Praised be Jesus Christ!
My name is Sr. Martina Bednarz. I am a Sister of the Soul of Christ and I am thankful to God the Father for the gift of my vocation. I was born into a large family in the beautiful mountains of Poland; I have six sisters, and no brother. As a child, I often went to All Saints Church in my Parish. My Mom made sure that we children went to the church to pray, not only on the weekend, but also during the week. She urged us especially to go to church in October to pray the rosary and in May to sing the Loreto Litany to Our Lady.
A far as I remember in my childhood, I had never thought about being a Religious Sister; it was simply because I didn’t know anything about this kind of life, and I had never met and talked to the Sisters. However, I have to say that I had wonderful parents, who taught me that if I wanted to be happy, God needed to be part of my life. They didn’t use a lot words, but showed it by their example. I am thankful to my Dad, who is still alive, and to my Mom, who is watching me from Heaven. She passed away a few years ago.
When I was in 7th Grade, to my surprise, I felt such a strong inner calling to religious life that I couldn’t keep it to myself. I still remember the time and the place when that happened. I ran right away to my Dad to share this joyful news with him. Since that time, he has been very supportive.
He helped me to contact the Sisters of my Community in Krakow. I entered this Community after I finished 8th Grade. In September 1988, I made my First Vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. Still being in a formation stage of a Professed Sister, I received two assignments; first, I was to study to become a Religion teacher and, at the same time, I was to teach religion to children from Kindergarten through sixth grade. I felt so blessed to do this. I loved seeing the children every day. In 1993 I made my Final, Perpetual Vows. Through this act, I stated that I wanted to belong to Christ forever. One year later God revealed His Divine Will through my Superiors to send me to the United States. This assignment was not easy for me, but looking at the example of Our Blessed Lady, I said, “Yes,” like her. Just now, when I think about it, I am very happy that I answered God’s call in that way, and I am thankful to God for His graces.
In 1994 I arrived in Granby, MA. Then, in 1997, I came with Sr. Matthew and Sr. Anita to Florida. In the beginning, we all worked at St. Raphael Family Life Center- a retreat house in Palm City. This house belonged to our Diocese of Palm Beach. While working for the diocese, we were invited by a previous pastor of St. Joseph Parish and the Principal of the school to work in the school. Since the year 2000, I have been working at St. Joseph School full time and in the Parish with the children of different ages. God has truly blessed me with them. Children are precious, and I am happy to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. I find teaching children very rewarding; I always learn something beautiful from them.
Being aware of leaving some more space in this bulletin for all the activities and happenings in this parish, I shared just a little story of my wonderful journey with Jesus, so you know me a little more. Please pray for us Sisters here at St. Joseph, that we will fulfill God’s will in our lives. Also, please pray for more Religious Sisters, Brothers and Priests for our Catholic Church and also for the Congregation of the Sisters of the Soul of Christ. Maybe there is someone in our Parish or school who hears God’s voice, and your prayers may give him or her the courage and faith to answer Him. God can truly make you happy. God bless you all!