Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

th e ir mother who ta u g h t th e children the Lord’s Prayer and the elements of th e ir religion. She did i t so well and systematically th a t when the children went to school, they already knew a lot of w ha t is contained in the catechism, and lessons in religious knowledge presen ted them with no difficulty. Such lessons were a n a tu ra l supplement to w ha t they had learned a t home. Their mother ta u g h t the children to keep everything tidy and clean. The cottage in te rio r was always perfect­ ly nea t, and the children’s clothing, though poor, kep t clean and carefully mended. This love of order and cleanliness, learned in the family home, remained with S is te r F au s t in a throughou t h e r life. She never neglected it, even when exhausted by years of strength-sapping illness. Her religious hab it, though old and darned , was always carefully maintained . In S is te r F au s tina ’s eyes, tak ing pa ins over one’s dress was a m ark of respect for those around one, and i t was, of course, out of the question to "pay a visit" to God in church w ithout being nea tly dressed. In th is family religion was the principal element in th e ir lives. F a ith gave them th e model for th e ir daily lives, and gave it a clear and personal style. Everything was sa tu ra ted by faith. Both p a ren ts took care th a t religious duties were performed, such as the obligation of hearing Sunday Mass, and daily prayer. A t leas t twice yearly, a t Christm as and Easter, they wen t to Confession and Holy Communion. The most difficult problem to solve was Sunday Mass. The parish church a t Swinice, two kilometres away, had only one Mass, so the whole family had to go a t the same time. This conflicted with certain domestic duties, which had to be done whether or no t i t was Sunday; for example, tak ing th e cows out to pasture. How was th is to be reconciled with the obligation to a t ten d Mass? Only Helenka found the answer. In the evening, before going to bed, she opened the window, and, before dawn, slipped out of it. Before the whole family assembled for b reak fas t, th e cows were re tu rn ing 21