150 YEARS OF THE NAZARETH SISTERS

In the footsteps of Blessed Frances Siedliska in Rome (54)

Sr. M. Beata Rudzińska, CSFN

Quirinal (1880) – “Photograph” of the Foundress

“We do not have any photographs of our Mother from those times,” writes Sister Gabriela in the Chronicle. “It was only in 1884, at our insistence, that she agreed to be photographed.” However, another, perhaps even more important photograph has been preserved – the one captured in the memories and hearts of those who knew her.

“Our Mother was a wonderful and extraordinary figure at that time,” recalls Sister Gabriela. Perhaps she was not beautiful according to the standards of the world, but she had and still has (Sister Gabriela writes this from the perspective of several years, using her earlier notes) something strangely attractive in her appearance and facial expressions, a charm that flows from her holy soul. (…) Our Mother is of average height, and her figure is slightly stooped due to her constant writing. (…) Even in Piazza Farnese, and now, Mother worked hard on the rule. I remember that she prayed for a long time before work, and then she usually wrote while kneeling with a crucifix in front of her. Mother’s face is long and tanned, her lips are extremely expressive (…). Her eyes were dark and expressive. In them was the whole soul of Mother, and love, and understanding, and sweetness, and sometimes severity. (…) Our Mother has an extraordinary divine understanding – not only we, her children, but everyone who has had the good fortune to come close to our Mother admires her understanding.”

Perhaps that is why, when her body was canonically examined 50 years after her death, Frances’ brain was found to be intact. Encased in crystal, it is now a separate relic, placed on a coffin with her mortal remains in the chapel of the General House of the Congregation. The Nazareth Sisters saw this as confirmation of the “extraordinary mind of God” that Sister Gabriela emphasized.

Sister Joanna Ziętkiewicz, who first saw the Foundress on September 14, 1880, in Krakow, writes similarly. “I will never forget that moment, because I was so impressed when I saw her. She had an oval face, a beautiful forehead full of intelligence, almost black eyes with an expression that was difficult to define, but which conveyed so much warmth, kindness, liveliness, and I don’t know what else, that drew one to God—lips shining with a smile full of kindness; a slightly large nose. One could not say that she was beautiful, but one could not say the opposite either, because she had so much charm… Later, I heard lay people and clergy say that it was enough to see Mother Siedliska and talk to her for a few moments to never forget her.

We have another brief but significant testimony about Frances from that time. Father Piotr Semenenko, who had known her for five years, wrote in his diary on May 15, 1880: “My visit to Miss Siedliska was very sincere and showed the thorough inner work that had taken place in her soul.” There is probably no better “photograph” of a person than this!

Photo:
Photograph of Frances Siedliska from 1884 – CSFN GA Rome