Ad honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Via paschalis marianorum Through death to life in the Congregation of Marian Fathers
1 AD HONOREM IMMACULATAE CONCEPTIONIS MARIAE Via paschalis marianorum Through death to life of the Congregation of Marian Fathers
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3 AD HONOREM IMMACULATAE CONCEPTIONIS MARIAE Via paschalis marianorum Through death to life of the Congregation of Marian Fathers Editor: Fr. Kazimierz Pek MIC Fr. Wojciech Skóra MIC General Curia of the Congregation of Marian Fathers Rome, 2021 Warsaw 2021 PROM I C
4 Translator from polish: Marina Batiuk Cover design: Hanna Woźnica-Gierlasińska Image on the front cover: A crucifix from the end of the 17th century at the Shrine of St. Stanislaus Papczyński in Marianki – Góra Kalwaria Cover page II Logo for the 350th Anniversary of the Congregation of Marian Fathers Edited by Fr. Joseph G. Roesch MIC Page layout and technical editing: Eliza Wiśniewska
5 Table of Contents Andrzej Pakuła, MIC Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 WOJCIECH SKÓRA, MIC January 2022: The Life of our Father Founder – Saved from Death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 WOJCIECH SKÓRA, MIC February 2022: Vocation of Father Founder – The Pains of Being Born in the Holy Spirit . 21 JACEK RYGIELSKI, MIC March 2022: Father Casimir Wyszyński. Passover of faith – deferred on his path of piety . 30 TOMASZ NOWACZEK MIC April 2022: Portuguese Passover . 35 TOMASZ NOWACZEK, MIC May 2022: Father Vincent Sękowski – the path of faith with the paschal Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 TOMASZ NOWACZEK MIC June 2022: The mission of the Renovator – towards the divine vision . 50 KAZIMIERZ PEK, MIC July 2022: The Life of Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz – God’s power in the experience of suffering. 57 KRZYSZTOF ZIAJA, MIC August 2022: Harbin – Traces of the Marian Fathers’ Presence in Asia (1928-1948). From Faith to Dying with Hope to Blessed Future Fruit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
6 JAN SERGIUSZ GAJEK, MIC September 2022: Father Christopher Maria Szwernicki and his paschal path . 76 ALIAKSANDR SHAMRYTSKI, MIC October 2022: The Martyrs of Rosica – Maturing for Unity with the Good Shepherd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 MACIEJ ZACHARA, MIC November 2022: Martyrs of the Communist regime – out of love for Christ and the Church. 87 PAWEŁ NAUMOWICZ, MIC December 2022: Kairos of the Beatification and the Canonization – our Congregation’s Pascal path towards its charismatic identity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
7 Preface The book, Via paschalis marianorum, with the subtitle, Through death to life of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, is another publication prepared as part of the Jubilee series, Ad honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae. The previous two books contained a theological-historical reflection on important issues concerning the Congregation of Marian Fathers. They treated such topics as the founding charism of St. Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczyński, the essential elements of the charism of the community that he founded, the making of the Oblatio by our holy Father Founder as a moment of the origin of the Order, the Oblatio as a formula of consecration, etc. In turn, this book provides a reflection from a slightly different point of view. It attempts to uncover some of the paschal events from the 350-year history of the Congregation of Marian Fathers. Of course, the very selection of the topics presented here does not exhaust the rich history of the religious community founded by St. Stanislaus Papczyński nor do they exclude other events marked by a paschal aspect. It rather demonstrates, on the one hand, the Editors’ self-imposed limitation (the choice of 12 topics is related to the nature of the reflections – which are conferences for the 12 Days of Recollection, one for each month of 2022); and on the other hand, it is a summary of the most emphatic and generally known circumstances; only they are interpreted here in a paschal way. The choice of the paschal key to interpret events from the history of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, in the intention of the Editors, is connected to the need to Christianize history and the desire to see it in the light of faith. In their opinion, the same events could be labeled indeed as a “crisis” and such an approach would also be correct. This is common terminology today, even in church language. However, “Passover” is not only a more appropriate term, but also a better reflection of the experience of faith both of the individuals to whom the conferences are dedicated, and of the entire community of Marian Fathers.
