On May 24, 2026, celebrations in honor of the Founder of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, a zealous priest and steadfast witness to the faith, took place at the Shrine of St. Stanislaus Papczyński. This year’s celebrations were of a special nature, as they also served as a thanksgiving for the 10th anniversary of the canonization of St. Stanislaus Papczyński, which was presided over by Pope Francis on June 5, 2016, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
The highlight of the celebrations was the Holy Mass celebrated at 12:00 PM at Marianki in Góra Kalwaria, presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi. Also participating in this solemn celebration were the Superior General of the Marians from Rome, Fr. Joseph G. Roesch, MIC, and the Provincial Superior of the Polish Province of the Marians, Fr. Eugeniusz Zarzeczny, MIC.
Among those gathered were also the parish priests from Podegrodzie—the hometown of St. Stanislaus Papczyński—from St. James Parish: the retired pastor, Monsignor Józef Wałaszek, and the current pastor, Fr. Artur Mularz. The celebrations were attended by a large gathering of parishioners from Podegrodzie, along with the “Podegrodzie” folk ensemble, who, through their presence and prayers, bore beautiful witness to their attachment to the spiritual heritage of St. Stanislaus Papczyński.
The gathering also brought together numerous Marian priests and brothers from Poland and abroad, Marian Helpers, and crowds of the faithful and devotees of the saint. It was a time of deep prayer, gratitude, and strengthening of faith, and at the same time a unique testimony to the unity of the Church around the legacy of St. Stanislaus Papczyński, whose life and ministry continue to inspire successive generations of the faithful.
