Kasper Druà ¼bicki or Gaspar Druzbicius (born probably in Druà ¼bice in Ziemia Sieradzka in Poland, 1589; entered the Society of Jesus, 20 August 1609; died at Poznaà Â, 2 April 1662) was a Polish Jesuit and ascetic writer.
A nobleman (Naà ÂÃÂcz coat-of-arms). After few years of teaching in Lublin, he became master of novices in Kraków, and subsequently rector of colleges of Kalisz, Ostroh, and, for the longest time, Poznaà Â. He also established a new college in Jarosà Âaw. He was twice provincial, once deputy provincial and twice procurator. He was in the seventh and tenth general congregations of the order. He was one of the greatest moral authorities in the PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth, regarded commonly as a saint, prophet and worker of miracles. Druà ¼bicki is said to have received from the Holy Spirit a rare spiritual gift of the confirmation in grace. He was a master of the contemplativus in actione Jesuit ideal.
He was one of the main theologians and mystics of his times, the founder of the Polish school of spirituality (along with Mikoà Âaj à ÂÃÂczycki), and the worldwide precursor of the devotion to the Sacred Heart. He wrote in advance of the apparitions of Margaret Mary Alacoque. He has written very many ascetic books, published in all over the Europe (and even in the Americas). Most of his works are posthumous and have been drawn from his Opera ascetica (Kalisz-Poznaà Â, 1686-1691), in two volumes in folio, expanded in Opera omnia ascetica (Ingolstadt, 1732). Among them are a brief defense of the Society against a writer in the Kraków Academy (1632); two hagiographic books: Vita et mors gloriose suscepta reverendi patris Alberti Mencinski (Kraków, 1661), in Polish: Szkarà Âatna rÃ³à ¼a Boskiego raju (Kraków, 1672), and Verus Jesu socius, edited within Jan Bieà ¼anowski's Vita reverendi patris Petri Skarga (Kraków, 1661).
His most important works are:
He was also a proponent of a new devotion - the slavery of Mary. From his inspiration two books on that topic were released: Franciscus S. Phoenicius (Franciszek Stanisà Âaw Fenicki), Mariae mancipium (Lublin, 1632), and Jan Chomentowski (ChomÃÂtowski), PÃÂtko Panny Maryi (Lublin, 1632).
A complete list of Druzbicki's works occupies twelve columns in Sommervogel.
Druà ¼bicki is buried in the famous Baroque Fara (old Parish) church in Poznaà Â, where is also his portrait with a sentence: "Amo Jesum amore Mariae; amo Mariam amore Jesu" ("I love Jesus with the love of Mary; I love Mary with the love of Jesus"). Several years after the death his body was exhumed and although it had decomposed, the tongue was still incorrupted.
The life of Druà ¼bicki was recorded in a book by his outstanding disciple Daniel Pawà Âowski, Vita patris Gasparis Druzbicki Poloni Societatis Jesu (Kraków, 1670).