Life

Blessed Boleslawa Lamentwas born on July 3, 1862 in Lowicz. She was the oldest from eight children of Martin and Lucia Lament.

Boleslawa inherited kind heart from her mother and sternness from her father. These characteristics will allow her to be brave in following ecumenical ideas and defending faith in times of great negation of everything that was polish and catholic.

Being very bossy by nature, Boleslawa would often force her will on the siblings whom she helped to raise. Boleslawa’s parents embraced her with a special care because she had some health problems. Grateful for parents’ care, Boleslawa returned the favor with pearls of nobleness coming from the riches of her heart. The perfect attitude toward her family was a result of continuous breaking of her will done for the love of God. That attitude was visible in a total obedience.

What Boleslawa learned at home, she later enriched by own understanding of the world, great patriotism, and healthy attitude toward religion. Therefore, she was able to survive in an atmosphere of constant negation of polish and catholic spirit in a Russian school in Lowicz. While in school, Boleslawa wasn’t free from difficulties in achieving the knowledge as well as dealing with serious religious and national problems. Often she was discriminated by Russian government for her religion and polish nationality. Faced with such problems, Boleslawa solved them by following the statutes of catholic faith. Despite great hardship, Boleslawa graduated with honors. Following parents’ wish, Boleslawa earned seamstress diploma and opened her own sewing business. During that time she showed great organization, initiative, and perseverance.

Participating in closed retreat, Boleslawa recognized that God calls her to live a religious life. At the age of 22, she joined religious congregation called Mary’s Family. She was a very eager nun with a great gift of prayer, seriousness, and faithfulness in fulfilling all her duties. She worked at the different convents in Warsaw, Petersburg, Odessa, Ilukszta, and Symferopol in Krym. During that time, Boleslawa was a teacher in various elementary schools. Before making the perpetual vows, she felt serious doubts about God’s call. Seeking an advice from her spiritual director, she left the congregation and returned to her family in Lowicz. After death of her father, Boleslawa and her family moved to Warsaw where she devoted her time to social work. Boleslawa became a director of a house for homeless making sure that the material and spiritual needs of homeless people were satisfied.

During 11 years of work in Warsaw, she was working eagerly on strengthening her own spiritual life under direction of Father Honorat Kozminski. He suggested that Boleslawa should leave Poland and go to Mohylew in Bialorus. Following his advice, she left native country in 1903 and founded religious congregation, Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family, in Mohylew. As a goal for a new congregation, Boleslawa chose the work toward the unity of Christians.

In 1907, Mother Boleslawa, together with sisters, moved to Petersburg where she developed various educational work. Fulfilling her goal, Boleslawa was especially concerned about the youth. She wanted to protect them from losing faith and patriotism. In 1913, Mother Boleslawa organized a boarding school for teenage girls in Wyborg, Finland.

After the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, the difficult situation forced Mother Boleslawa to leave Petersburg in 1921 and return to Poland. It was a trial time for Boleslawa since leaving meant unfulfilled desires and plans as well as great material loss. But, Mother Boleslawa always following the will of God, saw everything that happened as a sign from Him.

In 1922, Mother Boleslawa established a new convent in Chelmno, the northern part of Poland. Following the goal of the congregation, she chose the eastern territory of Poland as a main area for sisters’ work. People who lived on those territories were very poor and belonged to the Orthodox church.

In 1935, Mother Boleslawa resigned from Mother General’s office. At that time, the congregation consisted of 174 sisters, 26 sisters in novice, and 9 postulates. Sisters lived in 22 convents in Poland. Also, they had convents in Estonia, Russia, and Rome, Italy. The new Mother General sent Mother Boleslawa to Bialystok where she opened two kindergartens, vocational school, and a high school. Following her initiative, sisters started to work in two dorms, shelter for homeless, and prison.

The World War II brought enormous loss in all the works of congregation. Most of the convents were resolved. In the ones that still existed, Mother Boleslawa changed the form of the work adjusting it to the needs of that time. One of the houses belonging to the congregation, Boleslawa gave to homeless children. She shared with them the little food that she had. In addition, she organized a polish school in which she supposedly taught only religion and prepared children for the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

In 1941, Mother Boleslawa became paralyzed. From being very active, she became a great apostle of prayer and suffering. The supernatural hope was for her the source of joy in the midst of great suffering. She was preparing herself to return home to God. Despite her illness, Boleslawa dictated “Dyrectorium” which was the explanation of Congregation’s constitution.

In all her active life, Mother Boleslawa wanted to spread the greater glory of God and work for the salvation of all the souls saved by Jesus’ Precious Blood. She authentically followed Jesus Christ through her kindness and love for every person. She offered herself to the Heart of Jesus as a victim of Love. For mother Boleslawa that act became a source of great strength in the continuous work for God.

On January 29, 1946, Mother Boleslawa died without any signs of agony. She was 84 years old and was buried in Ratowo in the crypt of St. Antony’s church.