Lumen 2018

goal of his Congregation. After his return to the Korabiew Forest, he encouraged his confreres to pray, do penance, and undertake all kinds of works of mercy for the intention of the souls suffering in Purgatory. 136 Tradition preserved for us yet another account of Fr. Papczynski’s contacts with Purgatory. During his stay in Lubocza on the occasion of the death of Mr. Karski’s parents, after a service at the parish church and before a meal had begun, Fr. Stanislaus fell into ecstasy during which, as he confessed later, he watched the suffering of the souls in Purgatory. When he came to after a while, he rose from the table and without a word turned towards the door. Since it was dif- ficult for him to get to the door without disturbing the guests sitting at the table along the wall, he walked through the table, sumptuously set with various dishes, without touching anything with his feet or his habit. In a few seconds, he was at the dining-room door and or- dered the coachman to take him back to the monastery. To the con- freres, surprised by his hasty return, he simply said, “Pray, brethren, for the souls in Purgatory, for they suffer unbearably!” 137 Then he locked himself up in his cell for a few days without food or drink and prayed ardently for the souls suffering in Purgatory. Mr. Karski, who wanted an explanation of what had happened to Fr. Stanislaus at the table in Lubocza on that day, wrote him a letter and invited him to pay another visit. When Fr. Papczynski arrived, Mr. Karski asked him to tell himwhat had been revealed to him. After a long discussion, Fr. Stanislaus revealed that when he fell into ecstasy at the table, he was transported in spirit to Purgatory where he could see the severe punishments suffered by numerous souls. Filled with great compassion for them, he returned to his senses and, not seeing any table or people before him, left hastily and went back to his reli- gious confreres to pray with them and save the souls suffering in Pur- gatory. 138 Father Stanislaus‘s confreres and his other contemporaries were convinced that whenever he fell into ecstasy, he always had vi- sions of Purgatory. In any case, in his admonishments addressed to his confreres, in the sermons preached to the people, he would often 285 Foundation of a New Religious Order