Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

i llu s tra ted by w ha t others p re sen t also observed. Only then can we be sure th a t we see the real picture in the proper light. Let us therefore pass to the problem which in teres ts us from th e o ther point of view: how did th e com­ m un ity receive and judge Helena? There is no lack of m a teria l, so th a t , w ithout pre-judging w ha t happened, le t us look f irs t a t the recollections of the convent superiors. We have the opinions of Helena’s two direct superiors, th e M istress of th e Po s tu lan ts and th e S is ter in charge of the kitchen, where Helena was assigned to work. Both saw in h e r a soul closely connected with God and good m a teria l for becoming a nun. The M istress of Pos tu lan ts in th e convent on Zytnia S tree t, to which Helena had applied, was a t t h a t time Mother Ja n e Bartkiewicz. ‘She quickly became aware of th e young woman’s qualities, and to more th an one s is te r she said t h a t Helena "was a person above the average, w ith a mystical disposition and a particu lar contact w ith God," and th a t "she m ust be a soul dear to God. She has her own special interior life, about which she does not say much". The S ister in charge of th e kitchen adds several pa rticu la rs about the new candidate: "She completed her du ties in the kitchen very well, for she was hard-working, capable and obedient... I noticed then tha t she was a modest g irl who d id not talk much, very much recollected and at one w ith God. She was always obedient and d id what I told her. During the day she sometimes asked, me, "Sister, I should like to pay a v isit to the chapel for a moment." I d id not always allow her to go, explaining tha t she was not yet a Religious and had no special duties. I t was sufficient to visit the chapel morning and evening. Nevertheless she would ask for permis- 3 Sister 65