For Greater Things: The Story of Saint Stanislaus Kostka

William T. Kane

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Chapters
16

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Biography General Biography Saint BiographyAristocratic YouthYouth FaithStorytelling16th CenturySixteenth CenturyCatholicismJesuitsJesuit Scholar

Summary

This is a short biography of the young Polish saint Stanislaus Kostka (1550–1568) by the Jesuit William T. Kane, S.J. The title comes from the youth's motto, "Ad maiora natus sum" (I was born for greater things). Composed of a preface and fifteen short chapters, it tells its story rather than arguing from documents, showing how a noble youth in the religious turmoil of sixteenth-century Europe put faith ahead of family, career and comfort. Stanislaus was born into the noble Kostka family of Poland; his father, a senator, was determined that his son should enter public life. Sent with his elder brother Paul to the Jesuit college in Vienna, he was bullied there by his brother for being too devout. During a severe illness his landlord refused to fetch a priest to bring him Communion; by his own account Saint Barbara and two angels came to visit him, and after his recovery he saw in a vision the Virgin placing the Christ Child in his arms, whereupon he resolved to join the Society of Jesus. The provincial in Vienna, fearing his father's power, dared not admit him, so in ragged clothes he walked some 350 miles from Vienna via Dillingen to Saint Peter Canisius, then south to Rome, where on his seventeenth birthday he was received into the novitiate by Saint Francis Borgia. The final chapters describe his humble chores and fervent prayer in the Roman novitiate and his death ten months later (August 15, 1568) on the Feast of the Assumption, closing with an "Aftermath" chapter on the conversion of his brother Paul. Kane's narrative is brisk and undidactic, attentive to character rather than piling up miracles, making it one of the most readable short English lives of this patron of youth. This edition is an electronic transcription or facsimile of the original English text.

Editor's review

在一部关于圣人的传记里，最容易出现两种毛病：一是把主角写成没有体温的塑像，二是把神迹堆成流水账。凯恩这本小传难得地两样都避开了。序言开门见山地说：不要以为圣德是年老体衰之后慢慢磨出来的东西，一个充满力气、爱玩爱闹的少年，同样可以在极短的时间里走到极高的地方。此后十五章几乎是连续的叙事：路上的奔跑、被追捕的躲藏、贵族子弟被罚做杂役，节奏像一篇冒险小说。 值得一读的还有作者的历史分寸。十六世纪的欧洲正处在天主教与新教的激烈撕扯中，斯坦尼斯劳斯的父亲要的是家族前程，维也纳的耶稣会省会长怕的是得罪权贵，兄长保罗在校园里欺负弟弟——这些人都不是脸谱化的恶人，而是各自被处境推着走的人。作者没有把少年圣人的决绝写成对家人的轻蔑，反而在后半段用“追捕”与“余波”两章，让冲突双方都得到交代，尤其是保罗在弟弟死后五十多岁入耶稣会的情节，读来比任何说教都更有力。 本书原为英文公版小书，篇幅不长，语言简单，适合作为了解这位青年主保的第一本读物，也适合英语学习者当作入门级的原版阅读材料。

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Reading tips

  1. 先读序言，抓住作者“少年亦可成圣”的核心论点，再回看各章的取舍。
  2. 把“追捕”“出走”“通往罗马之路”三章连起来读，可看清全书最紧张的叙事线。
  3. 边读边在地图上找出罗斯特科沃、维也纳、迪林根、罗马四点，徒步距离会更有实感。
  4. 如用作英语读物，可每章摘三五个生词与一句人物对话，读完后对照圣人传记资料补充背景。

Contents

  1. Preface
  2. Chapter I: On the Road
  3. Chapter II: The Pursuit
  4. Chapter III: Early Days
  5. Chapter IV: Off to Vienna
  6. Chapter V: School Days
  7. Chapter VI: In the House of Kimberker
  8. Chapter VII: The Test of Courage
  9. Chapter VIII: In Danger of Death
  10. Chapter IX: Vocation
  11. Chapter X: The Runaway
  12. Chapter XI: At Dillingen
  13. Chapter XII: The Road to Rome
  14. Chapter XIII: The Noviceship
  15. Chapter XIV: Going Home
  16. Chapter XV: Aftermath

FAQ

这本书是小说吗？ 不是虚构小说，而是为圣人写的传记。只因作者采用讲故事的笔法、分章叙事、对白不多而情节紧凑，所以常被归在英文原著合集的文学类目里。
作者凯恩是什么人？ William Terence Kane（1880—1946）是耶稣会士（署名常作 William T. Kane, S.J.），写有多部面向普通读者的宗教小传，本书即其中之一。
这本书有中文译本吗？ 据波士顿学院利玛窦研究所书目，1973年台南闻道出版社出有喻丽清译本，书名《一個尋求理想的人》，篇幅约七十页；大陆简体译本情况暂未核实。
书里的圣人是谁的主保？ 斯坦尼斯劳斯·科斯特卡（1550—1568）是波兰贵族出身的耶稣会初学生，十七岁去世，1726年被封圣，被奉为青年与学生的主保，纪念日为11月13日。
阅读需要天主教背景知识吗？ 不必。书中涉及圣体、初学院、省会长等术语，但作者解释得相当口语化，普通读者顺着情节读即可理解。

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About the author

William T. Kane Author

William T. Kane is an author about whom very little is publicly known; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and personal background are not clearly documented. The main available information concerns his single biographical work, For Greater Things: The Story of Saint Stanislaus Kostka, a title in the categories of biography and general biography. The book recounts the life of the sixteenth-century Jesuit Saint Stanislaus Kostka, presenting his religious devotion and his brief but steadfast life. This work suggests that Kane focused on the spiritual journeys of religious figures, writing in a narrative style that emphasizes the subject's character, in the manner of popular biography. Since only this one work is available and information about the author is lacking, his overall body of work and historical influence cannot be fully assessed; readers may regard the book as an introductory account of a Catholic saint's life, while further study would require more public sources.