Lest You Remain

Marian apostolate of his spiritual sons. This had to be a Marian spirit drawn from the word of God, deepened through knowledge of patristic works, built on meditation of the Blessed Mother’s life in order to become Marian, similar to Mary in the way of thinking and acting. Father Papczy<ski ’s Oblatio of December 11, 1670, allows us to discover yet another important element of his Marian thought: “I believe everything that the holy Roman Church believes and whatever she shall give us to believe in time.” Father Stanislaus said this in relation to the truth of the Immaculate Concept- ion. The Marian spirit of the Marians ought to be based on the Church Teachings, constantly opened into the future: into new exploration and expansion. One almost would like to say that it ought to be a continuous experience of discovering the Immaculately Conceived Mother of God and the Church. The proclamation of Mary’s holiness and immaculateness was externally expressed by the white habit, in which Fr. Stanislaus dressed himself in September of 1671, but even more so in founding of the order under the title of the Immaculate Conception. This act of honoring Mary did not result directly from Fr. Papczy<ski ’s Marian piety, because Fr. Stanislaus was convinced that God Himself wished that Our Lady be honored in her mystery of the Immaculate Conception through estab- lishing of a new religious foundation under this very title. He frankly spoke about “a Divine vision that was imprinted in [my] soul in regards to founding a Congregation of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.” ( Fundatio domus recol- lectionis ). In this way, Fr. Stanislaus, to some degree participated in the love of the Triune God for Mary Immaculate; looking upon her according to the pattern of God, that goes beyond the human standard of love. This is why the founding of the Congregation of Marians—beyond fulfilling God’s will and creating a community for people wishing to attain holiness through their dedication to God—was above all the greatest expression of love that Fr. Stanislaus Papczy<ski had for Mary Immaculately Conceived. A Friend of the Suffering Souls in Purgatory When reflecting on Fr. Papczy<ski ’s life, we should not forget the elements that intertwine forming of his spirituality: the lessons from his story of life, the light of knowledge from the lived inner experiences. As a youth, Fr. Stanislaus found himself facing mortal danger during his stay in Lvov. However, in his testa- ment he recalled a different instance that happened during the Polish-Swedish war also known as the “Swedish deluge”: “ I confess that I leave this world professing the Roman Catholic faith for which I was ready to pour out my blood during the war with Sweden. One day my companion and I were exiting the Old Town, when a heretic soldier, his unsheathed sword in hand, attacked us near the Dominican Biography of Fr. Stanislaus Papczy < ski 83