Tomorrow the Church honours one of the first Dominicans and an illustrious preacher, St. Hyacinth. Born of noble ancestry, he received his doctorate in law and divinity before becoming a canon at Crackow. He accompanied his bishop to Rome where he met St. Dominic and asked to be received into the fledgling order. Sent to preach the faith in Poland, St. Hyacinth won many souls to Christ and the Church, while founding several friaries. St. Hyacinth continued his mission as far north as Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, as far south as Turkey and Greece, as far east as Russia, Ukraine, Tibet and China. He returned to his native Poland and aged seventy-two went to his eternal reward on the feast of the Assumption, having recited matins and received the last sacraments. His last words were those which Christ Himself uttered upon the Cross, "Into the hands, O Lord, I comment my spirit"

St. Hyacinth inherited from St. Dominic a tender devotion to Our Lady and attributed his success entirely to her. When the Tartars sacked Kiev, he had just finished saying Mass and without removing his vestments took with him the ciborium. As he passed a statue of Our Lady he heard a voice say "Hyacinth, my son, why dost thou leave me behind? Take me with thee and leave me not to mine enemies." Despite the statue's weight, he carried it and the Blessed Sacrament to the river Dnieper. There he and his companions walked dry shod across the river, using his cloak for a bridge, protected from the Tartars by the waters.

Dr. Pius Parsch commenting on St. Hyacinth's last words says the office of Compline is a fitting preparation for death, for it presents two different death scenes. In the responsary we recall Christ's last words and entrust our souls to His care, while in the canticle we recall Simeon's last words and pray we too may be worthy of eternal rest and peace.