Father Casimir Wyszynski

possible. On his deathbed he endeavored to convince his sad- dened confreres not toworry about the future becauseMarywas theirMother, while he—if Godwould allow—would also support them even more from heaven and assist in their needs as much as he could. 340 It would seem that the Lord granted him permis- sion; for Father Casimir kept his word in regard to the simple, poor, sick, and otherwise afflicted people. In the brief period after his death (1757-1767) several books were filled with descrip- tions of alleged graces andmiracles granted through his interces- sion, so the people were convinced. Registered incidents numbered over 400, and nobody knows how many have re- mained unregistered. 341 Therefore, we can speak now about a spontaneous devotion towards him, even you could say an outburst of devotion. Soon the need arose to safeguard Father Casimir’s tomb for fear of los- ing everything, including the soil that covered his remains. 342 To the chagrin of some of the priests, some of the simple folks, in gratitude for graces received, requested Masses in honor of Fa- ther Casimir as a saint. It was necessary to correct and amend their intentions to avoid collision with Church law. Numerous persons, grateful for having their petitions heard, offered various kinds of gifts to the Marians, including votive gifts which could not be publicly displayed prior to the beatification. 343 But the era of peace and devotion would not last forever. Sev- eral decades later, as a consequence of the French revolution which took place between 1789-1799, ripples of unrest and tur- moil were felt in Portugal as well. The Order of Masons rose to power and brought about a wave of intolerance and persecution of the Church, especially of religious orders. The PortugueseMar- ians were seriously affected. In 1834, all three of their monaster- ies were closed down, and in 1851, even the faithful were 340 A. Fischer, Życie, cnoty i śmierć święta …, 74. 341 PositioWysz , 423. 342 Ibid, 453. 343 Ibid, 458-459. 203 A Man of Prayer and Love of the Eucharist