Servant of Mary new file

with Father Wyszy<ski at the “Ara Coeli” monastery. It was only in May of 1753 that Father Casimir and Father Benon set out for the new foundation. They arrived in Spain by ship, then by land, and reached Lisbon in Portugal that October. The first pieces of information about Polish Marians in Portugal date back to October 2, 1753. Anthony da Silva e Sousa, Procurator General of the state archives and the guardian of the royal children wrote : On October 2, 1753, as I was traveling from the city of Beja to Mertoli, a place located on the outskirts of the kingdom, I met the Servant of God, Father Casimir and his companion on a hill, sit- ting in the shadow of a green oak tree, sheltered from the heat of the sun. I approached them and greeted them. I did not know their language, and they did not speak a word of Portuguese, either. Nevertheless I understood the Servant of God perfectly. He said that he was coming from Poland and going to Lisbon, having been called there to establish his religious order; that he was carrying letters to the king; and that he was traveling on foot all the time . This is a testimony gathered during the information process con- ducted in Portugal regarding the sanctity of Father Casimir. It should be mentioned that Anthony da Silva e Sousa remained a great friend and benefactor of the Marians in Portugal until his death. When the two travelers reached Lisbon on October 10, 1753, they began to look for the man who invited the Marians to Portugal on behalf of the king, promising 47 THE SERVANT OF MARY IMMACULATE