Every vocation, especially a religious one, is a mystery, a gift from God, an expression of His trust in the one called.
I am happy to be called to the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. We are a worldwide congregation of consecrated women founded in 1850 by Blessed Edmund Bojanowski, a remarkable lay apostle in the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Poland who was devoted to Christian charity.
In a community of prayer totally committed to God in chastity, poverty and obedience, we fulfill our founder’s desire to love God above all, and follow the example of Jesus Christ to serve those most in need of help, especially children, the poor, the marginalized, the sick and the elderly.
Strengthened by the daily Eucharist and the humble Blessed Virgin Mary’s inspiration, we strive to follow our founder’s testament of simplicity, and communal love, relying on the Holy Spirit. This goes along with sincerity and compassion toward people. Being consecrated to God is beautiful.
How do I, Sister Philomena, with my own strengths and weaknesses, find my place among the extraordinary witness of our sisters? I think of Blessed Celestyna Faron, one of the 108 martyrs of World War II; Venerable Sister Leonia Nastal; Servant of God Roberta Babiak; and the courageous Little Servant Sisters who came to the United States by steamship in 1926 — one of whom I was blessed to know personally in community — along with so many others who followed from different countries and backgrounds.
Their faith inspires me to see that every vocation, even my own, has its place in God’s plan.
By God’s design, I was born in idyllic Singapore, Malaya, three years before World War II. Soon after came the Japanese invasion, the fall of Singapore, and the British surrender. My parents—refugees from Poland and St. Petersburg during the Bolshevik Revolution—met and married in the Far East, and my brother was born in Shanghai. My mother, an artist, raised us in the ideals of goodness, truth and beauty.
When our home was bombed during the battle for Singapore, my father remained at his post with the British Ministry of Information, hoping to rejoin us, but we never saw him again. Only years later did a Jesuit priest tell us that he had survived imprisonment in a notorious Japanese camp, escaped execution and eventually reached Poland, where the priest visited him shortly before his death in 1949.
My mother, brother and I had boarded the last ship from Singapore to Australia when our captain received a radio message that five ships were torpedoed by the Japanese; he changed course to Bombay, India.
A Budding Vocation
In Panchgani, in India’s Western Ghats, my mother received art commissions while I began school and my brother, seven years older, continued his studies. Surrounded by the beauty of creation — and especially through the Eucharist and the presence of the monstrance at Mass — I first experienced the glory of God.
Six years later, as India moved toward independence from Britain, we witnessed the unrest and movement of the army around us. My mother, who had known Mahatma Gandhi from his earlier years in South Africa, recognized that it was time for us to leave once again.
We became refugees yet again, this time traveling by ship to South Africa. There, despite having no permanent residence at first, my mother persevered and ensured that my brother attended the Marist Brothers School and I the Sisters of Mercy Convent School. After technical college, my brother worked as a commercial artist to help support our family.
The happiest day of my life was when, at age nine, I received my first Holy Communion — the Lord of Glory entered my heart. The Sisters of Mercy impressed me, especially Sister Philomena Stafford, an Irish musician who kindly spoke with me and gave me Catholic publications.
One day, a classmate gave me “The Story of a Soul” — the autobiography of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a young Carmelite. She stated, “My vocation is love, in the heart of the Church.”
Carmel became my first love. After school, I would visit the nearby church, where I encountered Our Lord in Adoration, and prayed the rosary during bus travels. I was fond of reading, art, classical music, swimming, horse riding and helping a classmate with homework. A shed in the rear garden of our home became my chapel with a makeshift altar.
Two family friends also helped the budding of my vocation. There was Mr. Max Martin, a watchmaker and relative of Saint Thérèse, who wore a locket with a curl of her hair. He took me on visits to Carmel, after which I prayed and received the Scapular.
Also, Father Leon Lominski, who came to our home on occasions, told me about Edmund Bojanowski.
I was inspired, and he took me to visit the Little Servant Sisters, joyful and welcoming in their simple convent. Their balance of contemplation and work among children and the sick had an impact on me.
Visits followed. I was in a predicament to make a choice, I loved the Sisters of Mercy and Carmel, and now the Little Servant Sisters. One evening in candlelight, I knelt beneath an icon of Our Lady with the Child Jesus, and prayed: “Blessed Mother, take me where your Son, Jesus, wants me.”
Then everything seemed to point to the Little Servant Sisters. My mother said, “You carve your own future. If you want to be a sister, you have my blessing.”
This was not without strong opposition of others who wanted me to enter the Sisters of Mercy. In my heart, however, I knew my decision was what Jesus wanted.
Fast-forward, and after a year’s discernment with the Little Servant Sisters, I approached Sister Rufina, the superior, and expressed my desire to enter the convent. She responded: “Religious life is beautiful. But it can be demanding. With Jesus, you can make it.”
With that realistic consent, I joyfully rushed to the chapel and dedicated myself to Jesus through Mary.
Years of formation followed with training in religious life and studies, caring for and educating children in a home with our sisters, preparing youth for the sacraments, higher studies in theology and fine art, and my final profession of vows.
The God of Surprises
Later came an invitation to the 41st International Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia. Imagine listening to Archbishop Fulton Sheen and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and speaking twice with Karol Cardinal Wojtyla from Krakow, Poland. After his powerful homily on “The Eucharist and Man’s hunger for Freedom,” I turned to the sister beside me and whispered: “He speaks like the Holy Father!”
Little did I know then that he would become Pope Saint John Paul II.
I returned to Africa to help open a new mission, but the following year, the God of surprises, through my superiors, sent me back to the United States. There I served in the formation of young sisters and parish religious education, later assisting in the novitiate and serving as provincial secretary, and eventually as vocation and missionary representative.
My ministry also included service in the Diocese of Camden, work in fine art and fundraising through building projects and festivals, and outreach to the poor and immigrants, always alongside my sisters in their educational, nursing and other works of mercy.
My life has been enriched by wonderful priests and superiors, with their trust in Divine Providence; a variety of dedicated co-sisters in community and service to others; and the People of God, all of whom are created to know, love and serve God and be happy with him in heaven.
“Who you are” rather than just “what you do” ensures lasting impact.
I am glad to have encountered Our Lord, who said, “I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last.” (John 15:16)
After many seasons, of joys and challenges, still young at heart, I praise God and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, while continuing to serve, “All for You, Jesus.”
If you are a single, Catholic woman, consider: Is God calling you to the consecrated life? “Do not be afraid of generous service. Open wide the doors to Christ,” as Saint John Paul II urged.
Pray and discern, especially in the silence of Adoration. If you decide to join our religious family, we welcome and accept women to live in our community of prayer and sharing, in service to His people.
In the words of Blessed Edmund Bojanowski, “Each good person is a candle burning to shine for others.”
Sister Philomena Nowicka is a Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Provincialate Novitiate in Cherry Hill.
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