Do you even lift, bro?

St. Hyacinth, sure did, and because of that he’s the patron saint of weightlifters.

This master of strength was born in Silesia, Poland in 1185. He later became a priest in Krakow, where he distinguished himself as a man of charity and intellectual promise. Early in his priestly ministry, he journeyed to Rome with his uncle, the archbishop of Krakow.

While in Rome, St. Hyacinth encountered St. Dominic, the magnanimous preacher and founder of the Dominican order. St. Dominic performed a miracle in the midst of St. Hyacinth’s presence, that inspired Hyacinth to join the Order of Preachers.

As an early companion of St. Dominic, St. Hyacinth learned at the feet of the great Dominican founder, and received the habit in 1220 from the hands of the saint. After his acceptance into the Dominican order, St. Hyacinth and a few of his fellow friars set off to Poland to establish monasteries in their homeland.

But St. Hyacinth become a man of renowned fame not for his works in Poland but for his feats of strength in Kiev.

During the Mongol assault on Kiev, St. Hyacinth and his fellow friars prepared to evacuate the city, but before leaving, St. Hyacinth headed to the church to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle. After securing the ciborium that contained the Eucharist, St. Hyacinth proceeded to exit the church, but on his way out he heard a voice.

The soft, gentle voice of Mary, the Mother of God, rang in the ear of the faithful Dominican. The Blessed Mother instructed him to not abandon her the church. So, St. Hyacinth promptly spun around and grabbed the enormous statue of Mary that dwelt in the sanctuary. Hoisting the stone sculpture onto his shoulder and carrying the ciborium in the other hand, St. Hyacinth marched out of the church with Jesus and Mary in tow.

Out of this event, the patron saint of weightlifting was born. Through his heroic and supernatural display of strength, St. Hyacinth became a paragon of masculine holiness.

So next time you lift, ask St. Hyacinth to help you out. His prayers, like his strength, are beyond this world.