St Stan Illustrated Story

67 I n the meantime, Fr. Stanislaus sought every possible way of bringing into existence his “Society of the Immaculate Con- ception,” the idea of which, as he reveals in one of his writings, “had been clearly formed” in his mind “by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” But there just weren’t any suitable candidates to be found. What was more, BishopWierzbowski, apparently cautioned by someone, made the foundation of the new Community conditional upon Fr. Stanislaus’ ob- taining permission from the Holy See. The Saint submitted the matter to a Procurator in Rome who, for more than a year, put him off with hopeful promises but took no steps whatever to obtain the necessary permission. Seeing the futility of his previous attempts, Fr. Stanislaus sought the advice of a prominent Camaldolese monk, a certain Fr. Francis Wilga, at the hermitage in Bielany (Warsaw). Father Francis advised him to go about the matter in another way by finding at least one com- panion, setting up a religious house, and then, from even such slight beginnings, seeking the approval of the Holy See. The Saint resolved to follow this advice.