Father Casimir Wyszynski

138 C ASIMIR K RZYŻANOWSKI , MIC, P H D ble; he gladly performed lowly services and humbled himself be- fore everyone.” 136 Father Casimir’s contemporaries noted his “extraordinary hu- mility,” while witnesses in his beatification process testified that he exercised humility “in an extraordinary manner,” and “in a praise-worthy manner.” 137 While a student at the middle school in Góra, he already knew how fitting it was to implore God with “an extreme humility.” 138 Training himself in humility during his novitiate, he practiced it to such “a high degree that he endeav- ored to appear through his words and deeds as the least among all the novices.” 139 Thus, he distinguished himself by his humility from the very beginning of his religious life. Likewise, after being elected to the office of Superior General in 1737, Father Casimir continued to behave in the most humble manner, for example, by cleaning the church and other places of communal use. He did not regard himself worthy of the office of General Superior and confessed: “The Almighty, whose preroga- tive it is to raise the poor from lowliness and place them among princes, through the voice of all the Chapter members called me from the desert to undertake the pastoral labor of preparing the way of your salvation.” 140 While he stayed in Rome, the Venerable Casimir enjoyed re- spect as a religious of great humility . 141 During his time in Lisbon, Father Casimir had “many an eyewitness to his great and excep- tional humility,” in the person of Antonio da Silva e Souza. Also, Father Wyszyński’s confessor stated that he learned Father’s deep humility while hearing his confession. 142 136 PositioWysz , 514. 137 Ibid, 424, 439, 481, 502. 138 Ibid, 376. 139 Ibid, 430. 140 Circular letter of Dec. 23, 1737, in: Stróż duchowego dziedzictwa mari- anów …, 170. 141 Ibid, 446. 142 Ibid, 422.