historical writings 858 friends and enemies. I only desire that the Lord God be praised in this my journey undertaken out of obedience, just as He was praised in the journey and wandering of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, in the obedience of all of his creatures, in the difficulties, exhaustion, teaching, persecutions, and Passion of my Lord, Jesus Christ, in the sorrows of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the obedience of all His apostles and servants. II. [Reason for Stanislaus’ Journey to Rome] 2. The reason for my journey was the ardent zeal in regard to the strict observance, in our Polish Province, in an uncompromising manner, the decrees and prescriptions of our Constitutions, customs, chapters, and particularly those regarding the election of Superiors which are to take place in the Province, in accord with the holy canons of the Council of Trent,27 in accord with the first brief given to us by Alexander VII28 and the decree of the first Provincial Chapter which took place in Podoliniec29 when Fr. Jacob of St. Barbara30 was Provincial, in which I participated as delegate of the Warsaw house,31 there was a unanimous decision to send to the General Chapter a petition to receive permission for the election of all the Superiors in the [Polish] Province.32 And our delegates33 brought us from Rome the following answer: 27 According to the Council of Trent, the Superiors of religious institutes were to be chosen “per vota secreta” (cf. Session XXV: De Regularibus et Monialibus, Ch. 6: Ratio eligendi superiores). This was not always followed in the election of Superiors in the Piarists. Cf. Positio, p. 89, Ad primum. 28 This was the brief Dudum felicis recordationis (January 24, 1656). Cf. Positio, pp. 91-93, Ad secundum. 29 This was the chapter of 1664. Cf. Positio, p. 129, n. 6. 30 Father Jacob Wezyrka (Weczirka) of St. Barbara (d. 1668) was Provincial in Poland from February 1664 to May 1665. Cf. Kr., pp. 217-263. 31 At the Chapter of the Piarist house in Warsaw, which probably took place at the beginning of July 1664, Fr. Papczyński was elected the delegate (vocalis) of this house. Cf. Positio, p. 87 (Doc. V, intr. A, 1). 32 Among the points (petitions) that were to be submitted to the General Chapter, we find in the first place a petition of such content. Cf. Positio, p. 88 (Intr. A, 1, ed. 11, where its content is given). 33 The delegates (vocales) of the Polish Province to the General Chapter (Rome, May 1665) were: Fr. Jacob Wezyrka the Provincial, Fr. Opatowski and Fr.
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