Proclaim the glory of the Lord among the nations, God’s marvelous deeds to all the peoples; great is the Lord and worthy of all praise.
Loving God, You gave Saint Hyacinth the grace to preach, the he might draw the peoples of many nations to the light of truth. By Your power bring forth good works in our lives, that all may be moved to give You glory.
The Dominican friar and priest honored today is known in Poland as the Apostle to Poland (or “to the North”). Hyacinth was born in 1185, joined the Order of Preachers in 1219 after meeting Saint Dominic becoming the first to receive the habit; he died on the Assumption feast in 1257. Prior to meeting the Order Hyacinth took earned the Doctor of Law and Divinity degree from the University of Bologna. His vocation was preaching as an itinerant missionary who had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Hyacinth was canonized by Clement VIII in 1594.
Culturally, the name Hyacinth is translated as Jacek (in Polish) and Jacinto (in Spanish and Portugese).