Bolesława Maria Lament

Bolesława Maria Lament (born July 3, 1862 in Łowicz , Poland , † January 29, 1946 in Białystok ) was a Polish nun and founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family . She was beatified in 1991.

Life

Bolesława was the first of eight children from the artisan family Martin and Lucy Lament. Her school days began at the Russian grammar school in Łowicz, where she also graduated from high school. Her parents sent her to Warsaw to acquire further qualifications , where she recognized her skills and developed initiative and entrepreneurship.

At the age of 22 she entered the Congregation of Mary and developed into a very pious religious. From then on she worked in various institutions in Warsaw, Saint Petersburg , Odessa , Illuxt and Simferopol in the Crimea . Her focus was the training of educators and primary school teachers . After the death of her father, the whole family moved to Warsaw, where she took on social responsibilities and later became the manager of a house for the mentally ill and the homeless .

Between Russia, Belarus and Poland

In 1903 she left the order of women and followed the call to Belarus , where she founded the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family in Mahiljou in 1905 . The aim of this religious community was to promote and support the unity of the Eastern Churches . In 1907 the community had to be relocated to Saint Petersburg, where the nuns took on educational tasks.

After the October Revolution of 1917, Bolesława had to leave Saint Petersburg in 1921 and returned to Poland. In 1922 she founded the first mother house of the religious order in Chełmno . From 1925 to 1935, Mother Bolesława lived in the Ratowo Monastery near Mogilno . At the same time she held the office of superior of the order , her greatest creative period began, in 1935 she handed over the office to a younger sister. The religious order had grown to 174 nuns , 26 novices and 9 postulants .

The Second World War led to great losses, the nuns had to work partly underground and offered their help to the poor, sick and orphans . Under the pretext of preparing children for Confession and Holy Communion , she organized secret Polish schools. She fell ill during the war and in 1941 suffered paralysis as a result of the illness.

Death and adoration

At the age of 84, Bolesława Maria Lament died on January 29, 1946 in Bialystok, her final resting place was in the Ratowo monastery crypt. The beatification process began in 1973 and was completed on June 5, 1991 by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Bialystok with the beatification. The relics , blessed in 1991, are now kept and venerated in the pilgrimage site "Sanctuary of Bialystok". The nun is still venerated today in the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Saint Petersburg. A portrait of Blessed Bolesława Maria Lament hangs among other large pictures. Pilgrims are already coming to Saint Petersburg regularly to commemorate their work. The local Catholic priest intends to build a place of pilgrimage here.

Web links

Commons : Bolesława Lament - collection of images, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Lament, Bolesława Maria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Polish nun, blessed
DATE OF BIRTH	July 3, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH	Łowicz , Poland
DATE OF DEATH	January 29, 1946
Place of death	Białystok