Lumen 2018

night. Tired, but also happy at having followed the call from heaven, Papczynski knocked at the gate of the novitiate house of the Piarist Fathers in Podoliniec. In the Habit of a Novice In Podoliniec, John Papczynski was welcomed by Fr. John Do- minic Franco, the Novice Master, 27 who officially accepted him into the novitiate on July 2, 1654. As he put on the religious habit, John Papczynski received a religious name, that of Stanislaus of Jesus Mary. 28 The Piarist Constitutions required that the Novice Master be a man of great virtue and possess great moral and intellectual attrib- utes. 29 Father John Dominic Franco possessed exactly such attributes and proved to be an excellent master of the spiritual life for Stanislaus Papczynski in his first year at the novitiate. As many would say, Fr. Franco was religiosae paupertatis aman- tissimus , which testifies to his love of the virtue of poverty. At the same time, he was a hard worker and distinguished himself with his exceptional love for the Congregation and his confreres. He was ar- dent in following the religious rule and in his love of the religious spirit of the Founder of the Piarist Fathers. 30 It is, therefore, no won- der that his name can be found in the Catalogue of the Venerable Servants of God of the Order of the Piarist Fathers 31 and that he is counted among the members of this institute, who distinguished themselves through their sanctity and virtues. 32 Father Papczynski himself gave a laudatory testimony about his first Novice Master. 33 The first year of the novitiate was dedicated to initiating the novices into the spiritual life by means of various ascetic exercises. 34 A special emphasis was placed on meditation under the guidance of the Novice Master. The entire day was divided between prayer, stud- ies, and manual labor. 35 At an appropriate time, the Novice Master would read and explain the Constitutions of the Congregation to S TANISLAUS P APCZYNSKI 100