8 The topics discussed in this book show the history of salvation: both individual and communal, that is, the history of the Congregation of Marian Fathers and, in the broadest sense, the history of the Church. Adopting the paschal paradigm immediately situates the facts within the presence and action of God. To put it very concisely, the word “crisis” – which has many meanings today, including philosophical, psychological, religious, economic, etc. – basically describes the objective situation of a given object, showing signs of a temporary collapse of its current state. It does not, however, refer directly to either the cause of this state or its goal, but demands a separate analysis of the situation. The word “Passover”, on the other hand, immediately introduces a religious context: first in relation to the Old Testament Passover, where it generally means “passing” and includes the events connected to the flight from Egypt (see Ex 12:12-14.27), and then, in the context of Christianity, where the central place belongs to the saving work of Jesus Christ (paschal mystery) and His “passing over” from death to life through the Resurrection. The paschal approach to the biographies of the selected personalities and events from the history of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, which also bears the subtitle Through Death to Life ..., goes beyond a scholarly historical presentation of the facts. Indeed, for the reader, it becomes a proclamation of the kerygma that God can bring life out of death as it came to pass in the person of Jesus; that death does not have the last word in the personal and collective history of salvation; that the experience of the Paschal Christ through faith and union with Him in the Holy Spirit may become the experience of every human at any time and in any place. The stories of individuals – members of the Marian Congregation presented in this book are the proof of this. Furthermore, they are also the expression of struggle in the spiritual battle for paschal faith. For some, it will be a hope that their priestly toil, forgotten in the depths of Siberia, will bear fruit known only to God and the people they helped (C. Szwernicki), or that their sacrifice will bear fruit at the right time, unknown to them (S. Papczyński, C. Wyszyński, G. Matulewicz); for others, it will mean “hope against hope” that God will not allow His work to die (V. Sękowski); and still others, united with Christ’s death, will experience their passing away, as to rise again in Him and with Him
9 (the Harbin mission, the Portuguese Passover, the martyrs of the Communist regime and the martyrs of Rosica). Presenting this book to our readers’ attention, I would like to thank the Editors for an original approach to the issues, and the Authors for their efforts in the undertaken research. It will undoubtedly broaden the horizons of the readers’ knowledge and – as I trust – also their horizons of faith. Andrzej Pakuła MIC Superior General Rome, November 5, 2021 On the Remembrance of All the Deceased Members of the Congregation
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11 Wojciech Skóra, MIC Sulejówek, Poland January 2022 The Life of our Father Founder – Saved from Death Scriptures: Psalm 40:2-10 Surely, I wait for the LORD; who bends down to me and hears my cry, Draws me up from the pit of destruction, out of the muddy clay, Sets my feet upon rock, steadies my steps, And puts a new song in my mouth, a hymn to our God. Many shall look on in fear and they shall trust in the LORD. Blessed the man who sets his security in the LORD, who turns not to the arrogant or to those who stray after falsehood You, yes you, O LORD, my God, have done many wondrous deeds! And in your plans for us there is none to equal you. Should I wish to declare or tell them, too many are they to recount. Sacrifice and offering you do not want; you opened my ears. Holocaust and sin-offering you do not request; so I said, “See; I come with an inscribed scroll written upon me.
12 I delight to do your will, my God; your law is in my inner being!” When I sing of your righteousness in a great assembly, See, I do not restrain my lips; as you, LORD, know. Sources: Vita Fundatoris 16-17 Thus, Stanislaus together with a certain fellow-villager of his and the aforementioned relative arrived safely during the pouring rain in the city of Lvov, almost a hundred miles distant from their hometown. Lvov was considered the host to outstanding scientists and famous as a peculiar friend of mercy. However, the omnipotent and foreseeing God decided to perfect Stanislaus and submit him to trial on all his ways, He resolved to test His chosen one like gold is tested by fire. He allowed for the prefect to refuse accepting the boys in his school because they had no recommendations and also because – despite their great enthusiasm for learning – their level of preparedness was insufficient. And thus, having left their hometown and experienced many troubles during the journey, they failed to achieve their goal of dedicating themselves to further learning. Without acquaintances in the city, they wandered here and there and exhausted the money received from their parents. Stanislaus’s relative – a cousin – stayed only briefly in Lvov, because a schoolmaster from a nearby town accepted him as a children’s tutor, while Stanislaus remained at a burgher’s also to teach boys. As a result, although he was not admitted to college due to insufficient knowledge, by foresight and the order of the most compassionate God, he was employed by two townspeople of Lvov to teach their two sons to read. One of the men supplied sufficient sustenance, and the other – room with a comfortable bed. I shall now speak of his cross, which I mentioned a little earlier. In the meantime, as Stanislaus, still a boy himself, took great care of the
13 students entrusted to him and taught them properly basic age-appropriate matters, showing them also the example of modesty and other virtues and being kindly regarded by these two men and their neighbors, God allowed first a great fever to strike him and to last almost 15 weeks, and after it subsided, or rather was cured through care and medicine provided by the mother of the family, terrible scabies covered his entire body due to which he was removed from his room out of disgust. Therefore, as he walked through the streets of the city and villages, barely hanging on to his life and pleading for someone’s helping hand, he was accepted out of mercy into a shelter. So he had some accommodation. However, a week or two later, when the scabies had spread further, he was thrown out of the shelter also. A harsh winter arrived with much snow and severe cold, yet he still had to spend day and night in unknown towns, under the open, chilling sky. Seriously ill and drained, abandoned by everyone, he had no support or help, but only God. In his distress, he could only cry out to Him with lips free from disease and to lift his eyes to heaven, asking with groans for help from there. And the merciful God helped him, keeping him from being completely wasted. He sent him a nameless companion who used to daily take him along to find shelter for the night in a haystack outside the city. They went there secretly when darkness fell, fearing that the owner would deprive them of that poor shelter. In order to keep themselves from starving, Stanislaus and his God-given companion went from door to door and sang songs, while begging for alms. What I am about to tell is quite amazing. Right on Christmas Eve, Stanislaus’ disease got even worse. That is why he was not able even go to church to attend Holy Mass; he spent nearly the entire octave just lying on the haystack. He only drew consolation from the memory of his Savior, who, having come for our redemption, was laid in the hay, and not in the inn. Being so weakened, he could not even take one step, so, his unnamed companion provided him with some modest sustenance. In the person of that man, the best God gave Stanislaus a caretaker and a father. After Christmas, when he felt stronger, he went into town. Late one evening, as he was on his way to the haystack – his previous shelter, he
