St Stan Illustrated Story

71 E arly on the following day, he began to initiate his companions into the ways of true religious and community life. He soon saw, however, that a life of regular prayer, penance, and obedience was not to their liking. He began to doubt whether, with such men, he could ever hope to found a religious community whose aim it would be to strive for sanctity by means of those methods which he was trying to introduce. Towards the end of the retreat he made up his mind to seek out other companions, more desirous of a true religious life, and to set up a foun- dation on a piece of land close by offered to him by krajewski. But be- fore he could take even the first step, Bishop Stanislaus Swiecicki, Vicar forWarsaw, arrived suddenly and unexpectedly on October 24 to conduct a canonical visitation of the Hermitage at the request of Bishop Wierzbowski, Ordinary of the Poznan-Warsaw Diocese. The visitator immediately resolved to put an end to the free and easy, if not downright scandalous, way of life of the “hermits.” He introduced radical reforms: Those who wished to remain must submit totally to The Norm of Life formulated by Fr. Papczynski. The visitator even added certain statutes of his own to the Norm , thereby making life at the Hermitage still more rigorous. He likewise obliged the “Marian Hermits” to swear obedience to the bishop of the diocese. “I had decided,” writes the Saint, “to leave this place once the re- treat was over, but he ordered me to remain as Superior, giving me complete authority over them.” When krajewski’s companions learned of the bishop’s severe de- crees, which were intended to intensify and strengthen the religious spirit of the Community, they were appalled; cold shivers ran up their spines at the thought of so rigorous an existence at the hermitage. Needless to say, they just packed up and left! Father Stanislaus was left with only krajewski.