Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

FIRST YEARS AFTER PROFESSION S is ter F au s tin a ’s f i rs t vows coincided with changes among the superiors of the Congregation. In Ju n e 1928, Mother Leonarda Cielecka, who had up till then been th e Superior General, the f irs t in th e post a fte r the Polish branch had separa ted from the French mother house in 1922, ceased to be Mother General. Her place was taken by Mother Michael Moraczewska, she who had received Helena into the Congregation. Mother Michael was to spend a long time as Superior General. The whole of th e rem a in ing eleven years of S ister F au s tina ’s life in the Congregation was to be spen t unde r h e r leadership. Mother Michael knew much about the in terio r life of S is te r Faus tina , and knew precise de ta ils of th e apparitions of C h ris t to her. Because of the exceptional n a tu re of the vocation of th is sp iritua l daugh ter, she gave h e r special privileges: S is te r F au s tina m ight, in case of need, appeal d irect to h e r for a decision, even circumventing h e r local super­ ior. Always kindly and full of p ene tra ting u nd e rs tand ­ ing, Mother Michael was able to assu re S ister F au s tina of uniform direction, wha tever the local upse ts m ight be. This was not, however, a purely one-sided a rrang e ­ ment: i t often happened th a t Je su s , through th e person of S is te r F au s tina as in term ed iary , affected the work of Mother Michael for the Congregation. She took these commands seriously. They always concerned difficult and complicated problems of the direction of th e souls of the flock en tru s ted to her. All th e in terven tions of Je su s concerned th is aspect of h e r work. 95