14 felt so weak that he could not make another step. He secretly entered a house that belonged to a very pious town resident – a carpenter by the name of Snopek, and spent that night tucked away in a corner of the house. Early the next morning, unexpectedly, the mistress of the house and her servant were surprised to find him, but God set their hearts on fire with piety, so that, moved by mercy, they allowed him to rest there. Meanwhile, the disease moved onto his legs covering them completely with pustules, for which there was no cure. Moreover, the disease intensified so greatly from day to day that he seemed to be rotting alive. For this reason alone, he could have been thrown out of his shelter so as not to infect others. God, however, poured such a power of love and mercy into the hearts of the household members that they did not abhor him, but instead commiserated over his fate with kindness and tears. In this way, the gracious and merciful God taught Stanislaus, still a young man, and prepared him through patience and suffering to become in the future a founder of a religious order bringing help to souls suffering in Purgatory. God wanted Stanislaus to first be tried, trained and to grieve himself in all things, to learn to understand and empathize with souls in their hard torments, and to have an even greater love for them, because he himself suffered and knew compassion, which shall transpire later. Meditation The life path of St. Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczyński was marked by various forms of suffering. Thanks to his openness to God’s love, this dimension of his earthly pilgrimage which was undoubtedly related to the passion took on a paschal form, a transition to a new life. We will examine this experience through reading Father Papczyński’s works and through the events described by his biographers. His experience of evil seems to drastically contradict God’s goodness and love. As a Piarist novice, Stanislaus Papczyński dealt with the problems of moral and physical evil, described in the oldest preserved record known as Secreta conscientiae. After completing his course
15 in philosophy, he chose the path of a religious vocation and reflected in retrospect on his past life marked by hardships, suffering and sin. He discovered the meaning of his experiences in the light of faith and adorned the fruits of his reflection with the garments of prayer: “May You be forever blessed, OLord, and grant that, after [doing] somany evil deeds, I may do good deeds in my vocation, since I truly recognize that, of myself, I am not capable of doing anything that is good. You, though, who read this, do not be surprised by the things I have presented, since I considered it unworthy to hide the goodness of God, and I wanted to encourage you to praise God’s omnipotence and His care for us. To Him be glory, honor, and praise forever. Amen.”1 The author discovered that a sinner is accompanied by the good and all-powerful God, but if the sinner succeeds in doing any kind of good, it ultimately can be attributed to God alone. This somewhat pessimistic vision of the human condition, with which the novice Stanislaus identified himself, might have resulted from two sources: he carries out a conscious procedure of humiliating himself and settling accounts with his past secular life, or, he received the ability to see in the light of the Holy Spirit the reasons for his decisions and actions and thus discovered their insignificance and imperfection. Writing about his subjectively perceived inability to do good in the context of the objectively blessed effects of his actions (graduating from schools, discovering his religious vocation, keeping a living faith), the young Stanislaus Papczyński could attribute them to God alone. Thus, sinfulness ensuing from a weakened nature rather than from deliberate decisions does not prevent God from using man for his salvation and for the salvation of others. The second type of evil with which St. Stanislaus struggled was due to life failures and the ensuing humiliations: “Thus do I thank God, that by His Will, I was then obligated by my parents to pasture sheep (I dare to admit this with a peaceful conscience), since while I was in the pastures amid the flock, I kept my conscience pure and holy! O Lord! I humbly ask this of You, that this, the Providence of Your Majesty – which I expect [to guide me] in the future and in which I trust – will 1 St. Papczyński, Secreta consientiae, in: Selected Writings, p. 853.
16 guide me until the end of my life, that You may be praised in all of my deeds, thoughts, and words. Amen.”2 When Papczyński left school for the second time, due to some “peculiar dispiritedness,” his father decided to send him to tend a flock of sheep. Until then, good results in teaching and in starting secondary school had bred pride both in the student and the parents, as well as respect and recognition from neighbors. Returning home against his parents’ will could have caused their rightful dissatisfaction and a spiteful, rather than supportive, decision about the son’s future. Looking back from the perspective of 12 years, Stanislaus recognized both the decision and its effects as a blessed experience of Divine Providence. Although he was humiliated in the eyes of his neighbors and suffered from internal chaos and anxiety, he ultimately attained a profound quiet in his soul and the most important fruit of a pure and holy conscience. Papczyński considered as the greatest good the preservation from sin, that is, maintaining a living relationship with God who leads man to perfection, while using, however, measures that may be considered severe and painful on an ad hoc basis. Both texts emanate Easter light and speak of the fruit of true metanoia. Out of the experience of personal weakness and unpleasant events, a witness to God’s power conquering evil is born. While there is no reference to Christ’s Passover in these texts, we grasp its fruits. Saint Stanislaus Papczyński’s paschal path of faith revealed itself in the discovery of his life vocation. An educated young man with the prospect of an administrative career, perhaps with a magnate or even in the royal court, chose the path of a religious life. His decision, probably difficult for his family to accept, became understandable only from the perspective of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and therefore from the perspective of grace. He wrote about his religious vocation in 1675: “Many know that I was in the Congregation of the Pious Schools – more dear to me than my life – in that sweetest Society of the Poor of the Mother of God. It is quite difficult to explain how much I valued my vocation, 2 Ibid, p. 854.
