Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

confessor... Father Sopocko remained our confessor," S is te r Borgia concludes h e r s ta tem en t (Arch. S.F., Recollections). The then superior of the convent in Vilnius, Mother Irene Krzyzanowska, also made a s ta tem en t on th is m a tte r , b u t she confined he rse lf to a dry relation of the facts, a discreet silence covering everything which m ight throw light on the psychological reactions of F a the r Sopocko. However, F a th e r Sopocko h im se lf gives a fuller picture of his actions a t the time, in tended to check up on S ister F au s tina as a person before he committed him se lf to a personal intervention in the divine di­ lemma she laid before him. He tes ted h e r prudently and thoroughly, b u t so discreetly th a t , a p a r t from those persons to whom he tu rned directly in th is m a tter, no one else knew anything of it. Here are his own words: "Sister Faustina o f course could not herself paint, and complained to Jesus. He apparently then showed her a priest s itting in the confessional and told her that this priest would help her. When she next came to Vilnius, she realised tha t I was the chaplain whom Jesus had showed her... I was not a t all pleased, I d id not want to th ink ahout it at a ll and I tested Sister Faustina and d id not even want to hear her confession. Bu t wanting to get to the bottom o f the problem, I recommended tha t S ister Faustina be examined by a psychiatrist. Dr Maciejewska examined her and gave a positive opinion tha t S ister Faustina was in perfect mental health. I also asked the Superior o f the convent in Vilnius, Mother Irene, for her opinion o f S ister Faustina in the community. Mother Irene’s view was also favourable, she had nothing adverse to say o f S ister Faustina, and the Superior General, Mother Michael, in sending Sister Faustina to Vilnius, also gave a very good report o f her." (Archives of S ister Fau s tina , Recollections). 156