Father Casimir Wyszynski

knowledge. Thanks to this fact, he intensified his efforts for spir- itual renewal and intellectual development of the Order. The growing number of Mariansmade possible the foundation of four new religious houses in Lithuania and Volhyn’. Named Procurator General of the Order inNovember of 1750, FatherWyszyński successfully carried out his duties in Rome for two years (1751-53), and effectively fended off the false “Mari- ans” from Vilnius, who usurped the rights of his Order, all the while preparing the beatification process of the Founder. Being sent to Portugal in 1753, he was greatly mistreated in Lisbon by amanwho used deceit to bring theMarians to Portugal for his own purposes. However, in October 1754, Father Casimir eventually obtained from the Ordinary of the Miranda Diocese, presently the Diocese of Bragança, a place for the Order onMount Balsamão. He died of malignant fever on October 21, 1755, in the opinion of holiness, having received the sacraments of the Church and being in the middle of his dedicated work of formatting the first Portuguese Marian community of hermits residing at this hermitage near the Marian Shrine. He was put to rest near the main altar at the church in Balsamão, greatly mourned by all. Examination of Testimonies The opinion of holiness that the Servant of God enjoyed al- ready in his lifetime, especially during his two-year residency in Portugal, began to spread quickly after his death. Less than a year later, the Bishop of Miranda, responding to the petition of the Marian community in Balsamão, ordered the opening of Father Casimir’s beatification process. Unfortunately, the bishop’s unexpected demise halted the process until 1763, when the new Bishop of Miranda gave in- structions to conduct an informative process in the diocese (1763-68). Additional processes were held in Lisbon (1768), in Poznan (1775-76), and in Rome (1779). 213 Decree of Heroic Virtues