St Stan Illustrated Story

76 T hey probably did not begin the actual building of the chapel until the spring of 1675. In the meantime, “[...] attracted by the renowned holiness of the Saint, a number of men of deep learning and piety hastened to his side and put themselves under his direction and guidance.” It was with their help that the construction of the church in honor of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception and St. Michael the Archangel made such rapid progress. They were “men in a hurry.” They wanted the new church to be ready as soon as possible for the recitation of the choir prayers and the administration of the sacraments to the local people and to the many who came from outside. Father Papczynski urged his helpers on not only by words of en- couragement but by his own example: Along with the others, he dug the foundations, carried the beams, took up the saw, the axe, and the wheel barrow. I t would be only natural to suppose that after a long day’s hard physical exertion, the evening hours and nightfall brought him well-earned rest and sleep. Bone-weary and exhausted, his body cried out for such rest. yet it is a fact that Fr. Papczynski sometimes “spent the whole night in prayer.” And when he did permit himself to lie down on his hard bed, “he was content with but a few hours’ sleep.” Frequently, for greater mor- tification, he would lie not on the bed but on the floor, which was cov- ered only with a rough sack. A log then served as his pillow.