BLESSED MICHAEL SOPOĆKO 
(1888-1975)

In the mission of Saint Faustina, Divine Providence entrusted a special role to her confessor and spiritual director, Fr. Michael Sopoćko. He was of great assistance to Sister Faustina during her stay in Vilnius (then Poland) from 1933 to 1936, helping her to understand her inner experiences and visions. At his request, she wrote the Diary, which is a document of extraordinary value in Catholic mysticism. The Diary also presents the holiness of Father Michael Sopoćko’s priestly life and his contribution to the fulfillment of Jesus’ desires.

Painting the image of the Merciful Jesus and displaying it for public worship, spreading the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, initiating efforts to establish the Feast of Divine Mercy and founding a new Congregation – all this was accomplished in Vilnius thanks to the efforts of Fr. Michael Sopoćko. Since then, the joint efforts, rewarded with prayers and sufferings, have spread throughout the world.

“Seeing the sacrifice and effort of Fr. Sopoćko in his work, I admired his patience and humility. All this cost a lot, not only in terms of labor and various troubles, but also in terms of money; and Fr. Sopoćko covered all the expenses. I could see that Divine Providence had prepared him to carry out this work of mercy before I asked God. Oh, how mysterious are Your ways, O Lord! And how happy are those souls who follow the call of Divine Grace!” (Diary, 422).

“Jesus, you see how grateful I am to Father Sopoćko, who has greatly promoted your work. That humble soul has endured all the storms. He did not allow himself to be discouraged by adversity, but faithfully responded to the call of God” (Diary, 1586).

“Once when I was talking to my spiritual director, I had an interior vision of his soul in great suffering, in such pain that God touches very few souls with such fire. Suffering arises from this work. The time will come when this work, which God is demanding so much, will be completely broken. And then the Lord will act with great power, which will prove its authenticity. It will be a new splendor for the Church, although it has been dormant in it for a long time. God is infinitely merciful, no one can deny it. He wants everyone to know this before He comes again as Judge. He wants souls to know Him first as the King of Mercy. When this victory comes, we will have entered into a new life without suffering. But before that, your (the spiritual director’s) soul will be filled with bitterness as you witness the destruction of your efforts. However, this only seems so, because what God has once decided, He does not change. But although this destruction is only apparent, the suffering will be real. When will this happen? I do not know. How long will it last? I do not know” (Diary, 378).

“Jesus, this is Your work, so why do You treat him in this way? It seems to me that You are making things difficult for him while at the same time commanding him to act. Write that day and night My gaze is fixed on him, and I permit these adversities to increase his merits. I do not reward good results but for patience and hardships experienced for My sake” (Diary, 86).

“Jesus tells you that everything depends on His will, thus giving you deep peace about the safety of His work. Listen, My daughter; Although all the works created by My will are subject to great sufferings, consider whether any of them is subject to greater difficulties than the work that belongs directly to Me – the work of Redemption. You should not worry about adversity. The world is not as strong as it appears; its power is strictly limited” (Diary, 1643).

“I saw Father Sopoćko, his mind busy and working for God, besides presenting God’s wishes to the officials of the Church. (…) I have never encountered such fidelity to God, which distinguishes these souls” (Diary, 1390).

In more than two hundred scientific publications, numerous press releases and conferences, Fr. Dr. Michael Sopoćko developed the theological basis for new forms of devotion to the Divine Mercy, a devotion that he zealously promoted through his involvement in missionary work and social activities. He wrote the formative letters and then drafted the constitutions for the first congregation of nuns, which became the roots of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Merciful Jesus, founded on the thoughts and suggestions of Sr. Faustina. He compiled and published prayers to the Divine Mercy based on the texts of Sr. Faustina, with whom he remained in contact until the end of his life. After Sr. Faustina’s death, he always tried to fulfill the tasks indicated in the apparitions.

Father Sopoćko wrote in his Diary:

”There are truths that one knows and often hears, but does not understand. That applies to me in relation to the truth of God’s Mercy. I spoke of this truth many times in my preaching, reflected on it during retreats, repeated it in church prayers – especially in the psalms – but I did not understand its meaning nor did I immerse myself in its essence – the highest attribute of God’s external action. It was only the ordinary nun, Sister Faustina from the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary of Mercy (Magdalens), who, following her intuition, told me about this truth, repeated it briefly and often, stimulating me to study, learn and reflect on it often. (…) at first I was not sure what it was, I listened, doubted, pondered, studied, sought advice from others – only a few years later did I understand the importance of this work, the greatness of this idea, and I became convinced of the efficacy of this ancient but forgotten, life-giving devotion, calling for its renewal in the present world”.