Spirituality of the Religious Life According to St. Stanislaus Papczyński 190 of the Statuta, especially where such matters as the formation of novices, the religious vows, mortification, availing oneself of the sacraments, and carrying out the office of the superiors are discussed.81 Looking at a cross-section, the idea of imitating the Blessed Mother’s virtues, as proposed by both Saint Stanislaus Papczyński and the early tradition of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, contains a universal belief, reflected by the documents under examination, that it is the best way to please God. The core of this idea is based on the inference that if Mary’s behavior – in the context of her being elected and endowed – pleased God, then everyone who will imitate the path of her conduct will also incur the same divine pleasure. Along with this thought, somewhat dominant in theMarian tradition, theMarian Founder’s view that the imitation of Mary’s attitudes leads to becoming like Christ is clearly visible and it accelerates this process to some extent. 3. Spreading devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary The most original, chronologically the first, and the key purpose of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, thus indicated by both Saint Stanislaus Papczyński and the early tradition of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, was spreading devotion to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On Dec. 11, 1670, while taking leave from the Piarist Order and declaring his intention to found a new religious community, the Marian Founder dedicated himself to God and His Blessed Mother and outlined the basic features of his new Institute. They were: the Congregation’s future title related to the mystery of the Immaculate Conception (Societas Clericorum Marianorum Immaculatae Conceptionis) and its particular goal, which is spreading Marian devotion (honorem propagare). We may assume that the presence of these two formal elements in the act of the Oblatio, which the commentators of St. Stanislaus’ life and spirituality considered thus far as an exceptionally personal and 81 Statuta I, 4.7; III 1; V 2; X 3.10.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==