Father Wyszynski Pilgrimage

PART ONE T OILING TO D ISCOVER H IS V OCATION In Search of a Way of Life Three hundred years ago the village of Jeziora Wielka and neighboring towns in the district of Grójec belonged to the family of John Casimir [Jan Ka- zimierz] and Hedwig [Jadwiga] Wyszyński. They were distantly related to powerful noble families of Poland and spiritually associated with various religious or- ders. On August 19, 1700, the Wyszyńskis rejoiced in the birth of their seventh child who was baptized Jan- uarius Francis, although he was commonly called Francis in later years. At the parish church in Jeziora one can still see the baptismal font of the period and the image of Our Blessed Mother previously belong- ing to the Wyszyński family’s house chapel. The parishioners still offer prayers before this image for the beatification of their compatriot. The joy of these parents over the birth of another offspring was overshadowed by ongoing war. Swedish, Saxon, and Russian armies marched through Poland, marking their passage by plunder, fires, ruin, and forcible draft of local farmers. The devastation was made worse by sweeping epidemics which con-