This is neither a biography of a saint nor a reflection on the charism of a religious congregation. Rather, I would like to share a few thoughts about Saint Mother Ursula. She is a saint for the twenty-first century – someone who can help us when we are lost, when we need courage to make decisions, or when we struggle with a lack of faith and with mediocrity. She is a modern saint.
On 29 May we celebrate the memorial of Saint Ursula Ledóchowska. It often falls close to the feast of the Holy Spirit, and therefore it may be worthwhile to reflect on how the gifts of the Holy Spirit were at work in Ursula’s life.
The Gift of Wisdom – The Gift of Understanding – The Gift of Fortitude
“Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her” (Wisdom 6:12).
The Holy Spirit comes to those who call upon him for help. The wisdom he brings concerns what is most fundamental: it gives a person the ability to see God in all his works and leads, through wonder, to praise of the Creator. For Ursula Ledóchowska, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit was like a pair of spectacles through which she viewed reality. She delighted in simple things, in small joys, such as stroking a donkey or a dog, or finding an earthworm in the ground. Above all, however, this wisdom helped her to recognise her vocation, her gifts, and her abilities. It gave her the strength to make courageous decisions without hesitation and to remain faithful to them.
At the age of twenty-one she entered the Ursuline convent in Kraków. She worked enthusiastically as an educator and teacher of young people and founded the first boarding house in Kraków. As superior of the convent, she revised the constitutions of the community. After twenty-one years she left the enclosed convent, dressed in ordinary clothes, and went to St Petersburg to work among children and young people in a school and boarding house and to strengthen the faith of Catholics. Among other things, she defended the right of Russians to hear sermons in their own language.
After being expelled from Russia because of the First World War, she moved to Scandinavia: Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Perceiving the needs of the Church, she published in Sweden the first Catholic monthly magazine, Solglimtar, established a women’s discussion group for spiritual conversations, founded a Marian sodality, conducted retreats, established language schools, and helped poor families and orphaned children, of whom there were many at that time.
When she returned to Poland, she realised that it was no longer possible to return to her first convent. At the same time, she was caring for Polish orphans brought from Norway and for a group of young sisters. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, she founded a new religious congregation. Through suffering and tears, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit guided her along the path toward God.
The Gift of Fear of the Lord
“To know how to love.” Fear restricts us, but the fear of the Lord sets us free. Fear prevents us from acting and from living life to the fullest, from plunging into the depths of the Gospel. Too often we abandon our dreams and our choices too easily. But the Holy Spirit helps us through the gift of the fear of the Lord. It enables us to come before God in the morning with empty hands, asking – and he himself fills them. In the evening we thank him, again with empty hands, for every good thing we have experienced or that God has accomplished through us. This was the secret of Ursula’s happiness: “Do not be surprised that you cannot do something, nor be surprised that you can – if you can, simply do it.” Empty hands in the morning and in the evening, hands that God fills… this is what she taught us sisters: humility, openness, and trust in God.
“Even if the horizon is as black as the night, believe,” and “Whatever you do, do it so that God’s glory may be greater.” Ursula wrote of herself that she was merely “a chess piece on the board,” a piece moved wherever a stronger hand wished. She entrusted everything to God, who was her greatest love. Out of this love for Jesus, Ursula dedicated the new congregation to Jesus in his agony, to the Lord who dies on the cross out of love for humanity. From the cross we hear both the cry of Jesus and the cry of humanity: “I thirst,” “I desire”… Do we hear it? Do we answer that cry with love? Do we dare? Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may help us and that love may cast out all unnecessary fear.
The Gift of Piety
Piety shapes everyday life: prayer, the sacraments, and the Word of God. Mother Ursula united extraordinary activity with a profound life of prayer. Love for the Heart of Jesus, the Eucharist, and Mary was the foundation of everything. On that foundation, work received a new meaning and no longer seemed so burdensome. She left us a clear instruction: “Remain constantly united with Jesus: in the chapel and in your work. Through prayer and work you can sanctify your lives and yourselves and bring many souls to Jesus.”
“Take my strength, it is for you. Take my abilities, if I can serve you with them. Take my heart to warm and enlighten your lives. Take my time – it is at your disposal. Take me, even if it is difficult for me – I am yours, just as Jesus is mine.” This was Saint Ursula’s personal prayer.
Conclusion
Saint Ursula Ledóchowska. Openness. A smile. Humility. Trust. Work.
We sisters call her “Mother” because she is our guide and companion on the path of the Gospel. We experience her care here in Finland as well. We believe that our return to Finland after sixty-two years took place under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and together with Saint Ursula we continue our pilgrimage while serving this local Church.
On 26 August, fifty years will have passed since our arrival in Finland. With grateful hearts we wish to praise God for all the good he has done for us and through us, his humble handmaids.
Saint Ursula, pray for Finland and for all those who ask for your intercession.
Sister Barbara Ogieniewska USJK
You are warmly welcome to join our 50th anniversary celebrations, which will take place during the diocesan celebration on 15 August and at Saint Henry’s Cathedral Parish on the Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa on 26 August.