Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska

October 10 is the feast day of Bl. Mary Angela, the foundress of the Felician Sisters. We prayerfully remember her life and reflect upon how it impacts ours. At one point in the prayers for the occasion, we shared our personal connections to her. At different parts of my journey with the Felicians, varying parts of her life resonated with me. In this entry, I'll share what those have been and why I identified with it. (For more information about Bl. Mary Angela, check out our websites:
https://www.feliciansistersna.org/who-we-are/our-foundress---blessed-mary-angela-truszkowska/our-foundress-blessed-mary-angela.html or 
http://feliciansisters.org/the-life-of-blessed-angela/.)

The call that I felt to be a sister was from deep within. When I read Bl. Mary Angela's biography, I identified with her call. She had been trying to become a cloistered sister, but in prayer, realized that God was calling her to an active life of service, too. She recognized the truth in that and follow it. It reminded me of my own certainty.

When I was first discerning being a sister, I was an enthusiastic volunteer who was eager to help. I hoped community life would be a group of sisters who had similar concern for the world. When Bl. Mary Angela was a young woman herself, she was touched by the struggles of the poor in her town, the widows and children especially, and wanted to help. She devoted herself to helping them, and other women joined her. Both her desire to reach out to those in need and the like-hearted community that gathered around her struck me; it was who I was and what I wanted.

Another aspect of her life struck me when I was a novice. It's a time of intense study and reflection, and as I delved deeper into community life and what I was really bringing into it, I struggled in a lot of ways. I would think of when Bl. Mary Angela was older and her felt sense of God's presence weakened. I found strength in her ability to step forward in faith without the consolations of peace and joy. Despite my difficulties, I knew I was still called, so I continued.

As a sister in temporary vows, I lived in our parish convents with small groups of sisters. There we worked, prayed, and enjoyed life together. It reminded me of how much Bl. Mary Angela loved her sisters. She was their spiritual mother in a lot of ways, giving advice and helping them. She also was a true sister to them, sharing her own problems and asking them to pray for her. She had close relationships with them. That was the kind of relationship I wanted with the sisters I knew.

Sisters do ministry full time, have responsibilities to the community, and pray. These three are all important, and need to be balanced. But the most important is prayer, because it influences everything we do and everything we are. As I tried to keep my prayer life deep and meaningful, I thought of how important that was to Bl. Mary Angela, too. The Felician Sisters, from the beginning, were both active and contemplative. It continues to be important to me to remain contemplative in the midst of busy daily life.

Yesterday, when we reflected on what our personal connection to her was, I asked myself what it was now. Lately I've been transitioning, ready for change, feeling like I'm becoming... something. (Haven't worked that part out yet!) I can feel myself turning towards the future, and I've been discerning what all this means. The question reminded me that I can, once again, look to Bl. Mary Angela for guidance. She experienced many changes in her life. My own situation reminded me of when she got involved in the St. Vincent de Paul Society or became a Franciscan tertiary; she was developing spiritually, realizing her call. I still have many questions, but it feels positive. I'm getting closer to who God has made me to be. Reflecting on Bl. Mary Angela taking steps in her life makes me realize that God was with her, just as He is with me.

Patron saints can be defined in multiple ways. Bl. Mary Angela is a companion for me, accompanying me on my journey. I can relate to her and be inspired by her.