61 Let’s recall the words of Father Stanislaus who remembers the beginnings of the Marian Religious Community in the following way: “There were many very noble orders which invited me to join their ranks, me—the reluctant one—seeking greater perfection. Yet God’s vision which was carved out in my soul and concerned the founding of the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception of Mary … impelled me to pursue my goal.”2 Further in the same document we read: “I have been looking for opportunities to start the Association of the Immaculate Conception, which the Spirit of God had already shaped in my mind.”3 Let us draw our attention to the words: “vision which was carved out in my soul.” This is the “vision” which defi nes the uniqueness of the new religious community, its identity and place within the Church, all that we now refer to as the “charism of the founder.” This charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit which Father Stanislaus with fear and trembling, yet magnanimously recognizes in his “soul.” He can see it “impressed” (“carved”) as a seal on the document to legalize it. The one who “sealed” the soul of Father Stanislaus was the Holy Spirit, which means that the mission he received comes from God. When God seals a man with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13), He offi cially takes him in His possession. Father Stanislaus receives a new mission, to give birth to what had been conceived in his soul for the Church that is to be the Father Founder of the new religious community. Since the seal is a type of signature, which guarantees the validity of a document, Father Stanislaus could be positive that everything he takes up according to his internal vision was true and expected by God. Can we read anything from that analogy between the “conception” of the congregation in the mind of Father Papczyński and the Immaculate Conception of Mary? It seems we can. At fi rst, it shows us that the gift of the new community and the gift of the Immaculate Conception of Mary are the fruit of the selfl ess work of God who bestows them upon the Church. Further, the mysterious act of the Holy Spirit reveals the truth that the Immaculate Conception of Mary is to be the inspiration of the new religious community, the inspiration as to the essence of the vocation (it is a gift, given for free, a program to follow, a direction for the mission in the Church), as well as to the path for its fulfi llment (following the example of Mary Immaculate). Pointing to the mystery of the Immaculate Conception as the inspiration, in a way justifi es the lack of many external signs, which would be necessary to express the identity of the new congregation. The most important among the signs is the white habit, a sign of an immaculate life, the beauty of which reveals itself in fi delity to God’s grace. The symbol of the “white habit” is a sign both for the Marians themselves 2 Założenie domu skupienia (Founding of the House of Retreat) in: Bł. Stanisław Papczyński, Pisma zebrane [Collected Works], Warsaw 2007, p. 1458. 3 Ibib., p. 1460.
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