Father Casimir Wyszynski

texts in her honor, prompted the Servant of God Casimir, since early in life to strive untiringly for holiness under the guidance and protection of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. What is more: his entire life gives witness to the great effectiveness of this “Marian pathway” in striving for holiness. The Servant of God stands on this pathway as “a shining example of speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity to those who believe.” (1 Tm 4:12). [Father Casimir] endeavored to deepen his devotion to the Im- maculate Virgin Mary by imitating her virtues. He emphasized this in the book The Morning Star , which he prepared “for the benefit of the faithful in all walks of life.” In his introduction to this book, he states that “…the most effective devotion to the Blessed Virgin consists in imitating her virtues as presented to us in the Gospels.” The Ecumenical Council Vatican II also solemnly confirmed this way and in a clear statement pointed it out to the faithful as always vital: “But while in the most Holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection (…), the followers of Christ still strive to conquer sin and increase in holiness. Therefore, they turn their eyes toMarywho shines forth to thewhole community of the elect as the model of all virtues” ( LG , 65). Saint Pope John Paul II recognized the reason for this state of things in the fact that “TheMother of the Redeemer has a precise place in the plan of salvation. Her exceptional pilgrimage of faith represents a constant point of reference for the Church, for indi- viduals and for communities, for peoples and nations and, in a sense, for all humanity,” so that “Mary does not cease to be the ‘Star of the Sea’ (Maris Stella) for all who are still on the journey of faith. If they lift their eyes to her from their earthly existence, they do so because ‘the Sonwhom she brought forth is He whom God placed as the first-born among many brethren’ (Rom 8:29) and also because ‘in the birth and development of these brothers and sisters she cooperates with a maternal love,”’ ( LG , 63, ( Re- demptoris Mater , 1, 6). 210 A PPENDIX