Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

177 On December 11, 1670, as Fr. Stanislaus was released from (simple) re- ligious vows and the oath of perseverance in the Congregation of the Pious Schools, thus becoming a diocesan priest, he also made the Oblatio or Of- fering of himself , in which he stated clearly that he did not wish to abandon the religious way of life and priesthood, or to take off his habit. Instead, he expressed a desire to found a new religious order. He wrote: “And so I prom- ise [to God the Father Almighty... and also to the Mother of God the Ev- er-VirginMary,]—that I shall, to the end of my life, serveThem chastely and zealously in the Society of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception (which by the grace of God I resolve to found).” 3 The author thus opened his Oblatio: “In the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ Crucified. Amen,” and then he offered and dedicated himself “to God the Father Almighty, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, and also to the Mother of God the Ever-Virgin Mary, Conceived without original sin ( sine macula originali Conceptae). ” 4 It is significant that Father Stanislaus placed the Holy Trinity and their will at the center of his life, and he wanted to fulfill this will with all his might. Mary also occupies an important—but not the central place in his life and piety, as indicated by the order she is mentioned in the offering. Father Stanislaus was convinced that the newOrder, which he was about to found, was the fulfillment of God’s will. He ascribed a special role in the discernment and undertaking of this work to the Holy Spirit, who inspired him to do it: “I lived at the house of the Lord Nobleman Karski for near- ly two years—[September 1671– September 1673—JR] as I was searching for the ways to begin the Society of the Immaculate Conception already formed in my mind by the Divine Spirit ( dandi formatae iam in animo meo a Divino Spiritu ).” 5 Father Casimir Wyszyński similarly viewed the events as he wrote in Fr. Stanislaus’s biography that the latter had rejected many honorable offices offered to him by Church dignitaries, because “he was mindful of the promise made to God and—guided by His inspiration [...]— he decided to focus on the founding of the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. 6 3 S. Papczyński, Oblatio, in: Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stock- bridge, 2007, p. 28. 4 Ibid. 5 S. Papczyński, Foundation of the House of Recollection, in: Historical Writings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński , Stockbridge, 2007, p. 67. 6 K. Wyszyński, Żywot Czcigodnego Sługi Bożego Ojca Stanisława od Jezusa Maryi Papczyńskiego, in: Stróż duchowego dziedzictwa marianów. Wybór pism o. KazimierzaWyszyńsk- iego , transl. and ed. by Z. Proczek, Warszawa–Stockbridge 2004, p. 70.