Father Casimir Wyszynski

51 The Servant of Mary Immaculate thers’ concern for the rural people, Father Casimir’s social activity, and his intervention in the matter of the clergy’s abuse of their position in performing their pastoral ministry. Concern of the Marian Fathers for Peasants F ather Stanislaus Papczyński, the holy Founder of the Mari- ans, came from the rural class himself. Therefore, he insisted on justice and charity for this social group. He taught that higher so- cial classes ought to “develop a great and truly noble spirit in order to regard the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania as a union, to which we all shall give and dedicate ourselves total- ly.” 5 ( Prodomus…) In another place in this same book, Father Stanislaus condemned thewillfulness of the powerful, “who claim not to be bound by any laws,” and who boast: “Who can put shackles on me? Who can force me to observe the law? Who can punishme as a criminal?” 6 Father Stanislaus dared to censure so- cial injustice: “You believe that a peasant who dares to raise his hand to a nobleman ought to be whipped. But you allow a noble- man, who might have cruelly murdered many people of peasant origin, to bemerely slapped. You declare him free; you attack the tyrant’s purse but not his head! Is this your kind of freedom, O Poland! I amashamed of your dishonor.” 7 Another work of Father Papczyński— Mystical Temple of God —contains an extremely strong admonition: “Woe to you, who perhaps feed many dogs and yet allowmen to die of hunger!” 8 The situation of rural laborers was even more difficult in the first half of the 18 th centurywhen Father CasimirWyszyński lived 5 S. Papczyński, Prodromus Reginae Artium , Cracovia 1669, quoted in Polish after: S. Papczyński, W drodze do domu Ojca. Antologia , Warszawa-Stock- bridge 2002, 136. 6 Ibid, 154. 7 Ibid, 156. 8 Vae vobis, qui cannes forte multom alitis, et homines mori fame patimini! In: S. Papczyński, Templum Dei Mysticum , Varsoviae 1998, 88-89. [Translation comes from Mystical Temple of God , Stockbridge, 2013, 104.]