Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

Recognition of F a th e r Sopocko as the p r ie s t promised he r by Je su s astonished S ister F au s tin a a t a time when she was no t prepared , though th e question of a confes­ sor was then always in he r though ts. But h e r whole a tten tion a t the tim e was concentrated on the person of F a th e r Andrasz. She reflected th a t he had too g rea t an influence upon he r life to be ju s t a chance confessor, even as ju s t such an em inen t and holy p ries t as F a th e r E lte r had been during the time of h e r th ird probation. Perhaps he was the chaplain promised her? He unde r­ stood h e r so easily and so well! A le t te r of hers w ritten to F a th e r Andrasz ju s t after h e r arriva l in Vilnius has been preserved, and from its contents i t appears th a t S ister F au s t in a was weighing up th a t possibility. The wish th a t i t should be so, suggested to h e r appropriate argum en ts which clearly illum inate h e r sensible reasoning. Although events quickly showed th a t she was wrong, she preserved towards F a th e r Andrasz th e same confidence and openness she was to adopt to F a th e r Sopocko, and when she was la te r in Cracow she w en t to confession to him , with the knowledge and full approval of the la tte r . We even have th e impression th a t F a th e r Sopocko sometimes checked his own judgm en ts by the reactions of F a the r Andrasz. Bu t le t us re tu rn to th a t decisive confession. S ister F au s tin a was waiting h e r tu rn in the chapel to make h e r weekly confession. She was amazed to see F a th e r Sopocko. She knew there could be no m istake: the p ries t s itting in the confessional was th e same she remembered well from h e r two visions, one in Warsaw, one in Cracow. This m u s t mean th a t she would e r r no more, blindly feeling h e r way. She could sigh with relief. From now on, h e r life would be strictly regulated by the decision of the p ries t before her. He would solve every problem, while she would obediently follow his directives. Je su s had kep t His promise - she had obtained w ha t she asked for. In th e chaotic whirl of though ts and feelings, one seemed paramoun t: a vivid 151