St Stan Illustrated Story

A lthough few who knew him were aware of it, John Papczynski had, for some time, been thinking seriously of following a priestly and religious vocation. Filled with the desire for spiritual per- fection, he had probably decided while at Podoliniec, as early as 1650, that he would one day join the Piarist Fathers and consecrate himself to the service of Christ and His Blessed Mother. This “inner voice of a vocation” accompanied him to Lvov and Rawa Mazowiecka. And now, while he rested at home, with his studies behind him, it became more insistent, giving him no respite. He knew that he could not remain with his mother and family any longer than was strictly necessary. Our Divine Lord’s call was too strong, too urgent. At last the day came when he took leave of his mother, family, friends, and home and made his way back across the Carpathians to Podoliniec and the Piarist Fathers. 40