Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception

Roman Catholic clerical congregation

The Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary (Congregatio Clericorum Marianorum ab Immaculata Conceptionis Beatissimae Virginis Mariae) is a Catholic male clerical religious congregation founded, 1670, in Poland. It is also known as Marians of the Immaculate Conception. Its members add the post nominal letters M. I. C. after their names to indicate membership in the Congregation. The Congregation of about 500 priests and brothers has convents in 19 countries on 6 continents. Marians pledge support to the Pope and follow the official teachings of the Catholic Church and aim to spread devotion to Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, pray for the souls in purgatory and undertake a variety of apostolic work. The Marians were the first Catholic religious institute for men dedicated to honor Mary’s Immaculate Conception. The community traces its roots to Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczyński who was beatified in Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń, Licheń Stary, Poland, in 2007, and canonized on 5 June 2016 at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City by Pope Francis. As an Institute of consecrated life, their motto is Pro Christo et Ecclesia. They are also the official promoters of the Divine Mercy message since 1941.

On December 11, 1670, Stanislaus Papczyński publicly announced in his Oblatio the desire to establish a community of men dedicated to spreading the honor to the Immacuate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1673, in Puszcza Korabiewska (today known as Puszcza Marianska/Marian Forest) near Skierniewice, Poland, the first religious house of the Marians was approved by the local bishop. The first members of the community based their life on the Rule of Life, written by Papczyński. He tempered his plans at first to establish a community active in the church's service. At the beginning, the Marian Fathers lived an eremitical rule of life as they pursued final recognition and approval by the Catholic Church. Within a short time, the new and still small institute received approval from their local ordinary, Bishop Stephen Wierzbowski of Poznan. Pope Innocent XII granted his approval for the young institute in 1699 with solemn vows under the French Rule of the Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, initially placing them within the Franciscans. The construction was said to have been funded entirely by pilgrims' donations. In 2009 the Marian Fathers controversially sold the Grade I listed Fawley Court, which had previously served as a school, museum and focus for the Polish community in Britain.