Servant of Mary new file

bly in 1856. It was only in 1955 that the Polish Marians arrived in Portugal to continue the work of Father Casimir Wyszy<ski. Presently, in 1985, there are 16 Marians, most of them of Portuguese descent, in three religious houses. 6. DEFENDER OF THE PEASANTS The 18th century was a period in the history of Poland that saw the decline of the status of the peasants, the most numerous social class. Deprived of legal protection, they suffered most as a result of wars and frequent epidemics. Additionally, land was often taken away from the peasants and obligatory workloads on the lord’s property increased. There were cases of peasants being sold in exchange for money or draft animals. Men of intellect called for reforms in this respect. Among others, Stanislaus Garczy<ski, the governor of the district of Pozna<, wrote in the years 1733 to 1736 the famous Anatomy of the Polish Republic . In this book he exhorted the clergy to social works, in keeping with the Christian spirit, and to attend especially to the educational and cultural needs in the villages of the peasants. This task was fulfilled to a certain degree by the Marians, who, for the most part, established their monas- teries in the country, and who, in keeping with their goals, took care of the people who lived nearby. In the Marian Constitutions approved in 1723, there are instructions regarding the conducting of pastoral work through teach- ings and missions. It was emphasized there that many peo- 53 THE SERVANT OF MARY IMMACULATE