Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

forced him to discontinue, he gradua ted in 1923, supplementing theology with study a t the S ta te Higher In s titu te of Education, which he finished a year later. The Bishop of Vilnius called F a th e r Sopocko back to Vilnius after he had finished h is doctoral studies, and there he began to work energetically as an army chaplain and in teaching the local civilian population. He commence the la t te r by lecturing on educational m a tte rs for the Higher Teachers’ Course in Vilnius, and on the methodology of religion a t vacation courses for teachers, which took place all over the Vilnius archdio­ cese. In addition, in 1927, Archbishop Jalbrzykowski appointed him sp iritual director of th e Vilnius Archdio­ cesan Seminary, and one year la te r the Polish M inistry of Religious Affairs and Public Education appointed him to the Chair of Pastoral Theology a t Vilnius’ Stefan Batory University. The la t te r appo in tm en t was suffi­ cient to give F a th e r Sopocko the impetus to complete his studies, as a resu lt of which he defended a thesis a t the University of Warsaw in pastora l theology, and re tu rned to the Stefan Batory University as a Docent (i.e. as holder of a research degree above th e level of a doctorate. -T ranslator’s note). Despite h is dynamic energy, F a the r Sopocko could not manage all these many and varied tasks . He would have to resign from some p a r t of his work. In 1932 the army bishop released him from h is duties as m ilitary chaplain, and Archbishop Romuald Jalbrzykowski released him from his post of sp iritua l director of the Seminary. Now he could concentrate on his studies and teaching work. In addition, he was confessor to the local men’s and women’s religious congregations; from J an u a ry 1933 he had become th e usua l confessor of the S isters of Our Lady of Mercy. I t was th is priest, with his extensive knowledge of moral and pastoral theology, so capable and practical in carrying out h is pastoral duties, th a t God h ad prepared for S ister F au s tina as h e r sp iritua l director. 150