Szymon (Simon) was born to a poor but pious family, the son of Grzegorz and Anna. In 1454, at age 17, he moved from his small town to Kraków to study at the Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego. While there, he heard a sermon by Saint John Capistran which led him to consider a call to religious life and the priesthood. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1457, and joined the Franciscan Friars...