39 introduction found in the writings of various authors and in the entire Marian tradition.7 The exact date of Fr. Papczyński’s first creating the NV is unknown. For the first time, it was mentioned as a finished work around October of 1672, when the holy Father Founder presented the NV to Krajewski, the first candidate to his Congregation. Thus, we may assume that the work was completed probably after December 11, 1670, (the day, when—during his Oblatio— St. Stanislaus first spoke of his desire to found a Congregation of Marian Fathers) and shortly after his arrival at Karski’s court in September 1671. Later, he had to make certain alterations of the text so that it would conform to the Statutes imposed by Bishop Święcicki in the Korabiew Hermitage. These Statutes commanded the hermits to obey the prescripts set forth in the NV and named Fr. Papczyński the community superior. As a result, the original NV, which was supposed to describe—as we may assume—an active, apostolic Congregation, had to be adapted to the life of the “Marian hermits.” Presumably, after further alterations of the text, this NV version appeared in print in 1687. The 1687 edition of the NV was submitted to the Sacred Congregation for Bishops and Religious, where it was “corrected” by Cardinal Colloredo in 1694. In 1698, this version was prepared for print under the imprimatur of Bishop Popławski. The Informative Preface by Fr. Papczyński was also added at that time. In the end, the decision to print the 1694-1698 version was canceled, since after the death of Bishop Witwicki on March 4, 1698, the Marians renewed their efforts to obtain papal approval of their Congregation. In case of a successful outcome, it would have been necessary to adopt the NV to the new legal status of the Marian Institute prior to sending it to print. The 1694-1698 manuscript has survived to our times and was included in the Positio (pp. 450-483), along with other 1687 versions of the text, given in the footnotes. The 1694-1698 version of 7 Cf. Positio, pp. 451-552, where it is explained that the objections to his authorship are groundless.
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