Saint Stanislaus Papczynski — The Life and Writings

He was accused of making trouble before the superior gen- eral, Fr. Cosmas Chiara, who in turn summoned him to Rome. Supplied with letters of recommendation from people faithfully testifying to his religious and pastoral zeal, he started on a stren- uous and dangerous journey to the eternal City towards the end of October 1667. Before he left, he wrote a declaration called Protestatio Romam abeuntis [“Declaration upon departing for Rome”] inwhich he expressed his humble reverence for and obe- dience to his superiors. The saintly general of the Piarists received Fr. Stanislaus very cordially and soon became convinced of his innocence. But his accusers — several members of the provincial chapter — did not relent. They demanded that he be punished for being a “fire- brand” and the destroyer of peace in the province. When Fr. Chiara received this letter from the provincial chapter, he found himself in a difficult position. He did intend to send Papczynski back to Poland, but now he changed his plans and ordered him to go to Nikolsburg in Moravia, the seat of the German province. Father Stanislaus went to Nikolsburg, but did not stay there very long. With the permission of the German provincial, he moved to Warsaw in May 1668. After Fr. Stanislaus returned to Poland, he faced new accu- sations and persecution from several members. Although his confreres from the Warsaw house came to his defense, the dispute became increasingly more public and finally reached the ear of the papal nuncio, Cardinal Marescotti, who de- manded an explanation. Following this, Fr. Opatowski, the superior of the Polish province, conducted an investigation and, on July 20, 1669, pre- pared a statement signed by him and his two assistants. In this document, he declared that Fr. Papczynski’s behavior was not that of a “firebrand,” but due to a kind of zeal for greater fidelity in observing the Piarist religious rule. With this statement, the provincial affirmed Fr. Stanislaus’s innocence, but it did not change the situation for the better. Wishing to restore peace in his community, Fr. Papczynski decided to leave his order. In A Brief Biography 13