17 roused by God Himself (a Deo provectam).”3 He regarded it as a transition from this world to the dimension of divine life, as the election of what he himself called the earthly paradise and the port of salvation. In the reflections delivered to the Piarists in Góra Kalwaria, he emphasized that every vocation to the religious life was awakened by the Holy Spirit: “You, on the other hand, have been richly endowed by the grace of the Holy Spirit with such a great gift and light.”4 This statement is the starting point for an eschatological interpretation of a religious vocation as “a haven towards which one makes his way from the very dangerous sea of the world and in which he evades the insurmountable waves of great storms.”5 The Holy Spirit leads a Christian to this harbor, this haven: “You also have gone out from your native region to the place indicated to you by the finger of the Holy Spirit through a religious vocation.”6 The aforesaid Secreta conscientiae, today considered as lost, also contained accounts of Divine Providence’s numerous miraculous interventions in the life of Stanislaus Papczyński. Their brief account may be found in Vita Fundatoris, written by Father Casimir Wyszyński on the basis of his reading the Founder’s notes and testimonies of eyewitnesses or those who had been in contact with them. Among other things, we learn from his account about God’s extraordinary intervention of saving Stanislaus as an unborn child [in his mother’s womb]. While his mother Zofia was crossing the Dunajec River on her way back home from the market in Sącz, the arrival of a sudden storm caused waves to rise on the river, placing them both in great danger. All Zofia could do was to appeal for help from Heaven, and inexplicably her boat immediately reached the shore. When Stanislaus was in his teens, he went to Lvov in order to continue his education. Refused admission to the Jesuit school, he tutored the sons of some Lvov townspeople. In the 3 St. Papczyński, Foundation of the House of Recollections, in: Selected Writings, Warszawa -Stockbridge, 2021, p. 901. 4 St. Papczyński, Examination of the Heart, in: Selected Writings, Warszawa-Stockbridge, 2021, p. 487. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid, p. 142.
18 fall of 1636 he fell seriously ill, which meant the end of his stay at the employer’s home. Debilitated by high fever, homeless, destitute, far away from his family, he was totally alone for many weeks. His life was seriously endangered, and a stranger appeared in these circumstances and disinterestedly took care of the young man. Later, Stanislaus would interpret this incident through the prism of the biblical story about the Archangel Raphael keeping company with young Tobias. Many years later, in the Cenacle in Góra Kalwaria, he installed an altar to St. Raphael. As he prayed or celebrated the Eucharist at this altar, he implored and obtained the graces of healing and even a return to life for many people. His hardships in Lvov – called his “Lvovian Cross” – became an extremely important period in shaping Stanislaus Papczyński’s personality, faith and Marian vocation. Casimir Wyszyński wrote: “This is how the most gracious and merciful God instructed and prepared this man, still very young at that time, to become the Founder of an Institute helping those [souls] suffering in Purgatory. Through patience and pain, He prepared the future originator of this assistance so that he would learn to sympathize with souls in their extremely hard torments, being himself subjected to sufferings and trials” (VF 17). Saint Stanislaus interpreted another event from his youth in the key of the history of salvation, as he wrote in his Second Testament (1699). The incident took place in Warsaw in 1655 or 1656, at the beginning of his Piarist vocation. He recalled: “I depart from this earthly life in the Roman Catholic faith, for which I was ready to shed my blood during the Swedish War. When I was going from the [Old] City with my companion near [the church of ] the Dominican Fathers, a heretical soldier attacked me with an unsheathed sword. Meanwhile, my companion (although he was German) fled, [as] I, having knelt down, presented my neck to be cut off; but by Divine Providence, it so happened that I was not wounded at all, even though I was struck quite strongly three times. However, for about an hour and a half, I experienced enormous pain.”7 The incident in which his life was saved, although he was severely struck several times, remained in Father Papczyński’s heart as 7 St. Papczyński, Second Testament, in: Selected Writings, Warszawa-Stockbridge, 2021, p. 934.
