Lumen 2018

In spite of his many shortcomings, Augustus II the Strong was a clever diplomat. In 1699, he signed the peace treaty with Turkey at Karlowice, thereby regaining Podolia and part of Ukraine. In the same year, he entered into a covenant with Russia and Denmark, counting on their help in regaining Livonia, should a new war with Sweden break out. But he overplayed his hand here because it turned out that the very young King of Sweden, Charles XII, who was only 15 years old when he ascended to the throne in 1697, showed that he was a dangerous adversary when King Augustus II and then the Danes declared war on him in 1700. He quickly forced Denmark to sign a peace treaty with him, defeated the Russian army at Narva in 1700, and then, in 1701, beat the Saxon army, too. He wanted to leave Poland in peace on the condition that King Augustus would be dethroned. When Poland refused, Charles XII crossed its borders in 1702 and the story of the “deluge” repeated itself. 52 Fortunately, Fr. Stanislaus Papczynski, a great patriot, an unyield- ing opponent of liberum veto , did not live to see it. In 1701, he gave up his spirit to God. But, before he left this world, he made yet an- other attempt to obtain papal approbation for his congregation. Petitions from the Church Authorities and from the Faithful It seems that after Fr. Papczynski had received the negative re- sponse from the Holy See regarding his request for papal approba- tion for his institute (1694), he gave up further appeals; but at least till February 20, 1698, he tried to improve the legal status of his in- stitute — on the basis of diocesan approbation. However, in the first months of 1698, he decided to renew his request for papal approba- tion for the Marians. He made this decision after Bishop John Stanis- laus Witwicki, Ordinary of Poznan, died on March 4, 1698. At that moment, the Marians could count on the support of the new bishop, i.e., Jerome Wierzbowski, nephew of the late Bishop Stephen Wierzbowski and administrator of the diocese during sede vacante 377 The End of Father Stanislaus’s Life