Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

119 And also: To my Companions, and (if it is proper to say) to my Sons, I greatly commend love for God and neighbor, zeal for the Catholic faith, re- spect, reverence and obedience to the Most Holy Apostolic See; ob- servance of the vows, humility, patience, help to the Deceased, and peace with all 26 . Further in the text, our holy Father Founder insists quite rigorously on the necessity to uphold the standing law: Father Joachim of St. Anne 27 was elected as a Coadjutor for me; now I declare him also as [my] successor, obliging his conscience by the severe judgment of God to maintain most strictly the regular ob- servance implanted by God. 28 And he also adds: And if Father Joachim by the consent of the Fathers should again be confirmed as a Coadjutor, then I oblige him, by the terrible judgment of God, that – with regard to what has been prescribed by me – he does not introduce any innovations in the habit, in the title of the Order ... 29 These words clearly indicate that our holy Father Founder greatly cared about preserving the structure and law of the Marian Order even in the face of his death. In the context of modern-day consecrated life, religious by-laws con- stitute an important element of the functioning of the community. This is a complex and multi-faceted issue, so we shall mention only such elements that seem relevant in the context of our reflection on the Oblatio . Each 26 Another Testament , in Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, 2007, p. 108. 27 Father Joachim of St. Anne Kozłowski was one of the first companions of Father Stanislaus Papczyński. In 1698, he was elected Fr. Stanislaus’s Coadjutor; in Rome, he endeavored to obtain papal approval of the Congregation of Marians. 28 Another Testament , in Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, 2007, p. 110. 29 Ibid, p. 112.