Ad Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis Mariae Oblatio

27 – Immediately after making this Oblatio , Fr. Stanislaus Papczyński in- tended to replace the black Piarist habit with a white Marian one. The frock was always regarded as a sign of religious consecration. The change of the habit would become a clear sign to everyone that Fr. Stanislaus belonged to a new religious institute. For reasons unknown, the ceremony of investiture with the while habit did not take place. Probably the Bishop of Cracow did not give his consent. This caused a new conflict with the Piarists, because in the resulting situation Fr. St. Papczyński did not want to depose the Piarist habit, still worn by him, in spite of his earlier written promise to do so 4 . This attitude, although troublesome for some of Fr. Stanislaus’s biographers, seems to be entirely understandable, considering the fact, that Fr. Stanis- laus could not possibly conceive to cease being a religious, even for a short while, and to return to the secular state as a diocesan priest. Hence, he stub- bornly kept the habit, even though it was a black one. Around September 15, 1671, in Lubocza, Fr. St. Papczyński replaced it with the much-desired white habit, upon permission from the Apostolic Nuncio 5 . – When Fr. S. Papczyński decided to accept its first candidate to the Congregation, cleric Stanislaus Krajewski, Superior of the hermits in the Korabiew Forest, he received from him an Oblatio , the wording of which was almost identical with his own, and invested him with white habit. This act took place in Lubocza on July 4, 1673, that is before the Marian house in Korabiew Forest was founded. The remark made by Fr. Stanislaus after the first sentences of the Oblatio of Br. Stanislaus Krajewski, has a capital im- portance: “...etc., as above in the form that I myself used and prescribed” 6 . From this we may conclude that Fr. Founder considered the Oblatio to be the generally binding form of consecration in the new Congregation. – The Oblatio is the oldest document directly related to the new Con- gregation dedicated to the Virgin Mary conceived without original stain. The second document, in chronological order, would be Norma vitae composed by Fr. Founder probably during his stay in Lubocza (1671-73) 7 . The third one – the agreement made between Fr. Stanislaus Papczyński and Stanislaus Krajewski on October 7, 1673 8 . The fourth – the protocol of the visitation of the Korabiew Forest hermitage performed by Bishop 4 Cf. Positio , pp. 216s. 5 Cf. ibid., p. 360. 6 Ibid., p. 364. 7 Ibid., p. 452. 8 Ibid., p. 336ss.