Lest You Remain

theology in Warsaw. In 1656, he took three simple vows there, that of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and, after receiving four minor orders, he also received the sub-diaconate. In 1661, the Servant of God Stanislaus was ordained to the diaconate and to the priesthood. Even before this, he began to teach rhetoric at the colleges of his religious institute. Using the textbook which he wrote himself, he tried to teach his students the art of “speaking well and living a good life.” During his stay in Warsaw, which began in 1663, he quickly became famous as a preacher and confessor. One of his penitents was the Apostolic Nuncio, Anthony Pignatelli, later Pope Innocent XII. The Servant of God Stanislaus was an untiring promoter of devotion to the Most Holy Virgin Mary and contributed to the growth of the confraternity dedicat- ed to her name at the Piarist church in Warsaw. In spite of his many responsibilities associated with teaching and pastoral ministry, Fr. Stanislaus was very dedicated to the religious life of his institute. Filled with the spirit of their Founder, he fiercely defended the original religious observance at the Order of Pious Schools. He also supported the introduction of the right of the members to choose the Superiors of the Province and defended this right. He and those confreres who shared his convictions met with sharp and stub- born opposition from some of their Superiors and all those who preferred a more relaxed style of religious observance. Motivated by true charity and the desire to restore peace in the Province, which had been divided because of the aforemen- tioned controversy, he asked, in 1669, to be allowed to leave the Order of the Piarist Fathers, which took place on December 11, 1670, on the basis of a papal breve . At the same time, inspired by a “Divine vision” which made an imprint on his soul, he made it known that he intended to found a Society of Marian Clerics of the Immaculate Conception. He called this new religious family to life in 1673, in the Diocese of Pozna < , especially for the purpose spreading the cult of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To this original goal of the Congregation, he added another one in 1676, that of coming to the aid of the souls suffering in Purgatory, especially the souls of soldiers who had fallen in battle and those who had died because of pestilence. These goals were clearly presented in Norma Vitae, which he wrote for his institute (erected canonically in 1679). From the very beginning, the Servant of God and his Marian confreres were very eager to assist pastors in their parish ministry. Therefore, they sought to obtain permission to perform apostolic work, even though, due to circumstances at that time, their institute was founded on the law appropriate for eremitic orders. After the bishop relaxed the rigors of religious life at the second monastery, the Servant of God was able to dedicate himself to pastoral ministry, especially among the sim- Decree on Heroic Virtues 97