Father Casimir Wyszynski

158 J ANUSZ K UMALA , MIC, P H D guments, testimonies of the Fathers of the Church and papal state- ments in support of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.” Being well acquainted with the polemics, Venerable Casimir did not hesitate to suggest: “A dogmatic ruling on this truth should have already been issued,” but, since he also knew of obstacles— not necessarily of theological nature—he added: “However, riot- ing and heresy are greatly feared.” 216 Publications contesting Mary’s Immaculate Conception con- tributed to the increase in the number of opponents of that truth and Father Casimir—as a member of the Order of Mary Immac- ulate—very painfully suffered from their ill-will. 217 On September 7, 1752, he wrote to his penitentiary friend in Loreto: “I am pro- moting zealously the honor of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. and her religious Order. Although I have borne much suf- fering from thismystery’s adversaries, in the end I not only came out victorious in that battle, but was even endowedwith a special blessing from the Lord our God. (He refers to the invitation for the Marians to settle in Portugal.). 218 An important element in the defense of the Immaculate Con- ception was the defense of the Marians’ Rule of Life as well as their title and habit, since these were illegitimately used by Rev- erend Stephen Turczynowicz, who was attempting to found in Vilnius a new religious institute for men and women converted from Judaismor Islam. His activities were hurting devotion to the Immaculate Conception and jeopardizing the good name of the Marians. 219 Venerable Casimir directly linked the spreading of devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. with the cause of the beatification of the Servant of God (now Saint) Stanislaus 216 K. Wyszyński, Diariusz czynności …, 204-205. 217 Ibid, 2111-212, 237. 218 Ibid, 343. 219 See J. Kałowski, MIC, Działalność zakonotwórcza księdza Józefa Turczynow- icza. Studium prawno-historyczne , Warszawa 1982; Z. Proczek MIC, O. Kaz- imierz Wyszyń a „marianie wileńscy ” , in: Patrimonium marianorum …, 125-155.