Saint Stanislaus Papczynski — The Life and Writings

the cradle of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, the first religious community founded by a Pole on Polish soil. On September 30, 1673, Fr. Papczynski arrived at the her- mitage and found that krajewski’s companions were not inter- ested in the way of life proposed by the Rule . Disappointed, Fr. Papczynski planned to establish a new house of prayer on the property, but the Lord in His providence offered another path. Bishop Stanislaus Jacek Święcicki, vicar of Poznan-Warsaw, while making a canonical visitation of the parish, also visited the korabiew hermitage located within its territory. Seeing the hermits opposed to a regular observance, the bishop obliged them to strictly follow Fr. Papczynski’s Rule of Life and special statutes regulating spiritual exercises and penances for her- mits. He also forbade them from owning money, using hard liquor or wine, or leaving the monastery. Bishop Święcicki made Fr. Stanislaus the superior of these “Marian hermits” and placed them under the authority of the local bishop. Although the immediate consequences of the visitation were negative, the canonical visitation and the juridical act of Octo- ber 24, 1673, gave the new Marian Congregation its canonical recognition. Crisis and Hope Soon themajority of the “hermits” left. Only krajewski—who, from the moment of his investiture in the white habit, had taken the new name of “John of the Immaculate Conception” — remained with Fr. Stanislaus. The development of the new com- munity had become difficult, not only because of the lack of good candidates for the community, but also because of the eremitical status given to the newCongregation by Bishop Święcicki. Father Papczynski did not intend to found an eremitical contemplative community that would restrict itsmembers fromconducting pas- toral work outside thewalls of themonastery. His desire had been to free himself and his community from the restrictions imposed by eremitical status and to followhis original heartfelt inspiration A Brief Biography 17