Lest You Remain

D EVOTION TO THE I MMACULATE C ONCEPTION OF THE M.B.V.M. ACCORDING TO F R . S TANISLAUS P APCZY ˆ SKI (1631-1701)* According to the very first concept and the vision imprinted by God in Fr. Stanislaus Papczy < ski’s soul, the Congregation of Marians was to be dedicated above all to spreading the devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Most B.V.M. 1 Father Papczy < ski first made his intentions known in Lubocza, by a public solemn proclamation on December 11, 1670, that is on the same day which he left the Piarists Order by his own request and with papal dispensation. At the same time he also made an act of oblation ( oblatio ) offering himself to the service of God and Mary Immaculate and solemnly promising too persevere in religious vows made in the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, which, with God’s grace, he wished to found. 2 This congregation was to have a special Marian charac- ter, which was already underscored in its title. In his oblatio Fr. Founder calls himself Mary’s servant, and, professing his faith in the privilege of her Immaculate Conception, makes a so-called “blood vow”: he pledges to spread and defend the Immaculate Mary’s honor even at the cost of his own life. In the very same way he defines the future Order’s aim (at the moment, only as an intent), the primary goal of which is to spread devotion to the Most B.V.M. Immaculately Conceived and to imi- tate her life. It should be mentioned here that his oblatio does not yet speak of any other particular goal of the Order, nor other works, which the Congregation can pos- sibly undertake in the future. The same outlook on matters is also present in Norma vitae, where the Marian Legislator says: “But lest you remain without work in the Vineyard of the Lord, to the utmost of your strength you will promote devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mother of God.” However, Norma vitae , which is the Marians’ first constitution, already contains a totally new concept that will per- manently remain in the Marians’ spirituality and goals, for to the above-quoted state- ment the Founder adds: “… and with utmost zeal, piety, and fervor assist the souls on the faithful departed subjected to expiatory pains—especially the souls of soldiers and those who died of pestilence.” 3 And further: “… those gifted with such talents will not be prevented from humbly helping pastors in their church work, if they would * This paper was presented during the 5 th International Conference of the Association of Marian Helpers in Fatima, 2003. ** (Note of the Translator: Please note that page reference in footnotes is given according to Polish sources.) 1 S. Papczy<ski , Fundatio Domus Recolletionis (c. 1675), in Scripta Historica P. Stanislai a J.M. Papczy<ski , Ed. C. Krzyzanowski, M.I.C., Warsaw, 1999, p. 84. 2 Same, Oblatio (1670), in Ibid, 25-30. 3 Same, Norma vitae religiosae I, 2 (1694), in Norma vitae et alia scriptae , Ed. C. Krzyzanowski, Warsaw, 2001, p. 33.