M Looking for a little help from Heaven? We've got just the guy for you. Let us introduce (or reintroduce) you to the Venerable Servant of God Casimir Wyszynski (1700-1755). "He was a very zealous religious who deeply loved his Order and its Founder," said Br. Andrew Maczynski, MIC, vice postulator in North America and Asia for Marian causes of canonization. "He was a great devotee of the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, intercessor for the souls in Purgatory, and promoter of the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Blue Scapular. He was also a protector of the underprivileged, especially peasants abused by the clergy and upper-class people. He sent a petition to the pope asking for the special protection of those people by the Church." Brotherly tension Originally hailing from a family estate called Jeziora Wielka in the vicinity of Warsaw in Poland, this Marian Father of the Immaculate Conception was known for his sanctity during his lifetime and has gained a reputation for being a powerful intercessor since his death. Born in 1700, the year before Marian Founder Stanislaus Papczynski (1631-1701) died, and given the baptismal name "Januarius Francis," the future Marian started his life as a layman, becoming a civil servant and setting himself on track for secular success. But he was also a man of deep faith. When he learned that his older brother, Joseph, had helped relax religious discipline within the Marian Congregation and sided with a group seeking to disband the Order entirely, Januarius Wyszynski felt great remorse. He asked to be admitted to the Marians, saying, "I want to make up for what my brother ruined; I ask you for the habit." He was admitted and took the name "Casimir of St. Joseph." A demand for holiness From the very beginning of his religious life, he distinguished himself in his zeal for evangelical perfection, ardent devotion to the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, and active care for those suffering injustice. He also worked for the beatification of the Marian Founder. During his time as general superior, he made a number of visits to the different houses of the order. In one letter announcing a visitation, dated June 1, 1739, he gave a beautiful summation of the essence of Catholic life, saying, "From the Marians whom I intend to visit I am anxious to learn whether love of God and neighbor is practiced in your life. God is loved when His commandments are kept and the Rules of our Holy Institute are observed, when sinful desires are curbed, avoiding those things which lead to sin. Fraternal charity is evident when we wish no one harm. Where charity is lacking anything we do is without merit; where charity flourishes everything serves for holiness." The Venerable Servant of God Fr. Casimir Wyszynski (1700-1755)
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