Stanisław Kostka Starowieyski

Youth Stanisław Kostka Maria Gerard Franciszek de Hieronymo Biberstein Starowieyski was born on May 11, 1895, in Ustrobna, as the third child of Stanisław Jan and Amelia née Łubieńska. His father was a member of the Diet of Galicia and Lodomeria, the Imperial Council, and the Legislative Sejm (1919–1922), and owned estates in Bratkówka and Korabniki. The family was of noble origin, related to the Bibersteins. Stanisław spent his early childhood at the domestic estate of Bratkówka. following reforms launched at the time by Pope Pius X. Like his siblings, Stanisław was tutored at home in Krosno. Later, residing in Bratkówka, Stanisław studied in Sanok at the C.K. Gimnazjum (Imperial and Royal Gymnasium), today known as Primary School No. 8 Sophia of Halshany, where he completed Grades 1-3 from 1905 to 1908. In 1910, Stanisław moved to the Jesuit College in Khyriv. In 1914 he finished 8th grade and passed his final exam. At this institution, he joined the Roman Catholic society Sodality of Our Lady. In 1923 and 1924, he served during reserve duty periods as an officer of the 9th Field Artillery Regiment in Biała Podlaska. The family manor had been completely devastated by wartime, and the pair had to live in a modest outbuilding. On his way back to Łaszczów, he stopped at Niepokalanów, where he met Father Maksymilian Kolbe. His ashes were returned in an urn to his family by the camp authorities. They were buried at the Szeptycki family cemetery in the manor of Łabunie, today owned by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Pope John Paul II beatified Stanisław Kostka Starowieyski on June 13, 1999, during a mass in Warsaw, as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II. == Decorations ==

• Knight's Cross of the Virtuti Militari • Star of Przemyśl • "Orlęta" Commemorative badge • Cross of Valour == Commemorations ==

On the 70th anniversary of his death, Stanisław Starowieyski was made the patron of the Catholic Action movement in Poland. The patronage of his name was granted to the following educational institutions: • the Primary School in Bratkówka (); A commemorative plaque recalling his memory was unveiled in Bratkówka, at the Starowieyski's manor house, on October 17, 2002. Since June 18, 2017, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Łaszczów has been housing Blessed Stanisław's indirect relic: his holy rosary, which was kept by his wife after he was arrested and deported. The rosary moved eventually into the hands of his grandson, Wojciech Starowieyski, who donated it to the church in Łaszczów with the consent of Marian Rojek, the bishop of the Diocese of Zamość-Lubaczów. ==Family ==

Ancestors • Stanisław's grandfather was Stanisław Michał Starowieyski (1815–1895), a landowner, member of the Imperial Council and of the Diet of Galicia and Lodomeria. • Stanisław's father was Stanisław Jan Starowieyski (1866–1926). • Stanisław's father-in-law was Aleksander Maria Szeptycki (1866–1940), a landowner and brother of Blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky, general Stanisław Szeptycki, Andrey Sheptytsky (Metropolitan bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) and Leon, a landowner. Aleksander Maria Szeptycki was tortured to death by the Gestapo on June 19, 1940 in the Rotunda Zamość. Siblings • Zofia Starowieyska-Morstinowa (1891–1966), a Polish essayist and literature critic. Five days after she died (July 8, 1966), a mass was said in her intention, celebrated by then-Archbishop Karol Wojtyła (Pope John Paul II). • Ludwik (1894–1958), a year older than Stanisław. They went to the same school in 1905–1908. • Maria (1896–1951), who worked in a school for nurses. • Marian (1899–1950s), a doctor of law. • Iza (1902–1927), a law graduate who worked at the "Państwowy Bank Rolny" (). • Ignacy (1922–1994); • Aleksander (1923–1944), who died during the Warsaw Uprising (nom-de-guerre Oleś); • Maria (1925–1970), who participated in the Warsaw Uprising (nom-de-guerre Mysłowska); • Stanisław (1927–1959) who participated in the Warsaw Uprising (nom-de-guerre Rak); • Elżbieta (1929–still alive); • Andrzej (1931–2013) who participated in the Warsaw Uprising. Other family members Nephews • Marek Starowieyski (born 1937), a Polish Catholic priest, prelate. A professor in theology, he published research papers on ancient Christianity and patrology. • Franciszek Starowieyski (1930–2009), a Polish graphic designer. == Palace in Łabunie – Count Aleksander Szeptycki ==

The palace was erected as a summer residence for Jan Jakub Zamoyski, the voivode of Podolia who married Ludwika Maria Poniatowska, the sister of the King of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski. in the late 19th century, after several changes of ownership, Jan Stanisław Tarnowski sold this property near Zamość to Count Aleksander Maria Szeptycki, Stanisław Starowieyski's future father-in-law. The Szeptycki family lived there until the early 1920s. In 1922, Aleksander Szeptycki bequeathed the palace complex, with its park and outbuildings, to the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM), who had been running an orphanage there with his approval. The Count's decision was a gift to the congregation in gratitude for taking care of his sick daughter Maria, who suffered from tuberculosis and died in 1917, in Łabunie. On June 26, 1922, three FMM sisters fled Odessa, escaping the Russian Civil War. The palace suffered heavily during the Second World War: 85% of the buildings were destroyed. After a partial reconstruction, FMM sisters moved back to Łabunie in 1963. A modest necropolis of the Szeptycki family (including Stanisław Starowieyski's ashes) has been established in a circle around a wooden cross, on the outskirts of the park. Surrounding the palace are graves of the FMM sisters. == See also ==