess Maria Amparo, Countess of Vista Alegre (daughter of Queen Maria Christina of Spain and her secret husband Augustín Fernández Muñoz, Duke of Riansares).

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[edit] Childhood

The Czartoryski magnate was one of the most powerful families in Poland during the 18th century, but in the 19th century they were exiled from Poland by the Russians, and had their base of operations at the Hôtel Lambert in Paris.

To his family, the young prince was known as "Gucio". He was a sickly child, having contracted tuberculosis from his mother at the age of 6 (she later died of the disease). Much of his life was spent being shuttled to different health spas in mountains and along beaches that had "good air" for the afflicted. From the age of 10 to 17 he studied in Paris and Kraków.

[edit] Tutored by the future Saint Raphael Kalinowski

In 1872, when Gucio was 14, his father Prince Ladislaus remarried to Marguerite Adelaide, and had two more sons in 1872 and 1876. A tutor was hired for Gucio in 1874 -- Joseph Kalinowski, a Polish patriot who had just returned to Poland from a ten-year sentence in Siberia. Joseph also suffered from respiratory ailments, and accompanied Gucio to many of his destinations. In a letter to his sister Mary, Joseph wrote that he was "father, mother, nurse, brother, companion and caretaker" for the boy. Joseph and August remained close companions until 1877, when Joseph joined the religious order of the Carmelites and took the name "Raphael of St. Joseph". He was sainted by Pope John Paul II in 1991.

[edit] Career

It was Prince Ladislaus's desire that his son Gucio pursue a diplomatic career, but the young prince felt a different calling. He was encouraged by Pope Leo XIII to follow Don Bosco (later Saint Don Bosco) of the Salesians.

In 1887, after meeting Don Bosco, Gucio joined that order in Turin, with the ailing Bosco's blessing. He studied theology and philosophy but his health continued to decline. On April 2, 1892 he was ordained as a priest by the Bishop of Ventimiglia, though his family discouraged this, and refused to attend the ceremony. He died only a year later, on April 8, 1893, in Alassio, Italy, of tuberculosis, at the age of 34.

[edit] Veneration

In February 14, 1921 the process for his beatification began, and in 2004, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II, the next step towards becoming a Saint. His remains are currently in Przemysl, Poland.

Blessed August Czartoryski
Beatified
Born August 2, 1858, Paris
Died April 8, 1893, Italy
Venerated in December 1, 1978
Beatified 2004


[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Praskiewicz, Szczepan T., Saint Raphael Kalinowski: an introduction to his life and spirituality, 1998 (translated to English by Thomas Coonan, Michael Griffin, OCD, and Lawrence Sullivan, OCD). ICS Publications, Institute of Carmelite Studies, Washington DC.
  • Monk Matthew, Saint from the Salt Mines: A biography of Bd. Raphael Kalinowski, ODC, 1986
  • Czeslaus Gil, OCD, Father Raphael Kalinowski, 1979, Wydawnictwo (translated into English by Sister Czeslava)
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