MARIANS IN 1670-1788 86 two of the most important matters close to his heart. One was drafting his last will and testament, through which he made decisions about his foundations. The other pressing issue that greatly occupied him before his death was securing the future of his beloved work, the Congregation of Marian Fathers, which, as he explained, “was constantly exposed to malicious attacks.”93 He left an extensive decree to address this matter and wanted to dispel any doubts that people from the outside or even the Marian Fathers themselves might have in the future. In the decree, he described a brief history of the life of Fr. Stanislaus, outlined a concise historical overview of the Congregation, its privileges, received documents, and canonical approvals, emphasizing the value of Pope Innocent XI’s brief Cum Sicut Accepimus. He also expressed immense respect for Fr. Papczyński for his extraordinary life and his fervent zeal in caring for the deceased, the poor, and his apostolate. To avoid any future opportunities for disputes with the townspeople, he clarified various doubts and, to eliminate any grounds or claims to the Marian properties, he decreed: “We then declare that no one else but the aforementioned Father Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary together with his Congregation is the true and legal owner and heir of the Lord’s Cenacle in New Jerusalem and of all its movable and immovable goods, thanks to our generous donation [...] and his effort; he contributed several thousand Polish zlotys to build a hermitage, that is [monastic] cells, near the said Cenacle of the Lord.”94 The Bishop also obliged the religious communities of New Jerusalem and its inhabitants to respect the rights and privileges of the Marians under the threat of legal and divine punishment. This decree aimed to stabilize the material and spiritual situation of the Marians. It contained a statement that the Congregation had all canonical rights, approved and in accordance with the legislation of the Holy See. No Marian could leave it without its consent and only through their own superior, in this case, Fr. Papczyński. It explicitly pointed out that Fr. Papczyński is the lifelong legal superior of the entire Congregation, and the approval of his rule, Norma vitae, and its publication in 1687 emphasized his role and merits in shaping the Marians.95 Norma Vitae was a wise and balanced 93 Positio, Papczyński. Seconda erezione dei PP. Mariani, 21 febbraio 1687, pp. 422-430. 94 Ibid, 427. 95 Stepen Wierzbowski, Norma Vitae Clericorum Recollectorum alias Marianorum, defunctis
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