Father Casimir Wyszynski

o n May 15, 1968, the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stephen Wyszyński, arrived at the parish of Jeziórka near Grójec to ven- erate a saintly Marian, Father Casimir Wyszyński. In the homily which the Primate delivered that day, he emphasized that the ex- ample of the Servant of God Father Casimir, of two centuries ago, speaks to us even today, particularly as his life relates to a life of faith, love of God, of Mary Immaculate, and of our neighbor. In the Primate’s observation, Father Casimir nurtured his faith through frequent meditation upon the Lord’s Passion, and culti- vated his love forMary Immaculate by dedicating himself to serve her in the Order of Marians and by promoting devotion to her in Poland, Lithuania, and Portugal. Father Casimir did not limit his activities to the work of his personal sanctification or the growth of theMarian Order, but he made efforts to bring about the spiritual rebirth of all of Polish society during the difficult time of Saxon rule. He pointed toMary in whom he saw salvation from the deluge of evil which was de- stroying the Polish nation. Father Casimir’s zeal and love ex- tended beyond the borders of his homeland. In his desire to strengthen Christ’s Kingdomand to spread devotion toMary Im- maculate among other nations, hewent as far as Portugal, where a lively memory of his saintly life survives there even now as ev- idenced by pilgrimages to his tomb in Balsamão and by requests for the speedy beatification of that “saintly Pole.” In Search of a Way of Life T hree hundred years ago, the village of Jeziora Wielka and adjacent towns in the district of Grójec, Poland, belonged to the family of John Casimir [Jan Kazimierz] and Hedwig [Jadwiga] Wyszyński. They were distantly related to powerful noble fami- lies of Poland and were spiritually associated with various reli- gious orders. It is noteworthy that John Casimir’s brother, Joseph,