Father Casimir Wyszynski

105 The Servant of Mary Immaculate The first biographers of Venerable Casimir emphasize that the treasure he received upon Baptism on October 4, 1700, was not squandered but—as the years passed and his cognizance grew— became ever more deeply nurtured. His great esteem of the reli- gious way of life was instilled in his family home, which may be testified to by the fact that his two brothers, Valerian and John, also joined religious Orders. While still a youngster, Januarius Francis became known for his extraordinary piety, unusual for his age, which was manifested in his love of prayer, his profound experience of the Eucharist, and his filial devotion to the Blessed Mother. He did not follow the example of people who wished to be resplendent with wealth or who sought life’s pleasures; in- stead, he persistently searched for ways of growing closer to God and positively influencing other people. His going on pilgrimages showed his understanding that life on earth was only a journey towards the fullness of being with God in eternity. Pilgrimages also provided him with an opportunity to atone for the sins of others. It seems that his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was meant as an atonement for his failure to prevent the suicide of one of his friend’s servants. Also, his decision to enter the reli- gious way of life as a Marian was at least partly motivated by his desire to atone for his brother Joseph’s misdeeds. As a Marian, Father Casimir advanced steadfastly on the road of heroic adherence to the laws of God and the statutes of the Order. Thanks to this attitude which, incidentally, won him a few adversaries, he contributed to the improvement of his religious family’s spiritual life as well as to its growth in numbers and ac- quisition of members from other nations. 60 Just as the compass needle always points north, so Father Casimir’s entire lifewas al- ways pointing towards God and was manifested by his longing for the fullness of being with God in eternity. 60 Three oldest Latin-language accounts (memoirs) about the Venerable Casimir Wyszyński, left by his brother Michael, a friend of W. Magnuszewski, and also by Father Aleksy Fischer, who was Father Casimir’s disciple and con- tinuator of his work in Portugal, may be found in: Beatificationis et Canonisa- tionis Servi Dei Casimiri a S. Joseph Wyszyński, Positio , Romae 1986, 353-354. Their translation into Polish appeared in: Najstarsze świadectwa … 17-77.