Father Casimir Wyszynski

universal character to Father Wyszyński. Bohemians, Italians, Lithuanians, Ruthenians, Hungarians, and Frenchmen applied to join theMarians. Consequently, they would spend their novitiate in Poland and get acquainted with Polish culture, language, and traditions. During the years 1786- 1790, after theMarians gained their independence from the Reformed Franciscans, novitiates were opened in Poland and Lithuania. Later, Father Casimir per- sonally travelled to Portugal and established aMarianmonastery there. He also had plans for settling the Marians in Brazil, but those plans would not come to pass until the second half of the 20 th century. Attracting these new and valuable vocations to the Order drew the attention of Polish society to theMarians and to the per- son of Father Wyszyński. Father Isidore Taudt, a “Father of the Order Emeritissimus,” known for his learning and virtuous life, testified during Father Casimir’s beatification process: “The Con- gregation flourished to such a degree that this numerous com- munity of religious earned the admiration of Polish magnates who congratulated Father Wyszyński, since it was through his work and efforts that the Marians, little known until now, grew to such numbers in Poland.” Father Casimir had great love for the community and its Founder, which he was able to instill in the hearts of the younger generations. During the years 1751 to 1781, the number of Marians would triple. Father Casimir set a great example of faithfulness to his reli- gious vocation and while visiting the Marian monasteries, strengthened his confreres in their zealous service to the Lord in the spirit of the Marian charism. As his letters show, during visi- tations he paid special attention to the manner in which the love of God and fraternal love were practiced and the Church’s regu- lations on religious life were observed, and the Marian virtues fostered as depicted in the Rule of the Ten Virtues of the B.V.M. “I would like to find you adornedwith spiritual, heavenly, and everlasting desires, instead of entangled in earthly and transitory matters. I hope you can present yourselves as such religious dur- ing this canonical visitation! (…) During this visitation my task 29 The Servant of Mary Immaculate