150 YEARS OF THE NAZARETH SISTERS

In the footsteps of Blessed Frances Siedliska in Rome (38)

Sr. M. Beata Rudzińska, CSFN

Via Merulana (1878) – last months

In 1878, new candidates joined the Nazareth community: Waleria Rudnicka, who on April 12, at the beginning of her novitiate, received the name Maria Pia, and Antonina Babilońska.

At the same time, Antoni Lechert, a priest of the Diocese of Poznań, begins a new stage of his life in Rome, deciding to join the Congregation of the Resurrectionists. Father Piotr Semenenko, the general of the Congregation, who personally accompanies him, records the subsequent stages of his journey in his diary:

“January 5 – Arrival of Fr. Antoni Lechert from Paris to enter the novitiate (…) January 12 – Fr. Lechert finished his retreat and entered the Congregation. I gave him one conference every day. May 25 – Visit to the Nazareth House. Today, Fr. Lechert and I began our retreat before the start of the novitiate. May 29 – Last day of the retreat. I am comforted to see how this newly entered priest has a true vocation and how committed he is to the principles and spirit of our Congregation.”

Perhaps Father Piotr is telling Franciszka about a new candidate, but none of them yet knows what a turning point, five years later, the first confession before this priest will be for the Foundress of the Nazareth Sisters, and what an enormous role he will play both in her life and that of the Congregation she founded.

For now, however, the three Lubowidzki Sisters are continuing their novitiate, and the girls who came with them to Rome are preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation. It will be administered on May 31 by Cardinal Raffaele Monaco La Valletta, Vicar of Rome, accompanied by Fr. Semenenko. This was the first visit by a representative of the Diocese of Rome to the Nazareth house, which Fr. Piotr summarized in his diary: “The cardinal was visibly pleased with the visit and with meeting these people.”

Frances, knowing the rules of good manners, felt obliged to return the visit, which she did on June 6, taking Sister Pia as her companion. And just four days later, she was in the Vatican for her first audience with the newly elected Pope Leo XIII. As in 1873, this was made possible by the reliable Father Laurençot, who mentioned Frances’ desire to Monsignor Macchi, who in turn introduced the young Congregation to the Holy Father. Let us see how the Foundress herself describes this event:

“Today, after 12 o’clock, we were all at the Audience with the Holy Father. He asked us where we were from, what our purpose was, whether we already had our Constitutions, and whether the poor little thing standing before him was the foundress. After answering these questions, he placed his hands on our shoulders and said that he was blessing me with a special, exclusive blessing, and then the Congregation. He also blessed the writing of the Constitutions and said several times, “Si le Bon Dieu veut cette œuvre, elle prospérera, priez, priez beaucoup pour nous. (If God wants this work, it will be successful. Pray, pray a lot for us)”.

The Foundress never forgot this request. She also included it in the Constitutions so that future generations of Nazareth Sisters would remember to pray for the Pope.

Pictures:
Pope Leo XIII, 1878 – Public domain
Cardinal Raffaele Monaco La Valletta, 1893 – Public domain