In Part 1, I introduced a glimpse into the lives of our two Polish mystics, Alicja and Helena, journeying through their childhoods and early youth. For the former, we observed a path marked by the loss of a parent and the horrors of war, followed by the “dark night” of Stalinism (1949–1956). The narrative of her adulthood culminated in the pivotal moment of a powerful touch of grace in 1985. For the latter, we saw a childhood shadowed by a father lacking in empathy, followed by her persistence in gaining parental consent, then a growing attachment to earthly pleasures, and finally, the unexpected intervention of Jesus.
Alicja: A Life of Academic Rigor
In 1952, as a “freshly minted” teacher, Alicja began in the village of Banie, later moving to Gryfino. After completing studies in Gdańsk—once fully credentialed—she taught in Szczecin from 1966 to 1975, eventually becoming Associate Principal of the Pedagogical High School. As noted in her biographies:
She was always well-prepared for classes, conscientious and dutiful in her work, maintaining professional boundaries with her students; she was elegant, possessed great personal culture, and was calm, fair, and provided a sense of security, but was at the same time strict and demanding.
Her involvement in Scouting appears to be an interesting chapter in her life. Despite the transformation of this organization by the communist authorities into a Soviet-style model, Alicja tried to act according to “basic Scouting principles and values.”
Helena: Resolute Heart
For Helena, the vision of the suffering Jesus left such a profound impression on her that, without seeking parental permission, she departed for Warsaw. Resolute in her desire to enter a convent, she travelled with only the clothes on her back and a small knapsack. She paused to entrust her sister with the distribution of her personal belongings and to leave a farewell message for her parents. One witness vividly remembered her departure from the railway station: “…she cried so much that it was painful to watch; she was likely missing her family.”
Before entering the convent, Helena worked for a year in Ostrowek as a maidservant to save the necessary funds. The landlady, Aldona Lipszyc, recalled, “Although I knew from the beginning that she would leave us for the convent, over that year we became so attached to her that her departure was a deep emotional experience for me.”
Alicja: Awakening in a Time of Polish Spring
While Helena found her path early through sacrifice, Alicja’s journey toward the Lord intertwined with the spiritual resurgence of the nation. The turn of the ’70s and ’80s in Poland was a period of sweeping social change and a time when thousands returned to God. This era was defined by the election of Karol Wojtyla as Pope in 1978 and his first and second pilgrimages to his Homeland; the emergence of the Solidarity; the passing to the Father’s House of Bl. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński; and the Martyrdom of Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko.
It was then that Alicja gradually opened her heart to God’s love. Caring for her ailing mother for two years was undoubtedly a significant factor. Jadwiga never lost her faith, praying constantly for her daughter’s conversion. Following her mother’s death, Alicja and her brother joined the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
Helena: Postulancy and Interior Doubt
Helena (Faustina) Kowalska, while a postulant in the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, was assigned to assist in the kitchen.
“The first encounter with her,” Sister Sabina recalls, “was rather negative…she was red-haired and heavily freckled. However, she carried out her duties in the kitchen reliably; she was industrious, resourceful, and obedient.” As a postulant, she was not yet obligated to recite all the prayers prescribed by the Rule of Life for novices and the professed; consequently, she devoted more time to her work.
Yet her heart longed for the Chapel. She frequently requested permission to go, though it was not always granted. This reality conflicted with her prior conceptions of religious life. Thus, after three weeks, a doubt arose within her as to whether she was in the right place. When she retired to her convent cell for the night, deeply distressed, she saw the suffering countenance of Jesus upon the curtain as she prayed:
Not knowing what all this meant, I asked Jesus, “Jesus who has hurt You so?” And Jesus said to me, It is you who will cause Me this pain if you leave this convent. It is to this place that I called you and nowhere else; and I have prepared many graces for you. I begged pardon of Jesus and immediately changed my decision. (Diary, 19)
Alicja: Trust and the Vision
It is not only Sr. Faustina who at times lacked trust. On Thursday, July 10, 1986, while Alicja was praying with closed eyes before the Eucharist, she suddenly saw a motionless face that abruptly came to life:
[Alicja]: Very clearly, as if in a close-up, I saw an opening eye, the colour of flax flowers, with a gaze full of inexpressible suffering and love. It was the face of Christ from the cross. […] I could not look at Him calmly. His life-sized figure makes an incredible impression. I feel that He is suffering—for me and for many others, for the whole world. What should I do to lessen Your suffering?
[Jesus]: Trust Me, remember Me, bestow love upon Me—great love, even unto self-abandonment.
Helena: Silent Sacrifice
Where Alicja teaches interior trust, Faustina demonstrates that same devotion through physical fortitude and calm. Sister Szymona recounts an episode in the kitchen:
We were grinding meat in a machine; I was turning the crank, and Sister Faustina was feeding and pushing the meat in. Suddenly, while turning, I felt resistance, and Sister Faustina, completely calm, said: “Sister, please reverse the crank.” When I did so, she withdrew her hand; the finger was completely stripped of skin and bleeding. She did not even wince. She went to dress the finger and returned to work.
Alicja: A Life for a Life
In 1996, when her brother Slawomir fell ill with cancer, Alicja went to the parish priest to request a Holy Mass with the specific intention of offering her life in exchange for his. The pastor initially hesitated but ultimately agreed. The mystic believed that her brother—as a husband and father—was more needed on earth. Most likely, she drew this inspiration from St. Maximilian Kolbe. Later, in conversations with Jesus, she recorded the question, Why am I still living?—and heard the response, To learn to love Me and people even more.
Sixteen years later, she herself fell ill with cancer. “She accepted the suffering with serenity and humility, telling her loved ones, ‘Don’t you dare pray for my healing’—so we prayed instead for the fulfillment of God’s will in Alicja’s life,” recalls her sister-in-law Dorota. Slawomir recovered and even outlived his sister by some fifteen years.
When both protagonists lived in the world, their virtuous traits were recognized by those around them. However, when Helena entered the convent and began her ascent toward Heaven, her determination to please Jesus became strikingly clear; Sr. Faustina’s equanimity and mortification of the senses left a deep impression on her fellow Sisters. For years, Alicja appeared to remain on a plateau, before a powerful encounter with Jesus accelerated her spiritual progress. The former begins to shine with the radiance of the Moon, while the latter merely glimmers like a distant Star. The Solution to the Riddle presented in Part 1: Diary, 424.
Author’s Note: In Part 3 of this series, we shall see Helena as a fully-fledged mystic and reveal how Alicja is gradually transformed into a vibrant witness for Christ.
Photo by Benjamin Voros on Unsplash