19 one of the clearest signs of God’s protection. The accuracy of his description – almost half a century after the event itself – brings to mind the biblical testimony of people touched by the power of God’s love, which they recollected in the minutest detail, i.e., the calling of John the Apostle (cf. Jn 1:27-34) or Saul’s meeting the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 26). In time, the youthful and imprudent zeal of the novice would be exposed to considerable tests and true darkness. Despite this, he [Stanislaus] would never abandon the path of his vocation. God, who revealed His omnipotence to him, foresaw a different kind of martyrdom for the future Founder of the Order of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Father Stanislaus kept painful memories of his last years in the Piarist Order: “Many know that I was in the Congregation of the Pious Schools – more dear to me than my life – in that sweetest Society of the Poor of the Mother of God. It is quite difficult to explain how much I valued my vocation, roused by God Himself. Even more, I remained in this holiest company, bound not only by the bonds of love, but also by the solemn obligation of the oath to persevere in it forever. I desired the first to be indissoluble, while the second was dissolved by the one to whom has been given the authority of binding and loosing, the Vicar of the Most Holy Jesus Christ, the legitimate successor of St. Peter, Pope Clement X. Yet, ah! How it came to this! What a way of the cross! Furthermore, unimaginable confusions, scruples, doubts, anguish, and fears tormented and tortured me. For who could have such a lax conscience that, without these, he could pass from the state of religious vows (even if they were simple) to a merely secular [state of life]?”8 Stanislaus lived out in union with the suffering Savior all the sufferings caused to him by his brethren and his interior struggle to remain faithful to God’s will. Two collections of Passion sermons were created during this period, while in the first sentence of the Oblatio, prepared in prayer, an invocation would appear which was the foundation of his faith and the motive for serving God: “In the name of our 8 St. Papczyński, Foundation of the House of Recollections, in: Selected Writings, Warszawa -Stockbridge, 2021, pp. 901-902.
20 Lord Jesus Christ Crucified. Amen.”9 Stanislaus appealed to the One who trusted the Father to the end, who fulfilled His will perfectly, who offered Himself as a burnt offering for the salvation of the world. Perhaps, Christ becomes his Passover in St. Stanislaus Papczyński’s most important moment. Years later, he called a commentary on the evangelical descriptions of the Resurrection, His Redivivus. The source for the adjective redivivus (used anew, returning, refreshed, usable, revived and resurrected) is the noun redivivum (meaning old building material reused once again). Thanks to his fidelity to the Crucified, St. Stanislaus would repeatedly experience the transition from darkness to light, from death to life, becoming redivivus himself – a rejected stone, but ultimately so useful for the Kingdom of God. Questions: 1. Which events in my life do I consider as a participation in the Passion, death and resurrection of Christ? Can I say today that my way of life and faith is the paschal way? 2. Which instance of suffering has been or is most severe for me? To what extent do I experience the presence of sin as causing a feeling of rejection, loneliness, and rancor towards God, people and myself? Am I capable of dealing with my sin in the presence of a loving God who is always searching and waiting for me? 3. How is my religious vocation affected by my experience of the community: is it a path of joy or of sorrow and toil? Do I feel part of this community, or maybe an outsider? Whom and what should I forgive if I haven’t done it already? Whom should I ask for forgiveness and what for? 9 St. Papczyński, Self-Offering (Oblatio), in: Selected Writings, Warszawa-Stockbridge, 2021, p. 871.
21 Wojciech Skóra, MIC Sulejówek, Poland February 2022 Vocation of Father Founder – The Pains of Being Born in the Holy Spirit Scriptures: Acts 15:36-41, 16:1-10 After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us make a return visit to see how the brothers are getting on in all the cities where we proclaimed the word of the Lord.” Barnabas wanted to take with them also John, who was called Mark, but Paul insisted that they should not take with them someone who had deserted them at Pamphylia and who had not continued with them in their work. So sharp was their disagreement that they separated. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed after being commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He traveled through Syria and Cilicia bringing strength to the churches. He reached (also) Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him, and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,* for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number. They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas.
22 During [the] night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. Sources: Second Testament, 1699-1701 In the Year of the Lord 1701, on April 10 th , I confirm all that is written above, although already our Tiny-Congregation is an Order of Solemn Vows under the Rule of the Imitation of the Ten Virtues of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, which I most humbly accept and I want to renew again the Solemn Profession according to it; providing – if I should live – a better ordinance as regards the Houses. And if Father Joachim by the consent of the Fathers should again be confirmed as a Coadjutor, then I oblige him, by the terrible judgment of God, that – with regard to what has been prescribed by me – he does not introduce any innovations in the habit, in the title of the Order, nor that he dare to impiously abolish the veneration of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary which we, very unworthy, offer to her Majesty through the recitation of the Little Office of the Immaculate Conception and the entire Rosary. As regards the use of “crematum” [i.e. “burning vodka” – “aguardiente”] he should realize that it is forbidden to him and to all, because this drink by the mysterious mercy of God is alien to Our Company. Although I can write with difficulty at the end of this document – the hand being seriously ill, yet [I write] with a mind that is very sound and in the possession of God. Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary, unworthy Superior of the Order of the Immaculate Conception. By my own hand. Meditation As we have seen in the preceding meditation, the life of St. Stanislaus Papczyński was a series of illnesses, accidents, failures, misconstruc-
23 tions and humiliations. His mission as the Founder of the Congregation of Marians was no less marked by the mystery of the Cross. The reading of his existing writings, especially the Fundatio domus recollectionis, makes us fully aware of the path he traveled in the Church from the first moment when the Holy Spirit inspired him to found the Society of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary until the final shape that the Congregation took just before his death. First, he had to win the fight with himself, probing his weakness against the size of the gift, which seemed to be totally beyond his measure. Looking back from the perspective of several years of the existence of a small religious community (eremitical), St. Stanislaus described its beginnings in the short work, Fundatio domus recollectionis. The first sentences depict the uniqueness of the task due to the condition of its main actor. Father Papczyński sincerely confessed: “This [truth] manifested itself most clearly in me, the most wretched sinner, the most worthy of disdain, most miserable, the most unfit instrument [used by God] for founding the least, the smallest Congregation of Fathers of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary Conceived Immaculately. Within me, I had an unbecoming spirit, no virtue, little prudence; everything was far too small, proper more for dreaming rather than for undertaking a matter of such great difficulty..”1 Thus, should anyone ever presume that the existence of postrema et minima Congregatio was due to Father Papczyński’s zeal, skill or experience, he would be set straight immediately. Convinced of the supernatural nature of the past and present events related to the founding of the Order, the Founder called himself an instrument in the hands of the Almighty. Later, in the work, Inspectio cordis, he remarked that Jesus’ apostles had to have similar experiences, on whose shoulders He laid the mission of evangelizing the world. Father Stanislaus emphasized that their personal and internal poverty clearly indicated the majesty of the principal Maker. In his typical style, St. Stanislaus Papczyński drew from this fact important ascetic inferences: “Learn to esteem not the origin of people, but their virtues; to do and follow not the words of 1 St. Papczyński, Foundation of the House of Recollections, in: Selected Writings, Warszawa-Stockbridge, 2021, p. 901.
