Casimir, born of kings and in line to be a king, lived a disciplined, even severe life, sleeping on the ground, spending the night in prayer and dedicating himself to lifelong celibacy. He was sent to Hungary by his father, the king of Poland to lead the army but was outnumbered by the enemy troops. Since then he made up his mind never again to become involved in wars.

For many years, Poland and Lithuania faded into the gray prison on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Despite repression from Russia, the Poles and Lithuanians remained firm in faith. Their youthful patron Casimir reminds us: Peace is not won by war; sometimes a comfortable peace is not even won by virtue, but Christ’s peace can penetrate every government repression of religion.