Father Wyszynski Pilgrimage

able he tried to get up on his own […] and only short- ly before dying did he allow for a night vigil to be kept at this bedside. When he needed something or wished to call brethren to pray, he tapped his cane.” The first Portuguese Marians perceived Fr. Casimir as someone dedicated to fulfilling the will of God and endowed with extraordinary patience and gentleness: “He was very polite towards everybody and did not scandalize anyone with his words” (Brother John of St. Mary). The same witness emphasized Fr. Casimir’s great piety with which he prepared for Mass, as if it were his last before dying. In addition to testimonies given by various people, Fr. Casimir himself provides an important witness which flows out of his writings. In his introduction to The Morning Star , he reminds us that “one’s virtue is proven by persevering in it until the end. Only those steadfast in virtue may be recognized as perfect, not those who enter the road of virtue occasionally and then deviate from it for a trifling reason.” Strengthened by the Eucharist and Mary’s inter- cession, Fr. Casimir did not deviate from the road of perfection. On his journey to Portugal, after Mass in Genoa, he recorded the following reflection: “On the day of the Most Holy Trinity I celebrated Mass at the altar of the B.V.M. à la Pace at the Reformati Fathers, where we were staying. I reflected on how the unfath- omable God can fit into such a small host. Then it 59 Steadfast in Attaining His Goal