Lumen 2018

Assisting the Poor Souls in Purgatory From the very beginning, the Marians were concerned for the souls of the deceased, to which they were obliged by the visitation document of 1673. They had a duty to say the Office of the Dead every day. Bishop Swiecicki prescribed this duty not as a characteristic of the Marian charism (that came a little later), but as a characteristic feature of the eremitic and penitential lifestyle. The same duty was emphasized in the document issued by the Diet in 1677. Father Papczynski’s personal mystical experiences gave him an im- pulse to practice this devotion. Poland’s political and social situation in the 17 th century also inspired him to pray for the dead. The con- stant wars with Muscovy, Cossacks, Turks, Tartars, and Sweden, as well as internal unrest, reaped a rich harvest of death. As a result of natural disasters, famine, and epidemics, people died by the thou- sands and very often went to God’s judgment unprepared. Christian love prompted Fr. Stanislaus to think about those prisoners of Pur- gatory and to rush to their aid. He knew that most of those who were baptized had to undergo treatment by fire after their death in order to purify their souls. He was aware of this because, during his long prayers that sometimes lasted all night, he would descend in spirit into Purgatory and stay with the souls suffering there. Father Papczynski experienced a particularly strong revival of his devotion to the Souls in Purgatory in the spring of 1675. At that time, he served as a chaplain of the Polish army led by King John III Sobieski fighting with the Turks in Ukraine. 135 Father Stanislaus felt obliged to extend his pastoral care to the souls of the soldiers who had died in battles, and he prayed at their graves. It is believed that at that time in Ukraine the souls of many of the fallen soldiers appeared to him and asked his intercession before God. Under the influence of these experiences and after deep personal reflection, the Founder of the Marians decided that helping the souls of the dead, especially those who perished during a war or from pestilence (that usually accompanied wars), should be the second particular S TANISLAUS P APCZYNSKI 284