Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

116 Serving as a Community Superior Declaring his belonging in a community which he intended to “found by the grace of God,” Father Papczyński shows his role in that community, em- phasizing that he would be in it a “whole-hearted servant-slave” 12 . The fact is that he had carried out the functions of the superior ever since he found himself in the Korabiew Forest among the hermits, who had lived there for 12 years under the leadership of Krajewski. Regardless, it seems right to say that he considered it a service and a service in obedience to “His Holiness the Vicar of Jesus Christ and to his delegated official authorities.” Furthermore, although Father Stanislaus considers himself the founder of the Marian Order, and therefore an authority for all of the members of the community, he emphasizes that he will obey “all my mediate and immedi- ate Superiors.” 13 Indeed, in the First Testament our holy Father Founder strongly empha- sizes that, being bound by the vow of obedience, “I do not make any will as regards belongings, because voluntarily poor, I do not have any; since I held all in common and for common, I also leave everything to the com- munity .” 14 On the other hand, Another Testament contains some specific dispositions, but Father Stanislaus himself provides the reasons for making them: “Mindful of the vow of poverty, I should not order anything about other things, but since many things usually are done improperly, therefore by the Divine will I distribute in this way from the sums [...]. 15 ” It should not surprise anyone that he modifies his opinion a few years after writing his first testament. This indicates his realism rather than the desire to rule. Fur- thermore, it is significant that in his last will, he repeatedly calls himself “an unworthy superior, 16 ” and names our Lord and His Blessed Mother the true directors of the Order 17 . It should also be added that he constantly empha- sizes the dependency of theMarian community on the Church’s authority 18 . 12 Oblation , in: Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, 2007, p. 28. 13 Ibid. 14 The First Testament , in Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, 2007, p. 95. 15 Another Testament , in Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, 2007, p. 110. 16 Another Testament , in Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, 2007, p. 108. 17 Ibid. 18 Ibid.