Kazimierz Wyszyński

From the time of his ordination, Father Casimir distinguished himself by his zeal for evangelical perfection and his devotion to the Congregation of Marian Fathers. He first served as master of novices (1727-1730), then as local superior. His integrity and governing abilities led his confreres to elect him twice as Superior General of the Congregation: a first term from December 12, 1737, to August 8, 1741, and a second from June 19, 1747, to November 12, 1750.

Under his leadership, the congregation experienced remarkable development and opened itself to the international stage. Father Casimir focused on recruiting candidates throughout Europe, welcoming Polish, Lithuanian, Czech, Hungarian, French, and Italian novices. He founded new monasteries, notably in Mariampol (in Lithuania), in Rasna (present-day Belarus), as well as in Berezdov and Ostrzyków (in Ukraine).

At the same time, he held immense respect for the founder of the order, Father Stanislaus Papczyński (died 1701). Convinced that the spread of Marian spirituality required the recognition of the founder's holiness, he wrote and published his first official biography and actively gathered the testimonies and documents necessary to introduce his cause for beatification to the Holy See.

In 1753, desiring to propagate the cult of the Immaculate Conception "to the ends of the earth," he left for Portugal with his confrere Father Benon Bujalski. Although confronted with the initial hostility of King Joseph I and his minister, the Marquis of Pombal, who were opposed to the establishment of new religious orders, he persevered. On March 25, 1754, he received the profession of the first Portuguese member of the order, João de Deus da Conceição. Thanks to the latter's support and the authorization of the Bishop of Miranda, Msgr. João da Cruz, he integrated a community of local hermits and founded, on October 1, 1754, the first Marian monastery on the Iberian Peninsula on Mount Balsamão (Chacim).

Father Casimir Wyszyński passed away on October 21, 1755, at the convent of Balsamão, at the age of 55, exhausted by his apostolic labors and illness. His death occurred in the odor of sanctity, immediately sparking deep popular devotion among the inhabitants of the region, who affectionately nicknamed him the "Santo Polacco" (the Polish Saint). Shortly after his death, a beatification process was initiated in Portugal, then in Poland and Rome. However, the political upheavals of the 19th century—notably the successive partitions of Poland and the expulsion of religious orders from Portugal in 1834—interrupted the proceedings for a long time. The cause was officially reopened in Rome in 1953. It was at that time, during the exhumation and transfer of his mortal remains into a new coffin at the convent of Balsamão, that a striking event was reported by witnesses: the bells of the church tower reportedly began to ring on their own, without any human intervention or explainable natural cause.

The process of examining his heroic virtues progressed throughout the second half of the 20th century. On November 7, 1989, the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints validated the documentation of the trial. On December 21, 1989, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thus conferring upon him the official title of Venerable. The cause for his beatification is still ongoing, awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession.

The spirituality of the Venerable Casimir Wyszyński is profoundly Marian and Christocentric. Long before the solemn proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, he was an ardent defender and promoter of it, describing himself as a "thorn in the side" of those who denied this mystery. He translated and propagated a practical guide based on the Rule of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, titled The Morning Star (Jutrzenka), inviting the faithful to actively imitate the virtues of Mary in order to follow Christ.

He was also a zealous propagator of the Blue Scapular of the Immaculate Conception and ensured that the charism of prayer for the souls in Purgatory remained at the heart of his congregation, particularly for the victims of wars and epidemics.

His charity was expressed in a concrete manner through his constant attention to the most destitute. He actively defended peasants and the oppressed against the abuses of the upper classes and the clergy, going so far as to address petitions to Pope Benedict XIV to demand their protection.

Today, his legacy remains alive. The Balsamão convent, which he founded in Portugal and where his relics rest, was reoccupied by the Marian Fathers in 1954. It continues to be an important center of spirituality, pilgrimage, and social action, notably distinguishing itself in recent years by welcoming and integrating numerous refugees and migrants from all over the world.