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Vocation

General

Though she was born and raised in a strong Catholic family, she answered the call to holiness when she decided to enter the sisterhood. This was the first time she took her faith into her own hands and acted according to her vocation. She was first a nurse in the Polish Army but felt the call to the Sisters of Resurrection. (Sister Patricia Jean) When she applied to enter the convent she wrote to her superior saying, “I desire to live and die for Christ, for He is the Greatest Love, Lord, God and my All.” (Blessed Alice)

  • General
  • State in Life
  • Personal

State in Life

She chose to be a sister in the order of the Sisters of Resurrection. She chose this path because of her time in the army. After leaving the army, she felt her true calling into the sisterhood and consecrated life. She then became a teacher. She wanted to be able to give her entire life for Christ, including die for Him (Blessed Alice).

Personal

She used her gifts of leadership and knowledge in her teaching. These gifts benefitted the church directly by her interaction with the general body. Her teaching allowed her to use her charisms to the fullest. She also sacrificed, seen in her willingness not to run from the Gestapo and further endanger her fellow sisters. (Blessed Alice) She stood strong in her faith as well when she hid the Eucharistic vessels from the Nazis. However she was caught and turned over to the enemy. She remained faithful to death when she was forced to dig her own grave then was shot (McNamara)

Three Paths to Holiness

Deny Yourself

In her decision not to pursue medical school but the sisterhood instead she is denying herself and turning completely to God (Sister Patricia Jean). Fully embracing her faith might have been a challenge because she had to give up her future and the money she would make as a doctor for a life of poverty and prayer. Her family was a strong Catholic family which helped her throughout her life to stay strong in her faith. However, the war itself caused her to turn more fully to God and dedicate her whole life to Him.

  • Deny Yourself
  • Take up your cross
  • Follow Me

Take Up Your Cross

She kept her eyes on God in her suffering on her journey to death. When the Gestapo came to arrest her for hiding the vessels she said, “I forgive Francis for everything.” (Francis being the man who turned her into the Germans) (Sister Patricia Jean). She shows her love of Christ in offering forgiveness even in her moment of ultimate suffering. She knows she will die but does not turn to hatred. In her darkness moment, the hour of her death, she was forced to dig her own grave. But she died holding to her faith and never turning away from God. She devoted herself to her neighbors by teaching in her community and offered her time up to God. She also offered her suffering up to God when she allowed the other sisters to escape while she remained (McNamara). The consequences did not matter to her, only keeping the others safe. She sacrificed willingly in order to grow in union with God. Her desire to live and die for Christ followed her ultimately until death.

Follow Me

She used her knowledge and leadership to teach in her community. She also prayed frequently in front of the tabernacle for the sins of others (Sister Patricia Jean). Her sacrifices and faith enable her to make the ultimate gift to the Church: her life.

Blessed Alice Kotowska

Discernment

Introduction

Olivia Selby

Henderson/ 5

Christian Vocations

September 28, 2015

I pledge my word and honor that i have neither given nor received any

unauthorized aid on this project.

-Olivia Selby

Deliberation

Sister Alice inquired into God’s will when she first entered the convent. When she wrote to her superior saying, “I desire to live and die for Christ, for He is the Greatest Love, Lord, God and my All,” (Blessed Alice) she showed her willingness to live in God’s will, however she was not yet given the opportunity. She inquires into how she can live her life for God. The answer to the question for her is to join the sisterhood and pray for further guidance.

Born Mary Jadwiga Kotowska in Warsaw Poland on November 20, 1899 into a tight knit- family as the second of eight children. Post World War II Poland was a nation filled with patriotism and religion. Mary Kotowska was no exception. After high school, she chose to go to medical school to train to be a doctor. Eventually in 1918 she left medical school and became a Red Cross Nurse in the Polish Army. At age 22, she felt a call towards the Sisters of Resurrection. She made her final vows in August of 1928 and took the name of Sister Alice. (Sister Patricia Jean)

  • Deliberation
  • Judgement
  • Action

Judgement

She used her judgment for prayerful consideration of the facts presented to her. She was delivered from evil when she stayed in the convent though she was a major target for the Gestapo. To avoid causing further harm to her fellow sisters, she did not flee as she was tempted to do (Sister Patrica Jean). This temptation could not overcome her faith in God’s will. God helped her to discern her decision to stay, helping her see it is the right thing for her loved ones. She listened for God’s guidance and assistance to aid her in keeping her faith strong.

Action

Sister Alice Kotowska used prudence in her actions and followed God’s push even until death. She dug her own grave and never gave up her faith (McNamara). She knew the consequences of her actions would mean her death but she never gave up her love of God. She uses her gifts of sacrifice and faith to follow God’s will for her: to act as a martyr. She accepts that God’s will is for her to die for her faith and does not fight it.

Works Cited

"BLESSED ALICE ." BLESSED ALICE . Sisters of the Resurrection, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2015. <http://www.resurrectionsisters.org/blessedalice.htm>.

Sister Patricia Jean, and St. Joseph the Worker. "Modern Saints." Modern Saints. N.p., 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2015. <http://catholicsaintssjw.blogspot.com/2013/03/blessed-alice-kotowska-she-refused-to.html>.

McNamara, Fr. Robert. "Alice Kotowska." Saint Kateri. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2015

Blessed Alice Kotowska

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