Lumen 2018

Spiritual Direction The Korabiew Hermitage soon became known in the entire area. People, inspired by Fr. Stanislaus’s saintliness and wishing to hear his salutary advice, began to visit the Korabiew Forest more and more often. 130 There were also people who wanted to avail themselves of his spiritual direction. Sophia Potkanska and her daughter Columba were among such zealous souls. Her husband joined the Franciscan Friars and she herself wanted to found, with Fr. Stanislaus’s help, a monastery of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the vicinity of his hermitage. Father Papczyn- ski declined the offer because he did not really plan to found a female branch of his Congregation. His Congregation was to aid the souls suffering in Purgatory, conduct missions among the common folk, and offer various pastoral services typical for priests rather than reli- gious sisters. He also thought that it might be prudent not to agree to such a proximity of pious women if only to prevent others from accusing them of inappropriate relations. Therefore, he persuaded Sophia Potkanska to found a monastery for her community in Nowa Jerozolima and under the Dominican rule. 131 Watching the growth of his religious community, Fr. Stanislaus decided to secure its legal status. To this end, he began efforts to obtain the approval of his Congregation by the Polish Diet [Seym]. He sent an appropriate request to the king and to the members of the Diet. As a result of these endeavors, he obtained the necessary approval of the deputies during one of the sessions of the Diet (in session in Warsaw from January 14, 1677 to April 27, 1677). 132 The approval confirmed the rights of the Congregation to the land on which the monastery was situated and to the nearby meadow. The date of April 27, 1677, is accepted as the date of issue of this docu- ment, for it seems that it was on that very day that the document became legally binding. 133 From that moment on, Fr. Papczynski could, if necessary, defend the rights of his community in the civil courts. On May 6, 1677, he obtained an authentic extract of the ap- probation granted by the Polish Diet in its Latin version containing the Polish phrases. 134 283 Foundation of a New Religious Order