The Spiritual Profile of the Seminarian Jan Ślęzak Based on Religious Retreat Notes 1935–1937

Abstract

The spiritual notes of seminarian Jan Ślęzak need to be read during the prayer. As a result, it would be easier to understand their deeper meaning that grew in the heart of a young boy, the heart, which was filled with the desire for sanctity. This desire, as he used to say, needs to be achieved with “the iron discipline.”
After a lecture of Notatki… we can see that he was open for the seminary formation and he had a vision of the future. Jan submitted himself to the Word of God and worshipped Jesus Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. This was a source of his spiritual life that he was discovering when we was a seminarian and remained faithful to it till the end of his life. Consequently, his priestly service was so fruitful. Many testimonies of his parishioners are the evidence of his outstanding work.
A close relation with God in the prayer enabled seminarian Jan to discover very important issue: gifts that we receive from God. A person who is sensitive to God’s matters is grateful for all that comes from God. The person sees that his whole life and each day is a gift for others.
A deeper look, which Jan had, is expressed in his notes on the topic of death. Life is a short period which we need to live in a total closeness to God. It means that death is a passage to the eternity, where the experience of God is in fullness of joy. A spiritual figure of Jan Ślęzak is an example for the present formation of seminarians. It is good to draw on the experience of people, for whom God was a center of every action.