905 the foundation of the house of recollection Mary, I offered myself, already dressed in white, in perpetual service as a new candidate to this Mother.239 Immediately, I went to the Most Distinguished Lord [Archbishop] Angelo Ranucci, the Nuncio in Warsaw, to manifest my obedience [to him] as well as to ask his blessing and to explain my desires.240 8. All these matters turned out favorably for me at that time. For although surprise overcame many who saw that I went from being [dressed in] black to white, some of them sang with the Poet: “So suddenly has the crow become a swan!”241 However, the Divine Majesty disposed them in such a way that they even showed joy on account of this change. They lauded my plan and wished me the most blessed success. Among them were the Apostolic Nuncio, a certain bishop, and well-known religious. Nevertheless, there were some who looked upon me as a crazy man.242 Others persecuted me, because the beginnings [of this work] must be founded upon suffering. Passing over all other matters, I come to this: relating how this tiny Congregation indeed had its beginning. 9. I lived at the house of a certain Karski nobleman for nearly two years.243 I searched for ways to found the Society of the Immaculate Conception, which the Divine Spirit had already formed in my mind. However, companions — such as would be required to begin this work — were lacking. And although some people, both lay and religious, came, I feared joining them to 239 Father Papczyński’s ceremony of donning the white habit took place in the chapel in Luboczy, in front of the miraculous image of the Immaculate VirginMary (cf. Positio, p. 673: Doc. XVIII, § 32), probably on September 15th, 1671. In the Latin text there is a play on words that cannot be translated into English: “me in Candido iam colore, novum Eius Matris candidatum ad perpetua obsequie devovi…”. 240 Cf. SH, p. 83, n. 45 241 The poet Martial says the reverse: “Tam subito corvus, qui modo cygnus eras” (["You are] so suddenly a crow, [you who] were just a swan!"). Father Papczyński says this because the Piarist habit was black while the Marian habit was white (cf. Positio, p. 471), but the cut was the same. Cf. SH, p. 83, n. 46. 242 Cf. SH, p. 84, n. 48. 243 Father Papczyński came to the Karski manor probably a few days before the octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 15, 1671) and left it on September 30, 1673.
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