Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

191 true holiness, which the Church confirmed by the act of his Canonization in 2016. Also for the above reasons, we dedicated much attention in the for- mation of our first Vietnamese candidates and novices to teaching them about the person and work of St. Stanislaus Papczyński since his life and example are the key to understanding and embracing the charism of our Congregation. It turned out that the era and the native Polish culture, of which St. Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczyński was a product, were not so dissimilar indeed from the backgrounds of our Vietnamese students, in whose hearts Fr. Stanislaus took a prominent place. I have seen many times that they identified themselves with the challenging living conditions of young Jan Papka, with his desire for an education, and his early learning problems. Also, they were deeply touched by the fate that befell him in Lviv, where he – when he was only a teenager –had to live like Lazarus in the Gospel; or by his desire to die for the faith with the zeal and courage of the saints which he showed at the beginning of his religious life. Our col- lective reading of Norma vitae and Templum Dei Mysticum did not prove to be too difficult or discouraging for them. On the contrary, it allowed them to get to know better our holy Father Founder’s spiritual character and to love him. May the simple testimonies written by our young newly professed members at the end of their novitiate be an opportunity to learn how St. Stanislaus Papczyński and our charism were received in Vietnam. Bogusław Gil MIC