Documenta Capituli Generalis

aDDress oF tHe General superior to pope Francis DurinG a private auDience Beloved Holy Father: We, the members of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, would like to express our deepest respect, devotion, and love for You. We pray daily for the intentions of Your Holiness so that You “may guide the Church securely on the road to salvation.” Our meeting today comes as a wonderful opportunity for us to convey our great gratitude for the Canonization of the Founder of our religious community, St. Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczyński, which took place on June 5, 2016. We have been waiting for this grace for a very long time, during which our community, established more than 340 years ago, underwent many hardships and persecutions, because of which only one member of the Congregation survived. However, God, in His mercy, saved the works of the Immaculata and renewed the Community through Blessed George Matulaitis Matulewicz, our Renovator. Today we serve in 20 countries of the world. Our community is not numerous, but we do not aspire to be large in numbers. Mary, the model of our life, always remains the little servant of the Lord. And that’s our way, too. Your Holiness, We are presently celebrating the 57 th General Chapter, whose main task is to revise our Constitutions. Please convey to us Your message and Your apostolic blessing for ongoing works of our Chapter. We also ask for blessings for the whole Congregation in our ministry according to our motto: Pro Christo et Ecclesia . 29