St Stan Illustrated Story

F ather Papczynski was born and spent his early years in south- ern Poland, in a village called Podegrodzie, situated in the Sandetian valley. The village lies on the left bank of the river Dunajec (pronounced “Dunayets”), in the immediate vicinity of the town of Stary Sacz (pronounced “Sonch”). About 13 miles to the south, the bow-like shape of the Carpathian Mountains forms the southern boundary of Poland. In a straight line to the southwest, it is about 38 miles to zakopane, the famous Polish winter resort, and some 45 miles, in a northwesterly direction, to Cracow. The picturesque landscape of Podegrodzie takes in the surround- ing mountains, many of them covered with dense forests. The cottages of the village form a semicircle on the slightly raised ground at the foot of the hills. Overlooking their thatched roofs, and dominating the view from a distance, is the parish church. The history of the parish itself goes back to the year 1014 – barely 48 years after the “Baptism of Poland.” The early childhood of Fr. Stanislaus is closely linked to the parish church. It was there that he was baptized and confirmed, that he at- tended religious services with his parents, and acquired the first rudi- ments of the Catholic life of prayer and worship. It was there that he was initiated into the wonders of serving at the altar. We may wonder if these first contacts with the supernatural life at the parish church of Podegrodzie were not decisive regarding his priestly and religious vo- cation. 14