Every year on February 17, we gratefully remember the beginnings of our religious community and celebrate the "Founding Day." This year, as well, anniversary celebrations and gatherings took place in many places and communities. On the occasion of the annual feast, the Father General addressed the following letter to the Resurrectionists:
Dear Brothers,
best wishes on the Founders' Day 2018!
I am convinced that this year's Founders' Day is special due to the recognition of Father Paweł Smolikowski, a Resurrectionist, as a Venerable Servant of God. He is the "first son" of Bogdan Jański to be distinguished in this way, and it is indeed a reason to celebrate!
Reflecting on the life of the Venerable Servant of God, Father Paweł Smolikowski, I find in him a true reflection of the spirit of each of our Founders:
- the vision of Bogdan Jański,
- the spirituality of Father Piotr Semenenko, and
- the missionary spirit of Father Hieronim Kajsiewicz.
Indeed, calling him "the soul of the Congregation who embodied its entire tradition" was no exaggeration shortly after his death, and it still isn't.
Father Paweł understood and realized the vision of the Founder. His (and our) charism of hope urges us to work on the personal resurrection of each individual and the resurrection of society as a whole. Similarly, Father Paweł strived not only for his own sanctification but also for the sanctification of others, thereby contributing to the resurrection of society. With this vision in his heart, he accomplished "great things" for God, being responsible for educational work in Bulgaria, Ukraine, and the Polish College in Rome. Father Paweł not only earnestly endeavored to realize Bogdan Jański's vision of hope, but his life also reflected Bogdan's virtue of hope. For this reason, he courageously took every risk to fulfill what he considered God's will, even though he often had to pay a significant price for it. Even during the storm and resistance caused by the great constitutional crisis (1902-1905), he bravely continued his role as the superior of the Congregation and led it according to what he believed God was calling us to. He never took his eyes off the Risen Lord! What he once wrote about Bogdan: "It is strange how Jański, despite all these internal struggles, never lost trust, hope!" is a perfect description of his own "internal battles" and his fidelity to the charism we inherited from the Founder.
Father Paweł Smolikowski also embraced and lived the spirituality of Father Piotr Semenenko, CR. He was the one who knew Father Piotr and personally experienced his wisdom, passion, and holiness. Delving into the history and spirituality of the Congregation allowed him to grow even more in recognizing his own misery, nothingness, and corruption and to understand that they call us to turn to God and open ourselves to His unconditional love. He wrote about Father Semenenko that "he deserves much more admiration for the holiness of his life
as a religious. (...) he gave a heroic testimony of the greatest heights of holiness achievable in the Congregation.” He himself reached such heights, and the universal Church confirmed this by recognizing the heroism of his life.
Father Paweł also captured the international and missionary spirit of Father Hieronim Kajsiewicz. The vision of the Congregation that Father Hieronim had was not always shared by his contemporaries. Not everyone appreciated his encouragements and actions aimed at undertaking missions outside Europe. Father Paweł, however, understood this dimension of the Congregation's activity and faithfully responded to it by serving in Bulgaria and Ukraine, two places where he played a very significant role. He embraced the spirit of internationality and mission wholeheartedly, becoming "all things to all people" and performing truly heroic deeds for the good of the Congregation and the Church. Indeed, we have much to celebrate this year with the Church's recognition of the heroism of Father Paweł Smolikowski, CR's life and virtues!
However, this celebration is also a challenge for each of us, Resurrectionists here and now, a challenge to recognize, accept, and embody in our own lives the same vision, spirituality, and apostolic mission that bore such fruit in the life of the Venerable Servant of God Father Paweł Smolikowski, CR. Probably during his lifetime, Father Paweł never had on his "wish list" to be proclaimed a Venerable Servant of God by a future pope. Yet it happened! Today, we are called to live the vision, spirituality, and apostolic mission of the risen Lord! We too may feel that our lives are not heroic or virtuous enough to be recognized as such by the Church (or even by our own brothers), yet the Spirit works in each of us and through each of us. We are all pilgrims, "renewed inwardly," to better reflect the fact that Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." May our lives increasingly become "a sign of the transforming power of God's love, so that we may be instruments of society's renewal, bringing God's life and love" and truly work for the resurrection of society.
May the celebrations of this year's Founders' Day be a source of special joy for each of you. By honoring our Founders: Bogdan Jański, Father Piotr Semenenko, and Father Hieronim Kajsiewicz, and this year, in a special way, our brother Venerable Servant of God Father Paweł Smolikowski, we celebrate the fruitfulness of our own tradition and spirituality.
May God bless you
Fr. Paul S. Voisin, C.R.
Superior General
