Mar
15
2016
0
By Anonymous (not verified)
March 15, 2016 - Pope Francis today announced the canonization date for the Founder of the Marian Fathers. Blessed Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczy?ski (1631-1701) will be declared a saint on June 5, in St. Peter's Square.
"The Congregation has waited centuries for this moment," said Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC, the Marians' vicar general, based in Rome. "In the course of our history, there are those who doubted the sanctity of our Founder. Now, the moment has finally arrived, and our Lord has left no doubt as to the sanctity of the life of the Founder through the tremendous miracle attributed to his intercession and the approvals given to this miracle throughout the process.
"We have a powerful intercessor in our Founder," said Fr. Joe. "He calls us to live our charism with authenticity, simplicity, and holiness. May we follow his example by the way that we live our lives. I am sure that Heaven rejoices over this announcement today!"
"It is a surely a great day for the Marians in our history," said Br. Andrew Maczynski, MIC, vice-postulator in North America and Asia for the Marian Causes of Canonization. "We've been waiting 315 years for this moment."
The date was announced during the Public Ordinary Consistory for the Canonization of Blesseds, presided over by Pope Francis on Tuesday morning.
Blessed Stanislaus - a Polish firebrand, a prolific writer who urged the world to contemplate God's mercy and to turn to Mary Immaculate for her gracious guidance and efficacious care - will be canonized along with Blessed Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad of Sweden. The canonizations of three others were also announced. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be canonized on Sept. 4. Blessed José Gabriel del Rosario of Argentina will be canonized on Oct. 16, along with Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Río of Mexico.
Spreading Devotion to the Founder
Marian priests and brothers from throughout the world are expected to attend the canonization. In the meantime, the Congregation is in the midst of a Congregation-wide year dedicated to the Founder's life and virtues. Translations of his writings in various languages are underway, including in English.
"Poland, for example, already has published all the Founder's works translated from Latin, and is, therefore, in a privileged situation," said the Marians' Superior General Fr. Andrzej Paku?a, MIC. "In Brazil, on the other hand, this work is still ahead of our confreres. The Baroque Latin used by Fr. Founder presents many challenges to the translators.
"As part of preparations for the canonization, the confreres in various provinces endeavor to popularize his person and message," Fr. Andrzej continued. "Naturally, we will pay special attention to the thanksgiving events at our parishes and centers that we run worldwide, since it would be difficult for many of our confreres and friends to come to Rome from the remote parts of the world."
Acknowledging the challenge of spreading devotion to the Founder beyond Poland and beyond the Marians themselves, Fr. Andrzej has instructed his confreres to focus first on the bare - and extraordinary - facts of the Founder's life.
"I think that in the case of people so far removed from us in time as Fr. Stanislaus Papczy?ski is, his 'speaking' to us depends - among other things - on how well we know his biography," Fr. Andrzej said. "He proved a colorful and extremely interesting figure, especially if we consider his life experiences. He suffered trials and adversities in every stage of life. In his childhood, he struggled to learn the alphabet, and then - following prayers - he suddenly became a gifted child, intellectually ahead of the others.
"He had health problems and fell seriously ill in Lviv, where it seemed he would die of that infectious disease," Fr. Andrzej continued. "He had problems while at the Piarist Order, because it was undergoing a transformation at that time. He had problems with leaving the Piarists and founding the Marian community. Finally, he had difficulties obtaining the Holy See's approval for his new Order. It would seem that this man could tell our modern times that it is worth believing, despite the greatest adversities and illnesses; that it is worth dedicating one's life to God even if all signs on earth and in Heaven say that He has forgotten us. The Cross does not mean resignation, but it can mean God's greatest love and closeness; that God' plans for that person are greater than for the others. It is possible to find happiness in toil, of only one has the light of faith."
Living in a war-torn time period, Blessed Stanislaus witnessed thousands of casualties on battlefields and also from dreaded plagues. He, himself, accompanied Polish troops as a chaplain in battles against Turkey in Ukraine in 1674. He was deeply saddened to observe how many people died with no time to prepare to meet their Maker.
After he experienced visions of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, he was moved to engage in, and advocate for, prayer and penance on their behalf. Offering their lives for the Holy Souls in Purgatory remains one of the Marians' charisms, in addition to spreading devotion to Mary as the Immaculate Conception, operating publishing apostolates, and assisting where the need is greatest, including in parishes, shrines, and missions.
Blessed Stanislaus' crowning achievement came in 1673 when, after many hardships and setbacks, he founded the Marians, the Church's first men's religious order dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
A Proven Intercessor
The canonization announcement follows on the heals of the Vatican's approval in January of the miracle attributed to Blessed Stanislaus' intercession. It involved the healing of a 20-year-old woman in Poland shortly after Blessed Stanislaus' beatification in 2007.
"Both miracles, leading to beatification and canonization, are similar in content," said Fr. Andrzej. "In both cases, we dealt with an illness or a situation in which people found themselves in or near death. In the first case, we have medical confirmation that the fetus wasn't alive, yet following prayers, the amazed doctor stated - despite his inability to believe it - that the fetus had been brought back to life.
"In the second case," Fr. Andrzej continued, "we have a hopeless situation that arose due to complications, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and septic shock. After three weeks of treatment, the doctor pronounced that - short of a miracle from heaven - the patient would die. Due to prayers, a few days later, her health began to improve, and today there is no trace of the past illness. She has been completely healed, although this cannot be explained scientifically. In both cases, we see the work of God who brings back life from death and does it gratuitously every time. This is reminiscent of the Immaculate Conception, because the Mother of God also received that gift without merit. Naturally, people prayed and hoped that God would perform a miracle. This hopeless situation aroused a strong faith that the Lord God can bring from death to life."
