St Stan Illustrated Story

68 A bout 22 miles from Lubocz, in the heart of the korabiew For- est (Puszcza korabiewska), Stanislaus krajewski, a veteran of many wars, had set up a “hermitage” on a plot of land given to him in 1670 by king Michael of Poland. When Fr. Papczynski decided to follow the advice of Fr. Wilga, the thought of this hermitage came into his mind. He approached kra- jewski with a concrete proposal, and explained his Norm of Life to him. krajewski, in his own name and that of his companions, enthu- siastically accepted the proposal and offered himself and his property to form the beginning of the Society of the Immaculate Conception. He declared himself ready to hand everything over to Fr. Stanislaus, to recognize him as his Superior, and to submit completely to The Norm of Life. Some time later, however, Fr. Stanislaus, who had come to know krajewski better, decided that he was not a suitable candidate for the re- ligious life and put off making any definite steps where he was con- cerned. But on the advice of his spiritual director, he permitted krajewski some months later to receive the white habit of the Marian Fathers and to make his “oblation” to the budding Society of the Immaculate Con- ception. The ceremony took place at Lubocz on July 4, 1673.