Lumen 2018

CHAPTER I STANISLAUS PAPCZYNSKI’S CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH T HE F AMILY N EST There are places on earth, which evoke special emotions in us, which we gladly recall to our minds and where we often return. Podegrodzie is just such a place for the spiritual sons of Fr. Pap- czynski, Founder of the Congregation of Marian Fathers. It is here that Fr. Stanislaus saw the light of day for the first time, surrounded by the love of his family, who received him as a gift from God. Podegrodzie is an ancient village located at the heart of the Sandetian Valley, at the altitude of 340 meters [above sea level], on the left bank of the river Dunajec. 1 There one can hear the eternal roar of this mountain river, rolling its turbulent waters after it has freed itself from the rocky arms of the Pieniny Mountains. This en- tire picturesque region is crisscrossed with brooks flowing in deep ravines and gorges. The sides of the Beskidy mountains, which can be seen on the horizon, are covered with a greyish carpet of forest. Several mountaineers’ cottages are scattered at the foot of the pre- cipitous hills, the largest of which are those called “Grobla” [dam], “Zamczysko” [castle], and the elevation where the church and the rectory are located. All of this together creates an oasis of beauty and tranquility. 2 Stanislaus Papczynski’s native village is located near the road that runs from Nowy Sacz to Kroscienko and, farther, to Szczawnica. The town of Stary Sacz, peeking from behind the mountain on the other side of the Dunajec is located less than 3.5 kilometers from here. Podegrodzie is flanked by the village of Stadla on the northeast,