Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

121 Briefly summarizing this aspect, it can be said that – in the light of the Oblatio – the religious by-laws should not be considered the highest val- ue, but they are an important element of the common life and work of the Marians, because they help the confreres determine their place in the com- munity and shape the realization of its charism. Religious Poverty The topic of religious poverty has already been raised in the context of Saint Stanislaus Papczyński’s offering himself to God, and this is under- standable, because various aspects of the religious life are interconnected and interdependent. However, it is necessary to examine this topic strictly in relation to the evangelical counsel of poverty. In the wake of the promise of obedience, our holy Father Founder states in his Oblatio : “I shall pos- sess nothing privately, but have all in common. 33 ” One sentence shows that religious poverty also considers everything that a religious uses not as his private property but as communal property, which allows the community to be built up, while increasing one’s independence from material posses- sions. Both Father Papczyński’s testaments attest to the fact that he realized his original intention in full: 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 community. 34 As we have mentioned before, as he gives instructions as to sums of money inscribed to him, Father Founder also indicates that he leaves everything to his confreres expressly for the needs of their community. 35 The significance of religious poverty in the context of community life is very clearly demonstrated in the document Fraternal Life in Community: 33 Oblation , in: Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, 2007, p. 29. 34 First Testament , op. cit., p. 95. 35 Another Testament , op. cit., p. 110.