Fr. Wawrzyniec Kusniak is the first Polish Oratorian to be accorded the title of Servant of God by the Church. In spite of this, a serious study of the priest has been lacking until now. This article is to fill this gap. It presents the current state of knowledge about Fr. More precisely, the aim of the paper is to review the archival materials concerning the priest and to reconstruct on their basis the most important
facts of his life. Fr. Kusniak was born on August 1, 1788 in Czarnków. He entered the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri at Swieta Gostraña in 1811. He was ordained a priest in 1816. He served as superior of the community for 27 years, from 1839 until his death in 1866. He was distinguished for his pastoral zeal as well as his special administrative talents. However, the inhabitants of the Gostynin region remember him above all as an apostle of goodness and a tireless philanthropist.