Lumen 2018

S TANISLAUS P APCZYNSKI 210 Papczynski’s oblatio contained the main idea of the future religious institute. It was entirely Marian in character because its members were to be called Marian Clerics and the institute itself was to be under the title of the Immaculate Conception. Its founder called himself a “servant” of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, professed his belief in her Immaculate Conception, and declared his readiness to defend her honor (a result of this unique privilege) even at the cost of his own life. 231 It was the so-called “vow of blood” taken by sup- porters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in many European countries since 1617. 232 Father Papczynski fol- lowed their example. The witnesses of this ceremony, which took place on December 11, 1670, at Kazimierz, were Fr. Michael Kraus, Vicar-Provincial Superior of the Polish Province, Fr. Joseph of the Blessed Mother, President of that residence and two seminarians: Casimir of the Holy Angels and Bernard of the Lord’s Passion. 233 After the act of secularization, Fr. Stanislaus Papczynski became a diocesan priest and temporarily fulfilled the duties of the chaplain to the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Church of St. James at Kazimierz. 234 A Dispute Regarding the Habit After Papczynski had left the Piarists, the existing conflicts did not disappear immediately. For some time later, a dispute regarding the habit was going on. It lasted about half a year during the period of transition between Fr. Papczynski’s departure from the Piarists and the beginnings of his new religious institute. We know that before Fr. Stanislaus was released from the Congre- gation of the Piarist Fathers on December 11, 1670, he had promised to stop wearing their habit by December 14 th . But, when that day ar- rived, he did not keep his promise. What is more, he made a statement before the Apostolic Notary on December 19, 1670, 235 in which he said that he did not have to stop wearing the habit even though he had promised in writing to do so. Such conduct seems rather surpris-