Introduction by the General Superior of the Congregation of Marian Fathers In the days when Fr. Stanislaus Papczyƒski (1631-1701) sought approval of the Marian Congregation from the Holy See, there was a regulation demanding that all new religious orders accept one of the already approved rules. Their own specific regulations were to be included in their constitutions or so-called norms. For the Marians, the rules were contained in the Norma Vitæ (Rule of Life) written by Father Founder. There was a problem, however. The difficulty lay in Father Founder’s conviction that Norma Vitæ was created through inspiration from the Holy Spirit and that it reflected in the best possible way God’s plan for the Order he wished to establish. Faced with the need to choose one from the already existing rules, Fr. Papczyƒski’s delegate to Rome selected The Rule of the Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1699). Understandably, Fr. Founder felt disappointed upon learning that his Norma Vitæ was not approved for his Order. However, after getting closely acquainted with The Rule of the Ten 9
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