Aniela Salawa

Aniela Salawa

Aniela Salawa OFS (born September 9, 1881 in Siepraw , Crown Land of Galicia , Austria-Hungary , † March 12, 1922 in Krakow, Poland) was a Polish Catholic mystic and religious . She was beatified on August 13, 1991 in Krakow .

Life

Aniela Salawa was the eleventh child of the carpenter Bartholomäus Salawa and Eva Bochenek. She was baptized on September 13th with the name Aniela ( Angela = "the angelic figure" ). She was raised by her mother to be a devout and devout Christian of the Roman Catholic Church . She attended school for two years. From 1894 to 1897 she worked as a housemaid for a local family. She then moved to Krakow with her family; there she worked as a family helper . Her father asked her to marry and became violent towards her, but Aniela insisted on her being celibate . At the age of 16 she started a job with the Kloc family. When the landlord showed sexual indecentions, she left Cracow in 1899 and started a new job in Podgorze . After a short time she gave up this position and went back to Krakow. The death of her sister Theresa was the decisive moment to turn to “divine grace”. She found great help in her spiritual father Stanislaus Mieloch SJ and took the eternal vow of chastity before him . In 1900 Aniela Salawa joined the Association of St. Zita , a facility for house assistants and maids. Here she found like-minded friends and colleagues and led a Christian and spiritual life.

Mystic

In 1911 a painful journey began, she fell ill, lost her mother and her trusty mistress also died. She withdrew to a lonely world, lost her comrades and became a spiritual woman with mystical behavior. She recorded this way of life in a diary ; her confessor described her as an unequivocal mystic.

“Your“ encounter ”with Christ happened around 1912:“ A large hall decorated with wonderful flowers. The door opens and Jesus walks in, from whom a mysterious power emanates. Incomparably beautiful! Extraordinary! ”The subject of the conversation was justice:“ I will punish the world with justice. ”On May 15, 1912, Angela received the dress of the Third Order of Sts in the Church of the Franciscan Conventuals. Francis; she made her regular profession on August 6, 1913. "

- from: Institute for Frontier Areas of Science (IGW): Aniela Salawa

From 1905 she was employed by the Fischer family of lawyers and she was dismissed in 1916 due to intrigues . In the war years 1914–1917 she looked after the sick and wounded and was nicknamed “the holy lady” for her helpfulness . Her illness began to worsen as early as 1917, she had to cut back on her work in 1918 and moved into a small room. A long path of suffering began. Sick, poor and already venerated as a “ popular saint ”, she died on March 12, 1922 in the hospital of St. Zita.

Burial place in the Franciscan Church in Krakow

Canonization

Even during her lifetime, and especially at the deplorable end of her life, Aniela Salawa was adored and respected. On May 13, 1949, her remains were moved to the Basilica of St. Francis convicted in Krakow. On August 13, 1991 Angela Salawa was beatified by Pope John Paul II during his trip to Poland in Krakow. Her church commemoration day was set for March 12th - the day she died.

Web links

Commons : Aniela Salawa  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Institute for Frontier Areas of Science (IGW): Aniela Salawa
• Beatification of the mystical Franciscan Angela Salawa - Krakow (Italian)