91 Apostolate or Contemplation: 1677-1723 old at that time, was seriously ill several times during this trip. On one occasion, he fell into a swampy bog from which his companion, Joachim, couldn’t pull him out. According to Papczyński’s account, he was saved from the swamp by a saint from the Franciscan Order. Supposedly, it was St. Anthony of Padua, whose sanctuary was nearby.105 In February 1691, both pilgrims arrived in Rome, where they received the sad news of the death of Pope Alexander VIII on February 1, 1691. While waiting for the election of a new pope, Father Papczyński dealt with various matters and privileges for the Marian order in Rome. He obtained privileges for the Marians to participate in the spiritual goods of several other orders, the so-called affiliation of the Marian Institute to the Reformed Franciscans, Piarists, Dominicans, and Capuchins. The content of the contracts has been preserved to this day. Eighteenth-century documents mention “aliae Admissiones aliarum Sacrarum Religionum.”106 Having obtained various spiritual privileges, Fr. Papczyński, as Fr. Krzyżanowski suspects, began trying to get papal approval based on the Constitutions he had composed, Norma Vitae. 107 However, the Marian Constitutions were an obstacle to obtaining the expected approval. Therefore, Fr. Papczyński decided to search for an order with a rule closest to the Marian institute, and already in 1691, he made efforts to obtain papal approval through the legal incorporation of the Marians into the Order of Nuns of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Conceptionists.108 Unfortunately, he encountered two obstacles to realizing this intention: the Conceptionist rule was unsuitable for male religious orders, and practical considerations pushed the religious to return to their homeland. The papal conclave was prolonged, Roman heat was unfavorable for Fr. Papczyński’s fragile health, and their funds ran out. Therefore, both pilgrims decided to return to Poland without 105 Leporini, n. 41; Navikevicius, p. 184; Positio, Papczyński, p. 674. 106 Wyszyński, Stróż, Nos. 87-90, pp. 113-117. Casimir Wyszyński, who was well acquainted with the contents of the Marian archive, wrote: “There are other documents of admission to the spiritual heritage of other holy religious orders, but we do not have them at hand now. They are kept carefully and diligently in the archive of our Marian Congregation.” ibid. 107 Positio, Papczyński, p. 506; cf. Navikevicius, p. 186. 108 See: S. Papczyński, Petition to the Holy Congregation for Bishops and Religious, Rome Aug. 22, 1692, in: Selected Writings, pp. 950-951; Second Petition to the Congregation for Bishops and Religious, Rome Aug. 22, 1692, in: Selected Writings, pp. 954-955; Petition to the Holy Father Pope Innocent, Rome, Sept. 13, 1692, in: Selected Writings, pp. 957-958.
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