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Saint Raphael Kalinowski
Saint Raphael Kalinowski (1835-1907) was another outstanding Carmelite. He was a Pole who served
in the Tsarist Army. During the 1863 uprising he resigned his commission
and joined the rebels. He was captured by the Russians and sentenced to
death. His sentence was commuted to hard labour in Siberia. There he became
a pillar of strength to his fellow prisoners. After his release he became
a Carmelite friar in 1877. He set about restoring the Order in Poland.
In his ministry he sought to be an agent of peace and reconciliation with
the Russians. He had a special love for the Russian Orthodox and was very
zealous in working for Christian Unity. He was sought out by both Catholics
and Orthodox as a spiritual director. In 1983 he was beatified by Pope
John Paul II in Cracow, and canonised in 1991. Saint Raphael is a patron
of ecumenism, especially with Eastern Christians.
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