Lumen 2018

Papka or Papiec and Sophia nee Tacikowska. At baptism, which took place on the day of his birth, he was given the name John. He received his initial Christian upbringing from his parents who were both well formed in the Catholic faith. From his earthly mother, Sophia, he learned ardent veneration of the Most Holy Virgin Mary and, thanks to her intercession, managed to overcome his initial difficulties with studies at elementary school. After he had completed elementary school, he continued his studies mostly at Jesuit colleges. However, in the academic year 1649-1650, he was taught by the Fathers of the Order of Pious Schools, where, by God’s decree and with His help, the seed of his religious and priestly vocation was sown. According to the custom of those times, he changed his last name to Papczynski and remained in the secular world for four more years, continuing his studies and waiting until the Order of Pious Schools regained the right to accept religious vows from its members. This was not possible for a while because, in 1646, that order was turned into an association without the right to make religious vows. After completing a two-year course of phi- losophy, he entered the Piarist novitiate in Podoliniec on July 2, 1654, and received the religious name of Stanislaus of Jesus Mary. During the first year of his novitiate, he made such progress in the religious life that, at the beginning of his second year of the novitiate, he was sent to study theology in Warsaw. In 1656, he took three simple vows there, that of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and, after receiving four minor orders, he also received the sub-diaconate. In 1661, the Servant of God Stanislaus was ordained to the dia- conate and to the priesthood. Even before this, he began to teach rhetoric at the colleges of his religious institute. Using the textbook which he wrote himself, he tried to teach his students the art of “speaking well and living a good life.” During his stay in Warsaw, which began in 1663, he quickly became famous as a preacher and confessor. One of his penitents was the Apostolic Nuncio, Anthony Pignatelli, later Pope Innocent XII. The Servant of God Stanislaus 477 Decree on His Heroic Virtues