Michał Sopoćko

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Michał Sopoćko

Michał Sopoćko (born November 1, 1888 in Novosady , Russian Empire ; † February 15, 1975 in Białystok , Poland ) was the confessor and spiritual guide of St. Faustyna Kowalska . He is a blessed of the Roman Catholic Church .

Life

In 1910 Michał Sopoćko began four years of theology studies in the seminary in Vilnius . He was ordained a priest on June 15, 1914. He then worked as a chaplain in the parish of the Tabor Church in Vilnius. In 1918 Sopoćko received permission from the church authorities in Vilnius to travel to Warsaw to study theology at Warsaw University . Illness and the political situation in Poland initially prevented her from studying. Michał Sopoćko then volunteered as a chaplain . In 1919 he was able to begin studying moral theology in Warsaw. During his service as a chaplain and as a student of moral theology, he also took up studies at the University of Education. On March 1, 1926, he received his doctorate with a dissertation on moral theology. He then returned to military chaplaincy. In 1927 and 1928 he was a spiritual in the seminary in Vilnius. He was also a confessor for many priests and nuns.

In his habilitation thesis , which was accepted by the University of Warsaw on May 15, 1934 , he dealt with problems of upbringing. In the summer of 1930 he worked in libraries in several countries in Western and Central Europe to collect material for it. At the same time, he wrote academic essays on pastoral theology, wrote articles for the Encyklopedia kościelna ( Church Encyclopedia ), completed in 1933 with volume 32, and gave numerous lectures.

After his habilitation, he was appointed professor of pedagogy at Warsaw University by the Ministry of Culture and Education. He also received the chair for pastoral theology at the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius.

Since 1932 Sopoćko was one of the confessors of the nuns of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Vilnius. In 1933 he met Sister Maria Faustyna Kowalska there and became her spiritual guide. He had the first image of Jesus of Divine Mercy made according to her vision. Even after Sister Maria Faustyna Kowalska left Vilnius in 1936, he stayed in contact with her. This encounter became essential for his future life and mission. He developed a theology of God's mercy , which he presented in scientific publications.

In 1942 Sopoćko was wanted by the Gestapo and had to flee Vilna. In 1944 he was able to return. In 1947 he was threatened with deportation to Siberia . In July 1947, Sopoćko was invited by Archbishop Romuald Jałbrzykowski to take on new tasks in Białystok. Sopoćko traveled to Białystok in late August 1947. At the spiritual seminary he gave lectures in catechesis , pedagogy, psychology and the history of philosophy , was the student confessor and led retreats . He wrote the rules of the order for the newly founded religious community of the Sisters of the Merciful Jesus . After a car accident in Zakopane in February 1962 , he had to retire.

In 1965 the Archbishop of Cracow , Karol Wojtyla , initiated the process of beatification for Sister Maria Faustyna Kowalska. Michał Sopoćko was involved in this; he became a pioneer of devotion to the mercy of God . On his advice, Sister Faustyna had recorded the apparitions and mystical experiences in her “diary”. It is thanks to him that the picture of the Merciful Jesus with the inscription "Jesus, I trust in you" was painted and distributed.

As a token of appreciation for his many services to the Church and the Archdiocese of Białystok , Sopoćko was appointed general canonical cathedral chapter in 1972.

Michał Sopoćko died in his room on Poleska Street on February 15, 1975, on Saturday evening, the feast of St. Faustinus , the patron saint of Sister Faustyna Kowalska. His remains are in the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Białystok.

beatification

Michał Sopoćko was beatified on September 28, 2008 in Białystok.

Fonts

  • Miłosierdzie Boga w dziełach Jego ( The Mercy of God in His Works )
    • Vol. 1: Veritas, London 1959.
    • Vol. 2: Męka, śmierć, zmartwychwstanie i wniebowstąpienie ( Suffering, Dying, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ ). Pallottini, Rome 1962.
    • Vol. 3: Duch Święty, Kościół, Łaska, Cnota, Dary Ducha Świętego, Modlitwa, Ufność, Sacramenty Święte ( Holy Spirit, Church, Grace, Cardinal Virtues , Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Prayer, Trust, Sacraments ). Pallottini, Rome 1962.
    • Vol. 4: O uroczystość Najmiłosierniejszego Zbawiciela ( On the celebration of the mercy of the Savior ). Naszej Rodziny, Paris 1967.

literature

  • Henryk Ciereszko : Życie i działalność księdza Michała Sopoćki (1888–1975). Pełna biografia Apostoła Miłosierdzia Bożego (Life and Work of Priest Michał Sopoćko, 1888–1975. Complete biography of the Apostle of Mercy). Wydawnictwo WAM, Krakau 2006, ISBN 83-7318-579-8 (624 pages).
    • Henryk Ciereszko: Bienheureux Michel Sopocko. Père spirituel de sainte Faustine . Téqui, Paris 2008, ISBN 978-2-7403-1459-3 (French translation by the Congrégation des Soeurs de Jésus miséricordieux of excerpts from the detailed biography in Polish).
  • Paulius V. Subacius: The image of the Merciful Jesus in Wilna . In: Joachim Bahlcke, Stefan Rohdewald, Thomas Wünsch (eds.): Religious places of remembrance in East Central Europe. Constitution and competition in access across nations and epochs . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-05-005658-6 , pp. 410-419.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Paulius V. Subacius: The Image of the Merciful Jesus in Wilna , p. 411.

See also

Web links

Commons : Michał Sopoćko  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Sopoćko, Michał
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Confessor and spiritual companion of St. Faustyna Kowalska
DATE OF BIRTH November 1, 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH Nowosady , Lithuania
DATE OF DEATH 15th February 1975
Place of death Białystok