Marian Helper Winter 2015-2016

N otes from R ome by Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC, is the Vicar General of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. He lives in Rome. M arian H elper • W inter 2015-16 •  marian.org 7 Fr. Joe’s message Why did it take so long? The main reason involves the history of Poland, which has endured countless wars, plagues, and persecution. (It actually disap- peared off the map for a time.) The Polish people suf- fered at the hands of tsars, Nazis, and Communists. All this made the work of gathering documents on the sanctity of the life of Fr. Stanislaus difficult, if not impossible, for a time. How did the beatification come to be? Our congre- gation spent years making the case to the Holy See. His writings were analyzed to show that he hadn’t written anything contrary to the teachings of the Church. We had to prove he had lived a virtuous life to a heroic degree. Finally, it needed to be deter- mined a miracle had taken place through his interces- sion. An amazing miracle was approved: A pregnant woman in Poland found that the heartbeat of her child had stopped. A family member familiar with Fr. Stanislaus urged the family to pray a novena to ask his intercession. Although it seemed to be too late, the family prayed, the heart started beating again, and the child’s development resumed. After much inves- tigation, the Vatican declared it a “reanimation” and accepted it as a miracle, which led to Fr. Stanislaus’s beatification. The little boy was born without any problems, and he is growing up in a normal way. Now, eight years after the beatification, we are praying that another healing that we believe took place through his intercession will lead to his canon- ization. (In the annals of the congregation he founded, Blessed Stanislaus would be our first saint. In addition to Blessed Stanislaus, we have three blesseds.) To be declared a saint is a long process. In Blessed Stanislaus’ case, an investigation took place on the dioc- esan level in which medical documents were gathered, and witnesses and doctors were interviewed by other doctors and specialists. All of the documents were then brought to Rome and submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The documentation was put togeth- er in book form in what's called a “Positio.” How the process works is that a group of medical doctors meets at the Vatican to discuss and pass their judgment on the healing. We may be able to make an announcement about their findings by the end of the year or by spring. If they accept the presumed miracle, the matter goes before a team of theologians. If they vote positively, everything gets passed on to a group of cardinals who meet in a con- sistory. If they accept everything, the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints would present everything to the Holy Father, and if he signs the docu- ments, a date would then be set for the canonization. It’s been exciting for me to have been living in Rome for the last 10 years because I have an inside view on how all this takes place. I was able to participate in the preparations for Blessed Stanislaus’ beatification. I have witnessed the slow and painstaking work that is needed to get to the next step. Rightfully so, the Church takes great care to verify each step along the way before she can confidently say God wants someone to be declared a saint. I ask each of you to pray that, if it is God’s will, the Marians’ Founder be declared a saint. “Saint Stanislaus Papczynski.” That has a nice ring to it! Check out page 26 for the latest reports from Marian Helpers on graces received through the inter- cession of Blessed Stanislaus. I n 2007, a little more than 300 years after his death, Fr. Stanislaus Papczynski, the Marians’ Founder, was declared by the Church to be “blessed,” just one step away from “saint.” STEPS TOWARD SAINTHOOD?