The Renewal of the Order redone 2018

The Renewal of the Marian Order in 1909-1910 10 Four Marian monasteries were closed overnight on November 15- 16/27-28, 1864, and another one in Iglowka on September 20, 1865, because they had less than eight members. The supernumerary house in Miroslaw was closed on April 24, 1866. Monks from the closed hous- es were transported to the only “numerary” monastery in Mariampole, in the diocese of Sejny in the Lithuanian territory. Seminarians and novices were transferred to diocesan seminaries; 11 Marians were exiled to Siberia; one each was left to staff the Order’s churches; sev- eral went abroad. The Order’s property was confiscated. In the future, the monks were expected to survive on starvation government pen- sions. They were made subject to the bishops’ jurisdiction. 10 Between February 1 and 14, 1865, the Bishop of Sejny, Konstanty Lubienski, performed a visitation in Mariampole. He believed that under the exceptional circumstances when he could not communicate with Rome, the rulings of the Tridentine Synod authorized him to extend his jurisdiction even over monks subject to papal law such as the Marians. In fact, the Holy See gave Polish bishops this jurisdic- tion on January 13 and then repeated it in subsequent months. 11 Bishop Lubienski, as the delegate of the Holy See, called for the resignation of General Roman Wilczynski and Superior of the monastery in Mariampole Jerzy Matuszewicz. 12 Then he advised the monks to elect a new Superior of the house and they elected Jerzy Czesnas. The Bishop approved him and bestowed on him the author- ity of the General and local Superior, 13 in accordance with the first Article of the Visitation Decree, viz.: “The office and responsibility of the Superior General of the Congregation of Marian Fathers together with legislative executive and judicial power, including all 10 Gach, Piotr: Zakon Marianow ..., pp. 90-91. 11 Kalowski, Julian: Uprawnienia nad zakonami udzielone biskupowi przez Stolice Apostolska po 1684 r. [Authority over Monastic Orders Bestowed upon the Bishop by the Holy See]. 12 Documenta responsioni adnexa, pp. 33-36, [in:] Positio. 13 See Document 2.