Father Casimir Wyszynski

After meeting Father Casimir, George Matuszewicz, a Cześnik (cup-bearer) of Mińsk, the Subprefect of Stoklin, and heir to the estate of Raśna, decided to bring the Marians to Raśna. His son Martinwrote in hismemoirs: “My father, God rest his soul, always had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, such that after Father CasimirWyszyński, a very pious priest from the Order of Marians, visited him in Bębnów in 1753, in response to his inquiries about their Rule, my father decided to found a monastery for them in Raśna.” Martin supported his father’s plans, but his mother Theresa, the daughter of the chamberlain of Płock, opposed the idea. She reproached her husband for being a spendthrift and ex- cessively generous towards pious causes. She did not wish to de- plete the family property. She also reproached her sonMartin for supporting his father’s idea and for even encouraging his father in the matter. In the end, when the foundation was finally estab- lished, Theresa Matuszewicz left for Goślice in the Płock district, never to return to Raśna. The Bishop of Łuck, Francis Anthony Kobielski, was also op- posed to theMarians’ getting this foundation because he wanted it to go to Father Stephen Turczynowicz who was in the process of creating a new religious order. He even imposed a 1,000-zloty fine on GeorgeMatuszewicz and excommunicated him for begin- ning to build the church and monastery without permission of church authorities. FatherWyszyński , in his writingsmentioned this bishop’s negative attitude. He recalled that the bishop rather favored Father Stephen Turczynowicz, whowas attempting to es- tablish illegally a community of baptized Jews, using the Marian rule for its foundation. Bishop Kobielski even tried to persuade Matuszewicz to relegate to that community his foundation in Raśna. All of these efforts having failed, the bishop imposed ec- clesiastical sanctions against Matuszewicz. MartinMatuszewicz appealed to the Apostolic Nuncio inWar- saw, asking to lift the excommunication imposed upon his father by the bishop and requesting permission to continue the work on the foundation. In this matter, he received the support of Prince Michael Czartoryski who considered himself Father 35 The Servant of Mary Immaculate