historical writings 916 nent prelatures276 offered to me, I assumed the white habit277 with the permission of the local Ordinary and with the blessing of the Apostolic Nuncio. After some time, I retired to a vast wilderness,278 where I erected a small church under the title of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. and of St. Michael. I also admitted some companions with the permission of the Ordinary, which I had obtained in the form of a decree. 4. Having lived there for a few years in rather severe conditions,279 I was then called to New Jerusalem, commonly called Góra [Kalwaria], by the pious, now deceased, Bishop of Poznań.280 I quite willingly did this, seeing that a house of the Order of Pious Schools had been founded there,281 whose spiritual counsel I could use, and so be helped. 5. Afterwards, it pleased the Bishop to unite our house in Góra with the hermitage house and unite them in one tiny Congregation, protecting it by law.282 He appointed me, unworthy as I am, to be its Superior for life.283 The Congregation was founded on the legal status of hermits of the first class, described quite clearly and very precisely by the extremely learned man, Prosper Fagnani and also by Lauretto de Franchis,284 for the sake of aiding the souls of the faithful departed who are deprived of help, particularly those of soldiers and victims of pestilence, which will be more evident 276 Cf. Positio, p. 359, 494. Cf. above, HW, pp. 903-904, n. 7, § 6. 277 Cf. above, HW, p. 904, n. 7, § 7. 278 This “vast wilderness” was the Korabiew Forest, where Krajewski — his first companion — had his hermitage. Fr. Papczyński came there from Luboczy on September 30, 1673. Cf. above, HW, pp. 906-907, 909, n. 7, §§ 11 and 16. 279 Father Papczyński stayed in the Korabiew Forest from 1673-1677. He speaks about its “severe conditions,” because Bishop Święcicki prescribed for the residents there very strict “Statutes or Ordinances.” Cf. above, HW, pp. 911, 912, n. 7, §§ 20 and 24. 280 Bishop Stephen Wierzbowski, who died on March 7. He transferred Fr. Papczyński from the Korabiew Hermitage to New Jerusalem (Góra) in 1677, where the Marians took over a small monastery called the Lord’s Cenacle. Cf. Positio, pp. 378-382, 422-423, 427. 281 The Piarists received a foundation in New Jerusalem from Bishop Wierzbowski in 1675. 282 Cf. Positio, p. 396 (Doc. XI, 4 § 5); p. 397 (ibid., § 7). 283 Cf. Positio, p. 424 (Doc. XI, 10, § 7). 284 Cf. Positio, p. 424 (Doc. XI, 10, § 7); p. 461 (Doc. XII, 1, Praef. Informat., § 2)
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