Saint Raphael was born in 1835 as Joseph, the son of Andrew and Josepha Kalinowski, in what is now Lithuania. He sensed a call to the priesthood from a young age, but first chose to complete his education. He went on to study zoology, chemistry, agriculture, and beekeeping at the Institute of Agronomy in Hory Horki, Russia, and later continued his studies at the Academy of Military Engineering in Saint Petersburg.

In 1857 he entered the Russian Military Engineering Corps as a lieutenant. During his service, he helped plan and oversee the construction of the railway linking Kursk and Odessa. He rose to the rank of captain in 1862 and was assigned to Brest Litovsk, where he opened and personally funded a Sunday school that welcomed anyone who wished to attend.

When the Polish uprising began in 1863, Joseph resigned from the Russian army and joined the movement as the minister of war for the Vilna region. He accepted the position only on the condition that he would never order or carry out an execution. Soon after, Russian authorities arrested him, and in June 1864 he was sentenced to death for his involvement. To avoid turning him into a political martyr, the sentence was reduced to ten years of forced labour in the Siberian salt mines. Part of this punishment was spent in Irkutsk, where his relics are now housed in the cathedral.

After his release in 1873, he was barred from returning to his homeland. He moved to Paris and spent three years working as a tutor. In 1877 he finally responded to his long-felt call to religious life and joined the Carmelite Order in Graz, Austria, taking the name Raphael. His theological studies continued in Hungary, after which he became part of the Carmelite community in Czama, Poland. He was ordained a priest on January 15, 1882.

Father Raphael dedicated himself to rebuilding the Discalced Carmelite presence in Poland and to fostering unity among Christians. In 1889 he founded a convent at Wadowice and worked closely with Blessed Alphonsus Mary Marurek. Known for his deep spirituality, he guided both Catholic and Orthodox faithful and spent many hours in the confessional, offering counsel and compassion to his parishioners.

Saint Raphael died in 1907. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1991.