For more information on Blessed Stanislaus, visit stanislawpapczynski.org.
"The Congregation has waited centuries for this moment," said Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC, the Marians' vicar general, based in Rome. "In the course of our history, there are those who doubted the sanctity of our Founder. Now, the moment has finally arrived, and our Lord has left no doubt as to the sanctity of the life of the Founder through the tremendous miracle attributed to his intercession and the approvals given to this miracle throughout the process.
"We have a powerful intercessor in our Founder," said Fr. Joe. "He calls us to live our charism with authenticity, simplicity, and holiness. May we follow his example by the way that we live our lives. I am sure that Heaven rejoices over this announcement today!"
"It is a surely a great day for the Marians in our history," said Br. Andrew Maczynski, MIC, vice-postulator in North America and Asia for the Marian Causes of Canonization. "We've been waiting 315 years for this moment."
The date was announced during the Public Ordinary Consistory for the Canonization of Blesseds, presided over by Pope Francis on Tuesday morning.
Blessed Stanislaus - a Polish firebrand, a prolific writer who urged the world to contemplate God's mercy and to turn to Mary Immaculate for her gracious guidance and efficacious care - will be canonized along with Blessed Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad of Sweden. The canonizations of three others were also announced. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be canonized on Sept. 4. Blessed José Gabriel del Rosario of Argentina will be canonized on Oct. 16, along with Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Río of Mexico.
Spreading Devotion to the Founder
Marian priests and brothers from throughout the world are expected to attend the canonization. In the meantime, the Congregation is in the midst of a Congregation-wide year dedicated to the Founder's life and virtues. Translations of his writings in various languages are underway, including in English.
"Poland, for example, already has published all the Founder's works translated from Latin, and is, therefore, in a privileged situation," said the Marians' Superior General Fr. Andrzej Paku?a, MIC. "In Brazil, on the other hand, this work is still ahead of our confreres. The Baroque Latin used by Fr. Founder presents many challenges to the translators.
"As part of preparations for the canonization, the confreres in various provinces endeavor to popularize his person and message," Fr. Andrzej continued. "Naturally, we will pay special attention to the thanksgiving events at our parishes and centers that we run worldwide, since it would be difficult for many of our confreres and friends to come to Rome from the remote parts of the world."
Acknowledging the challenge of spreading devotion to the Founder beyond Poland and beyond the Marians themselves, Fr. Andrzej has instructed his confreres to focus first on the bare - and extraordinary - facts of the Founder's life.
"I think that in the case of people so far removed from us in time as Fr. Stanislaus Papczy?ski is, his 'speaking' to us depends - among other things - on how well we know his biography," Fr. Andrzej said. "He proved a colorful and extremely interesting figure, especially if we consider his life experiences. He suffered trials and adversities in every stage of life. In his childhood, he struggled to learn the alphabet, and then - following prayers - he suddenly became a gifted child, intellectually ahead of the others.
"He had health problems and fell seriously ill in Lviv, where it seemed he would die of that infectious disease," Fr. Andrzej continued. "He had problems while at the Piarist Order, because it was undergoing a transformation at that time. He had problems with leaving the Piarists and founding the Marian community. Finally, he had difficulties obtaining the Holy See's approval for his new Order. It would seem that this man could tell our modern times that it is worth believing, despite the greatest adversities and illnesses; that it is worth dedicating one's life to God even if all signs on earth and in Heaven say that He has forgotten us. The Cross does not mean resignation, but it can mean God's greatest love and closeness; that God' plans for that person are greater than for the others. It is possible to find happiness in toil, of only one has the light of faith."
Living in a war-torn time period, Blessed Stanislaus witnessed thousands of casualties on battlefields and also from dreaded plagues. He, himself, accompanied Polish troops as a chaplain in battles against Turkey in Ukraine in 1674. He was deeply saddened to observe how many people died with no time to prepare to meet their Maker.
After he experienced visions of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, he was moved to engage in, and advocate for, prayer and penance on their behalf. Offering their lives for the Holy Souls in Purgatory remains one of the Marians' charisms, in addition to spreading devotion to Mary as the Immaculate Conception, operating publishing apostolates, and assisting where the need is greatest, including in parishes, shrines, and missions.
Blessed Stanislaus' crowning achievement came in 1673 when, after many hardships and setbacks, he founded the Marians, the Church's first men's religious order dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
A Proven Intercessor
The canonization announcement follows on the heals of the Vatican's approval in January of the miracle attributed to Blessed Stanislaus' intercession. It involved the healing of a 20-year-old woman in Poland shortly after Blessed Stanislaus' beatification in 2007.
"Both miracles, leading to beatification and canonization, are similar in content," said Fr. Andrzej. "In both cases, we dealt with an illness or a situation in which people found themselves in or near death. In the first case, we have medical confirmation that the fetus wasn't alive, yet following prayers, the amazed doctor stated - despite his inability to believe it - that the fetus had been brought back to life.
"In the second case," Fr. Andrzej continued, "we have a hopeless situation that arose due to complications, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and septic shock. After three weeks of treatment, the doctor pronounced that - short of a miracle from heaven - the patient would die. Due to prayers, a few days later, her health began to improve, and today there is no trace of the past illness. She has been completely healed, although this cannot be explained scientifically. In both cases, we see the work of God who brings back life from death and does it gratuitously every time. This is reminiscent of the Immaculate Conception, because the Mother of God also received that gift without merit. Naturally, people prayed and hoped that God would perform a miracle. This hopeless situation aroused a strong faith that the Lord God can bring from death to life."
For more information on Blessed Stanislaus, visit stanislawpapczynski.org.
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