Nov
20
2020
By Anonymous (not verified)
The man in the middle (wearing the pectoral cross) is Blessed George Matulaitis, MIC (1871-1927), known affectionately by the Marian Fathers as "Father Renovator." The arrow points to a young priest - none other than Blessed Michael Sopocko (1888-1975).
So what's going on here? Catholic history in the making.
The photo was taken sometime between 1918-1925 when Blessed George served as Archbishop of Vilnius. Blessed Sopocko, a priest of Vilnius, had been serving in Warsaw as a chaplain for the Polish military when Blessed George called him to return to Vilnius. That's when things got very interesting. Back in Vilnius, Blessed Sopocko met St. Faustina Kowalska and became her spiritual director during her stay in that city from 1933-1936.
In her Diary, St. Faustina wrote of Blessed Sopocko: "O my Jesus, You see how very grateful I am to Father Sopocko, who has advanced Your work so much. That soul, so humble, has had to endure all the storms. He has not allowed himself to become discouraged by adversities, but has faithfully responded to the call of God" (1586).
Our Lord said of Blessed Sopocko: "He is a priest after My own Heart; Through him it pleased Me to proclaim the worship of My mercy"(Diary, 1256).
It was Blessed Sopocko who told St. Faustina to keep a diary. He was instrumental in getting the Divine Mercy Image painted and publicly displayed. He also gave key Divine Mercy material to Fr. Joseph Jarzebowksi, MIC, who then brought it to the Marian Fathers in the United States to be spread throughout the world.
As for Blessed George, without him, the Marian Fathers would probably not exist to this day. He secretly entered the Marians during the Bolshevik regime in Lithuania when Catholic religious had been banned and the Marians were down to only one member.
In one of the many quotable passages of his 368-page Journal, Blessed George wrote, "If I may ask, Lord, let me be but a dishrag in Your Church, a rag used to wipe up messes and then thrown away into some dark corner. I want to be used up and worn out in the same way so that your house may be a little cleaner and brighter. And afterwards, let me be thrown away like a dirty, worn-out dishrag."
That remains a rallying cry today for the Marian Fathers and Marian Helpers who, together, work to bring God's mercy to the world.
So what's going on here? Catholic history in the making.
The photo was taken sometime between 1918-1925 when Blessed George served as Archbishop of Vilnius. Blessed Sopocko, a priest of Vilnius, had been serving in Warsaw as a chaplain for the Polish military when Blessed George called him to return to Vilnius. That's when things got very interesting. Back in Vilnius, Blessed Sopocko met St. Faustina Kowalska and became her spiritual director during her stay in that city from 1933-1936.
In her Diary, St. Faustina wrote of Blessed Sopocko: "O my Jesus, You see how very grateful I am to Father Sopocko, who has advanced Your work so much. That soul, so humble, has had to endure all the storms. He has not allowed himself to become discouraged by adversities, but has faithfully responded to the call of God" (1586).
Our Lord said of Blessed Sopocko: "He is a priest after My own Heart; Through him it pleased Me to proclaim the worship of My mercy"(Diary, 1256).
It was Blessed Sopocko who told St. Faustina to keep a diary. He was instrumental in getting the Divine Mercy Image painted and publicly displayed. He also gave key Divine Mercy material to Fr. Joseph Jarzebowksi, MIC, who then brought it to the Marian Fathers in the United States to be spread throughout the world.
As for Blessed George, without him, the Marian Fathers would probably not exist to this day. He secretly entered the Marians during the Bolshevik regime in Lithuania when Catholic religious had been banned and the Marians were down to only one member.
In one of the many quotable passages of his 368-page Journal, Blessed George wrote, "If I may ask, Lord, let me be but a dishrag in Your Church, a rag used to wipe up messes and then thrown away into some dark corner. I want to be used up and worn out in the same way so that your house may be a little cleaner and brighter. And afterwards, let me be thrown away like a dirty, worn-out dishrag."
That remains a rallying cry today for the Marian Fathers and Marian Helpers who, together, work to bring God's mercy to the world.
LAMDVD