MARIANS IN 1670-1788 74 bishops were always well acquainted with the procedure of establishing and approving the newly founded institutes for living out the evangelical counsels.”57 No one had experience in this matter. Despite the opponents not showing up, the trial took place on April 21, 1679, and Bishop Wierzbowski, without any further obstacles, performed the canonical erection of the congregation. In the issued decree, he defined the Marian Order as “Congregatio Clericorum Recollectorum Beatissime Virginis Mariae sine macula conceptae [...] sub nomine Eremitarum secundi Generis,”58 that is, as hermits of the second degree. The document was of immense importance to the Marian Order. It was a day of joy for Fr. Papczyński and his confrères. The Congregation obtained a strong legal foundation for its existence and growth within the Church. All of Fr. Papczyński’s proposals were considered. The bishop took the Marian Order under his own protection and the protection of his successors in the Poznań diocese. He approved the Marian statutes and appointed Father Papczyński as the lifelong General Superior. By the same decree, he also ordered that the Marians who wished to be dispensed from the vows mentioned above, even though they only made simple vows and were under his jurisdiction, had to obtain a dispensation from the Holy See through their general superior. The document clearly and strongly emphasizes the main purpose of the Order, which was to assist the deceased suffering in Purgatory: “Above all, the Order’s goal is to provide assistance to the souls in Purgatory. […] Also, it must embrace with particular care all those who perished during continuous wars, frequent epidemics, and various disasters, as well as those who are completely devoid of any help from the faithful.”59 The Bishop praised Fr. Stanislaus for dedicating himself and his religious family, the Marians, to a goal as important as the subtle opus misericordiae, assisting the most unfortunate. The document also highlights the bishop’s desire for the Marian Fathers to offer spiritual assistance to those condemned to the death penalty. He instructs them to comfort and support the condemned, pray for them, and be with them on the path of execution; “to stay with those sentenced by the law 57 Julian Kałowski, Początki mariańskiego prawodawstwa, in: Błogosławiony Stanisław Papczyński. Pisma fundacyjne, Warszawa 2007, p. 18. 58 Positio, Papczyński. Document of establishing dated April 21, 1679, pp. 394-400; Cf. Navikevicius, Appendix, I, pp. 34-38. 59 Positio, Papczyński, p. 395.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==