The Marian Martyrs of Rosica

42 The Marian Martyrs of Rosica Rome, he went to Poland, where he spent about two weeks at his brother’s house in Radom. He then visited his parents and brothers in Wilejka and in his native Abramowszczyzna. Finally, he went to the monastery in Druja on the western Dvina, at that time on the northeastern border of the Polish state. This outpost already had dark clouds gathering over it, and political repressions were imminent. In this situation, the Superior General of the Congregation, who was at Vilnius at that time, ordered the candidate to go through the novitiate in Skorzec near Siedlce, giving appropriate authorization to the superior there in a letter dated May 26, 1938, from Vilnius. The next day, Fr. Leszczewicz appeared in Skorzec with this letter. On May 30, he started his retreat, and on the evening of June 7 he was admitted to the novitiate. The Master of Novices did not show any favoritism to the already mature priest, but assigned him chores like everybody else. In the Chronicle of Novitiate, we find the following note dated January 10, 1939: “The Rev. Master assigned novice brothers to early spring gardening chores under Br. Kazimierz Ogledzki: Fr. Leszczewicz and Br. Terlikowski are to make plant covers and Br. Turek with Br. Los will prepare the green- house windows.” Of course, the novice also heard confessions in the church whenever necessary. On April 13, 1939, the monastery in Skorzec solemnly cele- brated the silver jubilee of Fr. Anthony Leszczewicz’s ordina- tion as a priest. The chronicler noted: “At the end, Fr. Leszczewicz thanked everyone for their congratulations and prayers, expressing his special affection for the novice brothers among whom God had allowed him, even though so late, to prepare himself for work in the Congregation.” Two months later, on June 13, his name’s day, after con- cluding eight days of retreat, Fr. Leszczewicz professed his first religious vows before the Very Rev. Provincial. He remained in Skorzec for another two months, leaving Skorzec onAugust 24 and going to Druja to become the house manager.