Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

wards, Leokadia. "We were always reciting the rosary, the Office, or various chaplets. Sometimes we were not pleased to have to pray so much. S ister Faustina knew this, but by her goodness and her explanations she encouraged us to pray." Another ward, M aria M., adds, "Even a t work she prayed and was wrapped up in God. Often at a free moment she would tell me tha t she was going to Jesus in the chapel, because Jesus was calling her. A fter a short time she would return to work." And M aria M. gives the in te res ting detail th a t S is te r F au s t in a often held h e r rosary in one hand while weeding the beds with the other." (Archives of S.F., Recollections). A nun with a large rosary hang ing by h e r side is a common sight, b u t in th e case of S ister F au s t in a the still-life is given movement and life: the rosary changes its character, in s tead of a symbol, becoming th e visible sign of prayer. S ister F au s tina was no t afra id of any k ind of work. Whenever there was any special difficulty, she would say, "Let us do this for Jesus". Even when the work was particu larly h a rd and unp leasan t , she did not evade it. She accepted i t in th e sp ir it of penance and offered i t as repara tion to God no t only for th e sins committed by the wards, b u t for hum an sin in general or with the intention "that people should know God better and love H im more." Little by little S ister F au s t in a created h e r own style of work. She had found the key to including God in the whole of h e r everyday life. Nothing d istrac ted her, because everything became a prayer: "No work distracts me during a retreat", she said, when some sisters complained th a t duties done du ring a r e t re a t prevented them from concentrating. "I saw tha t indeed she was always close to God," confirmed S is te r E. Mother Irene Krzyzanowska, S ister F au s t in a ’s superior in Vilnius and Cracow, adds h e r opinion to th a t of th e other sisters: 405