24 God’s heralds, but the deed of a great man. Then, being aware of your worthlessness and wickedness, give thanks to God, that He has called you along with other better people to the religious state (which is like the apostolic state), (IC, p. 230 of the proofed copy). Father Papczyński did not compare himself to the apostles in his role as the founder of a new religious community, but in connection with his vocation to the religious order, which he considered the greatest grace of God, after baptismal affiliation. It is for this reason that, after being exempted from simple vows in the Piarist Order, he immediately made the socalled Oblatio. Here is the account of this event: “[...] Divine Majesty suggested to me, immediately before being released – such that, when I be released from them – that I freely bind, in the very same act, myself to God by other [vows], which I performed through the offering of myself [Oblatio], which I recited from my heart in public, although it was made in a rather quiet voice. […] same father, who granted me the release [from vows] in the name of the General, confirmed [this Oblatio] with the acclamation: ‘May God confirm what He has wrought in you!’”2 From that moment on, St. Stanislaus Papczyński lived outside a religious community for over two years, which only amplified his desire for this way of life. The charism, prompting him to form a new congregation, was combined with the desire for further striving on the path of the evangelical counsels. He would conclude this period of loneliness, waiting and trials with a rhetorical conclusion, referring to the plan of Divine Providence: Indeed, He strengthened it. He was so firmly convinced of God’s predominant role in the emergence of the Marian Order that he made the following remark in his testament, as if revoking his title of founder: “I most devoutly entrust this tiny Congregation forever to my Lord, Jesus Christ, and to the Most elect Virgin, His Mother Mary, as the true and only Founders, Directors, Protectors and Patrons of this tiny Congregation of the Immaculate Conception, Helper of the Deceased.”3 The second dimension of the Founder’s Passover is his participation in the dramatic history of the community’s shaping and the need for a 2 Ibid, p. 902. 3 Saint St. Papczyński, Second Testament, in Selected Writings, p. 935.
25 constant verification of his original vision under the pressure of events, new inspirations and the decisions of the Church superiors. The history of the founding of a new order and its approval may be a peculiar locus theologicus for studying the ways of God’s working, who is, after all, free to choose how to carry out His plans. Reflecting on the origins of his new Order, the Founder of the Marians drew attention to three aspects of the divine action: God is the Author of the plan and the Doer of the work, implementing the lowliest means, and removing with His omnipotence the most unfavorable circumstances. Father Papczyński pondered: “The Divine Goodness and Wisdom – despite innumerable difficulties that stand in the way – begin and complete what they desire, even when the means – according to human judgment – are inadequate. For there is nothing impossible for the Omnipotent.”4 The last sentence is an implicite echo of the Archangel Gabriel’s evangelical confession at the Annunciation (cf. Lk 1:27) and Jesus’ conclusion of the teaching on celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God (Mt 19: 10-12). In these cases, God’s omnipotence is revealed first in the context of human powerlessness united with a faithful and ardent prayer (i.e., Elizabeth’s barrenness). It can also be observed in the mystery of the evangelical charism of virginity, the acceptance and exploration of which are not granted to all. Father Papczyński followed both paths: experiencing his own weakness and reading God’s mysterious plans. The Order of the Immaculate Conception could have been established in the Diocese of Krakow at the beginning of 1671. However, it took more than two years for the spiritual vision present in the Saint’s soul to begin to be embodied in the Diocese of Poznan in the form of an eremitical community, which radically differed from the model described in the Norma vitae. This did not thwart the Founder from recognizing as a manifestation of God’s protection the unexpected presence of Bishop Jacek Święcicki in the Korabiew hermitage and his decision to grant the eremitical status to the small community. Father Stanislaus recalled: “My undertaking did not lack heavenly help. As the Divine Majesty sent me the necessary intermediary for help, a man – I state – who is dignified, pious, and learned; the Most Reverend Lord 4 Ibid, p. 901.
