By Paul Suski –
Blessed Michael Sopocko (1888-1975) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and professor at Vilnius University. He was best known as the spiritual director of Saint Faustina Kowalska, and many times expressed genuine sympathy and admiration for Marshal Józef Piłsudski (1867-1935), a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (1918–1922) and First Marshal of Poland (from 1920). Once the priest even had a personal conversation with Piłsudski, as a result of which he received a substantial funding for construction of a new church for military personnel in Wilno. Yet, it was a complete surprise for him when he learned from Sister Faustina secrets concerning this man.
The great of this world are often marveled at by people. God knows all things, and we must leave the judgment in His righteous hands. The dreadful vision of the demise of a well-known Polish military leader and statesman contains this sober reminder.
“Then I saw a soul which was being separated from its body amid great torment. O Jesus, as I am about to write this, I tremble at the sight of the horrible things that bear witness against him…. I saw the souls of little children and those of older ones, about nine years of age, emerging from a muddy abyss. The souls were foul and disgusting, resembling the most terrible monsters and decaying corpses. But the corpses were living and gave loud testimony against the dying soul. And the soul I saw dying was a soul full of the world’s applause and honors, the end of which are emptiness and sin.” (Diary, 425)
As the Blessed recalls – “A few days after the Triduum at the Gate of Dawn Sister Faustina told me about what she had experienced during the ceremony, which is described in detail in her diary. Then, on the 12 May, she saw the dying Marshal J. Piłsudzki in spirit and she told me about his great suffering. She claimed that the Lord Jesus had showed that to her and that He had said: “Look, this is how the greatness of this world ends”. Then she saw when the Marshal was judged and when I asked what the verdict was, she replied: “It seems that, through the intercession of Our Lady, Divine Mercy won”.
Soon after, the great difficulties allied to Fr. Sopocko`s stay at Saint Michael’s church in Wilno, which had been foretold by Sister Faustina, began. They were getting more and more intense and, in January 1936, came to climax. He told almost nobody about these problems and only at that critical time id the priest ask Sister Faustina for prayer. Much to his astonishment, on that very day, all the obstacles vanished. She claimed to have shouldered all his anguish on her own.
When in mid-September 1938 Fr. Sopocko was taking part in a Conference of Theology Departments in Kraków he visited an infectious diseases hospital in Prądnik and found Sr. Faustina prepared for death. The priest touched briefly on the Congregation she wanted to create, stressing that it might have been only an illusion, as well as perhaps all the other things she talked about. Sister Faustina promised to talk about it to the Lord in prayer.
“On the next day I held a mass for Sr. Faustina, during which it came to my mind that just like she had not been able to paint the picture, but had only given directions, so she would not be able to establish the new congregation, but only gave general guidelines; the urges in turn, meant that the new Congregation was a necessity in the coming times. The next time I came to the hospital and asked if she had anything to say on the matter, she replied that she had no need to speak since Our Lord Jesus had already enlightened me during the Mass.” (Wspomnienia o Świętej Siostrze Faustynie Kowalskiej, M. Elżbieta Siepak OP)
He goes on to say: “Then she instructed me to focus primarily on establishing the feast of the Divine Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter. She advised me not to overly concern myself with the new Congregation and assured me that I would receive clear indications regarding the necessary actions and the individuals involved. She pointed out that during the sermon I delivered on the radio that day, my intention was not entirely pure (in fact she was right) and emphasized that I should prioritize purity throughout the entire matter. She revealed that she had witnessed me taking the vows from the first six candidates of this Congregation in a small wooden chapel at night. Furthermore, she disclosed her imminent passing away, having fulfilled all she needed to say and write. Before that she described to me what the little church and the house of the first Congregation would look like and she lamented over the fate of Poland, which she loved so much, and she frequently prayed for.”
Fr. Michael did not dare to ask Sister Faustina what fate would await Poland and she did not tell him but with a sigh she covered her face in horror at the image she probably saw then. According to the priest almost everything she foretold concerning the Congregation came true with great accuracy. On November 16, 1944, he received the private vows of the six candidates in the wooden chapel of the Carmelite Sisters. Three years later he came to the first house of this Congregation in Myślibórz. All in all, he was amazed by the striking resemblance to what she had told him before.
Fr. Michael Sopocko was beatified on Sunday September 28, 2008, in Bialystok, Poland, after Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle through his intercession.
How can soulless matter make correct predictions about the future and deeply penetrate somebody’s mind?
It is a fertile field for asking this thought-provoking question to a wide range of atheists and non-believers who might come across the figure of the Saint, Sister Faustina Kowalska.
A postscript:
Saints are of great encouragement and help to us.
At the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, during the Holy Mass of thanksgiving commemorating the 28th anniversary of the rescue of Bialystok city after the derailment of a train carrying concentrated chlorine, Archbishop Edward Ozorowski shared a profound insight.
“God’s mercy is not a one-off action, nor is it confined to moments when someone seeks it, it encompasses His continuous presence and vigilant care over humanity,” he said.
On March 9, 1989, the city experienced the most dramatic event in its modern history. Near the place where Father Michael Sopocko had spent the last 28 years of his life, a derailment occurred involving four 50-ton railroad chlorine tankers, part of a train transporting 15 such tanks from the Soviet Union to the GDR. Experts highlight the potential catastrophic consequences had there been a hazardous substance leak, endangering the lives of the city’s inhabitants and those residing within several kilometers. Local firefighters consider this incident among the most challenging rescue operations they have ever faced.
Today, at the railway embankment, stands a marble cross with the inscription “Jesus I trust in You”.
Many Polish Catholics in Bialystok hold a belief that the avoidance of this catastrophe can be seen as a miracle attributed to God’s mercy and the intercession of the Blessed Fr. Michael Sopocko.