Lumen 2018

went to Rome precisely for this reason and consulted the lawyers, I understood that this matter had been delayed for too long and that it must be undertaken without any further delay. I regret that I did not have this information during the time when I was the Superior Gen- eral. Therefore, I humbly beg you, Most Reverend Father, to mend my ignorance and negligence as soon as possible.” 118 The dramatic pleas sent by Fr. Wyszynski from Rome to Poland soon moved people’s hearts, and the Marians took the first steps in the matter of the beatification of their Founder. In the years 1752- 1757, Superior General Wetycki ordered the Marians to begin to gather testimonies about the sanctity of Fr. Papczynski’s life and about the miracles obtained through his intercession. On January 25, 1753, the same Superior General sent a circular to all Marian houses, commending the matter of their Founder to their prayers. He also ordered that Veni Creator Spiritus be sung for the intention of his beatification after matins, prime, and vespers. 119 Soon some bishops, princes, and magnates also sent their petitions to Rome, asking for Fr. Papczynski’s beatification. Also, the Polish Diet, gathered on the occasion of the coronation of King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, supported the matter in a resolution issued on December 9, 1764. At that time, Poland was asking for the be- atification of several Poles, such as Andrew Bobola, and others, and Fr. Papczynski’s name was included on the list. Finally, at the sug- gestion of the General Chapter of the Marians, gathered on August 24, 1766, Fr. Hiacynth Wasilewski, the Superior General of the Con- gregation, appointed Fr. Louis Zapalkowicz Postulator General (on January 1767) to handle Fr. Papczynski’s beatification cause. 120 At that time, with the permission of Felix Turski, the Bishop of Chelm and the Vicar for Warsaw, Fr. Papczynski’s remains were iden- tified and, with the permission of Anthony Ostrowski, Bishop of Ku- jawy (1763-1773), transferred to another grave at the Church of the Cenacle in Gora (ca. 1766). As a result of further efforts, Theodore Czartoryski, Bishop of Poznan and Warsaw, delegated Bishop Joseph 443 Posthumous Cult