Father Casimir Wyszynski

should my return and direction of the process be necessary, I do not shirk the task, and I am ready to renounce Portugal. For the love of God, I amnot alone in the Congregation after all! Why can- not something of the utmost benefit and necessity for us come to pass without me? (…) It is necessary to remember that by plant- ing our Congregation in Portugal yet failing to have our Founder’s process begun, we run the risk of having the Portuguese commu- nity of Marians dissociating fromus. It is the glory of the holiness of our Founder that will keep us united. At the same time, so wealthy a country could help with the beatification, even though the process may continue for some time. It is necessary to care- fully consider all this. Thus, I advise and plead for the love of God to have this cause opened as soon as possible. Let us not be de- terred by privation or unfavorable circumstances. Let us not stop even if a disaster, God forbid, were to strike the Kingdom of Poland. In all troubles let us take our Father Founder for our Pa- tron, and God will not refuse graces to those who honor Him in His servants” (July 19, 1752). In May of 1753, Father Casimir and Father Benon set off for Portugal. At first, they traveled on foot from Rome to Genoa, where they boarded a ship to Spain. It was not until October that they arrived by land in Lisbon, Portugal. In his diary Father Casimir recorded details of this journey, which lasted as long as fivemonths and abounded in adventures and perils. He was con- vinced that he owed his survival amidst all dangers to the pro- tection of Mary Immaculate and the intercession of Father Stanislaus Papczyński, who is now a Saint. The first piece of information about the PolishMarians in Por- tugal dates back to October 2, 1753. Antony da Silva e Sousa, Procurator General of the State Archives and the guardian of the royal children, wrote: “As I was travelling onOctober 2, 1753, from the city of Beja to Mertoli, a place located on the outskirts of the Kingdom, I came across the Servant of God, Father Casimir and his companion, sitting on a hill in the shadow of a leafy oak tree, sheltered from the heat of the sun. I approached and greeted them. I did not know their language and they did not speak aword 93 The Servant of Mary Immaculate