26 Stanislaus Hyacinth Święcicki, Bishop of Spigaceń, Archdeacon and official of Warsaw, who had received the order of the Bishop of Poznan, that while visiting his Archdeanery, he ought to go to the hermitage.”5 More years were needed for the initial idea of the Congregation, devoted to spreading veneration to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to be extended to the apostolate of helping the souls in purgatory (which resulted, undoubtedly, from at least three visions of Father Papczyński of the souls suffering in Purgatory), and from the canonical side, to be approved on the diocesan level in 1679. The initial stages of the shaping of the Order were closely defined by the church context and the decisions of the Ordinaries of Krakow and Poznan. The former – despite his undisguised sympathy and concern for Stanislaus Papczyński – refused to support his plans, the latter opened for the community the doors of his diocese, but deferred its official approval for nine years. We do not have direct access to the original concept of the community, articulated in the first version of The Rule of Life. Thus, the Oblatio is the basis of our reflection about the vision, imprinted in the Founder’s soul. In that act, he expressed his desire to found the Society of the Immaculate Conception and to offer himself completely as a Religious in the service of the Church. The very name, Societas suggests that the Founder was thinking of an apostolic community devoted to the work of evangelization and the sanctification of the people of God, possibly its poorest and most neglected members. When the original vision – by a decree of Bishop Hyacinth Święcicki – took the form of an eremitical community in the Korabiew Forest. This monastery would retain this characteristic until the death of its Founder, St. Stanislaus Papczyński who accepted with humility the decision of the Church as God’s will for the moment. As it were, the reward for this act of obedience came in the form of establishing a second Marian religious house in Góra Kalwaria (called at that time, New Jerusalem). Bishop Stefan Wierzbowski, the Ordinary of Poznan, allowed the Marians to undertake some apostolic activities. They particularly imprinted their Founder’s charismatic vision on the pilgrims arriving at the shrine complex in 5 Ibid, p. 910.
27 New Jerusalem. When they began to fulfill, at least to some extent, what the Holy Spirit had placed in the heart of St. Stanislaus, another crisis struck, following the death of Bishop Wierzbowski. A new wave of allegations and slander against the congregation arose, undermining the right for the existence of an institute of simple vows. Unfortunately, the new shepherd of the diocese gave heed to these accusations and came close to dissolving the Order. That troubled the vocation of most community members, and the Founder himself plunged into doubts as to the rightness of his venture. He then turned to the Piarist Superior General for advice: should he stay on his new religious path or return to the Order of the Pious Schools? Father Papczyński’s third petition addressed to his former religious order, clearly showed that Father Stanislaus’s mission of founding the Order of the Immaculate Conception was filled with spiritual uncertainty, external struggle and the painful burden of responsibility for this nascent work. Only his firm conviction that he was doing God’s will and obeying his spiritual directors allowed Father Stanislaus to move forward. Seriously ill and weakened by the harshness of life, in 1690, he made an attempt to [personally] obtain papal approval. To this end, he journeyed to Rome on foot. Perhaps, Father Founder’s great love for his religious community was most clearly revealed in that dramatic and difficult pilgrimage, which he undertook in autumn and winter, an extremely unfavorable time. Unfortunately, he was met in Rome with the news of Pope Alexander VII’s death. Having discovered that the Holy See was reluctant to approve new orders on their own religious rule (only a few exceptions are known), he sought support from the Order of the Franciscans of the Observance who could take the Marian Order under their spiritual care. Among the then existing approved monastic rules, the one that seemed closest to him – due to its name and Marian spirituality – was the rule of the Order of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (called the Conceptionists). All he had to do was to obtain papal approval, but Father Stanislaus’s poor health would not allow him to wait in Rome for the election of a new pope. Thus he returned home empty-handed. Learning to trust in the Holy Spirit is connected with the attitude of listening and obedience, which is “almighty, it overcomes all difficul-
28 ties and never leaves unfinished something it had once undertaken.”6 The unity between the omnipotent God and obedient man leads to the shaping of works intended by the Creator and gradually recognized by man. Saint Stanislaus Papczyński, maturing in the attitude of religious obedience, gained the ability to heed God’s inspirations and surrender to Him in spite of himself. This allowed not only undertaking a task, impossible in human terms, but also constantly correcting the idea of the Order he dreamed of, thanks to the signs of the times received from God. The final shape of the Ordo Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae, defined in the course of papal approval in 1699, seemed to be significantly different from the Founder’s initial vision. In his extensive biography of Stanislaus Papczyński, Father T. Rogalewski expressed two divergent opinions on the Founder’s reaction to the obtained approval. Following the Positio, he indicated that Father Stanislaus was not entirely satisfied with the way that Fr. Joachim Kozłowski had fulfilled the mission entrusted to him when he became acquainted with the content of the documents the latter had brought. Yet, elsewhere, Fr. Rogalewski wrote without quoting the source of the Founder’s greatly rejoicing at the grace of receiving the Rule of the Imitation of the Ten Virtues as the rule of life for the Marians. Saint Stanislaus’s greatest disappointment could have been related to the fact that the Holy See had not recognize his Norma vitae which had been amended many times as the constitutions of the Order. Taking solemn vows a few months before his death, Papczyński realized that the end of his founding mission was set by Divine Providence. He wrote in his Testament with conviction: “To all my present and to each of my future brothers and companions, I allocate the most magnificent foundation: the Providence of our most gracious Father.”7 6 St. Papczyński, Examination of the heart, in: Selected Writings, p. 195. 7 Same author, Second Testament, in: Selected Writings, p. 938.
