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The
Foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family of
Nazareth, Frances Siedliska, (Nov. 12, 1842 - Nov.
21, 1902) was born into a dignified, affluent
Polish family that upheld traditional, patriotic
values.
In religious life, she was
known as Mother Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd,
and was beatified by
Pope John Paul II on April 23, 1989.
The Congregation founded by
Blessed Frances Siedliska in Rome in 1875,
prospered and currently numbers 1700 members
serving the people of God in 13 countries.
Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd bequeathed
to her Sisters a model of love based on the Holy
Family of Nazareth. Each Sister is therefore
called to extend the kingdom of God's love which
is centered on the Son of God and finds expression
in ordinary, daily activities and mutual human
relations.
When
the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth first
came to Nowogrodek on September 4, 1929, it was
then a small town at the eastern end of the
Republic of Poland. They were assigned to the
Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, known
as the "White Fara".
At
the outbreak of World War II, townspeople were
disappearing through arrest by the German
officers. Deportation to work camps and eventual
death seemed to be the rule of the day. The
townspeople came to the Sisters with agonizing
sorrow.
The Sisters prayed and
empathized with the victims of this human tragedy.
Sister Stella, the Superior affirmed,
"O God, if human sacrifice is
needed, accept it from us who are free of family
obligations. We are even praying for this
intention". God
heard their prayer and spared the lives of the
townspeople. The Sisters were arrested on July 31,
1943.
At
daybreak on Sunday morning, August 1, 1943, the
Sisters were driven away and executed in the woods
about five kilometers from the town. With the
redrawing of Polish boundaries following the war,
Nowogrodek became part of Belarus.
Sister Stella and her 10
companions were beatified by Pope John Paul II on
March 5, 2000.
We take inspiration and courage from the lives and
deaths of our martyred Sisters.
If
you are interested in more information on the
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, please
visit their official website
at
www.csfn.org.
We
would like to thank all of the Sisters who have
and still serve our Parish family and Academy.
THANK YOU SISTERS! | 