29 Questions: 1. Which of the inspirations that came to my heart today do I regard as the ones of the Holy Spirit? Which ones have proven to be only of my own design? 2. How do I discern my vocation for the Kingdom of God together with and in the Church? How do I react when faced with a collision between my personal vision and those of my superiors and confreres? 3. Which cause (causes) in the Church do I feel most responsible for? Why do I believe them to be important?
30 Jacek Rygielski, MIC London, England March 2022 Father Casimir Wyszyński. Passover of faith – deferred on his path of piety Scriptures: Sir 44:1-2; 7-15 I will now praise the godly, our ancestors, in their own time, the abounding glory of the Most High’s portion, his own part, since the days of old. All these were glorious in their time, illustrious in their day. Some of them left behind a name so that people recount their praises. Of others, no memory remains, for when they perished, they perished, as if they had never lived, they and their children after them. Yet these also were godly; their virtues have not been forgotten. Their wealth remains in their families, their heritage with their descendants. Through God’s covenant, their family endures, and their offspring for their sake. And for all time, their progeny will endure, their glory will never be blotted out; their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on and on. At gatherings, their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praises. Sources: Circular Letter of December 23, 1737 Brother Casimir Wyszyński of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of the Polish Congregation of Marians, Superior General and Servant. Here, the Almighty God, whose prerogative it is to lift the poor one from the mud to sit him among the princes, called me from the desert
31 with the voices of all the Chapter members to undertake the shepherd’s effort and to prepare the path for your salvation. He prompted your hearts to submit to God’s will through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I am to take on the toil of governing our Congregation, being like a voice that cries in the wilderness, calling to straighten God’s paths. Thus, by this letter, I declare my readiness to fulfill my duty of serving you. Therefore, through the depth of God’s mercy, I am begging you in a fatherly way to be ready, pure and just for the coming of Jesus Christ, our Judge. I sincerely recommend that you observe religious discipline in its entirety, obey your superiors, show brotherly love, and fulfill the past and present regulations of the Chapter. Please also remember me, a sinner, in your pious prayers, so that I may properly and correctly fulfill my duty. I remain in the Lord. Given in the Skórzec Convention on December 23, 1737 Br. Casimir Wyszyński, Superior General. Meditation The imitation of Christ and close unity with Him causes each person to choose the path of their personal Passover, which takes place in a specific community, and above all – in the community of the Church. Passover is not just a simple, free transition from one point or event in life to another, but is often associated with pain, dying to oneself, or a total dying and resurrection, that is, being returning to life by God in a new reality. All of human life has a paschal dimension, which means that we constantly try to “pass through” from disordered and sinful attachments to a life in God’s grace, and we struggle constantly to choose between the implementation of God’s plan for our lives and our own plans or plans that other people have for us. Father Casimir Wyszyński, who distinguished himself by his piety and righteousness of character, struggled with his father’s plans for his life (a career in administration) and his own feelings and desires as well
32 as the discernment of his life calling. One of his desires was to make a pilgrimage, which expresses deep devotion in the life of faith and is often associated with a penitential dimension. Pilgrimage also has an eschatological dimension – a man, inspired by his desire for a closer encounter with God, journeying to a holy place – is an image of the human journey through life to the kingdom of God. As a youth, Father Casimir decided to go to Rome without his parents’ knowledge and consent but, at the request of their mother, his brother caught up with him and brought him back home. However, this desire did not die, although the exact reasons behind his resolution to go on pilgrimage to such a distant place were never revealed. And so, a few years later, he decided again to make a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, to the tomb of St. James. This is mentioned in the testimony of his older brother, Michael Wyszyński: “he made a pledge to make a pilgrimage to St. James in Compostela. I asked him ‘why?’ He did not answer but begged me to get him humble pilgrim clothes.”1 This time, however, he asked through his brother for his parents’ blessing. The father agreed to this pilgrimage only after receiving confirmation of the validity and irrevocability of his son’s pledge. There is no information on the reason for this pledge or the surrounding circumstances. Once again, he failed to reach the destination of his pilgrimage. This time, his journey on the pious path was cut short by an illness, and although he was nearly at the border of Spain, he had to return to Rome, where he was able to exchange his pledge of making a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James for visiting Roman churches and performing works of mercy. In the Eternal City, he also met Father Joachim Kozłowski, who told him about the dispersion of the Marian Order and the role played in it by a novice by the name of Józef Wyszyński. The young pilgrim, moved by this story, declared: “Well, I want to fix what my brother broke; I am asking your Reverence for the [Marian] habit.”2 On 1 Michael Wyszyński’s testimony about his brother in: Najstarsze świadectwa o Słudze Bożym o. Kazimierzu Wyszyńskim, transl. and edited by Z. Proczek, Warszawa–Stockbridge 2005, p. 22. 2 Michael Wyszyński’s testimony about his brother, Ibid, p. 23.
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