A CHEERFUL BENEDICTINE

I know I have mentioned in the past,  how when searching for one topic, the path leads me to another.  Recently, I came across a delightful Polish Benedictine nun, who recently celebrated her own golden jubilee of vows. Nothing I found about her is in English (and I know 2 words of Polish), so I rely on translations. She is the author of the translations of  Abbess Magdalena Morteska, whose Blog preceded this. 

SISTER MALGORZATA BORKOWSKA, OSB  was born Anna Borkowska in Warsaw in 1939. She studied Polish philology getting her Master's degree in 1961 and philosophy at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, and theology at the Catholic University of Lublin. 

In 2011, she became an honorary doctor of the Catholic University of Lublin. In 1964 she joined the Benedictine order and in July 1970 made her perpetual vows. She lives in the Benedictine monastery in Zarnowiec* in Kashubia. 

Her field is history and she is considered an expert on the history of religious life. She also translates, and write books for children and fantasy literature.

She is the  author of many historical works, e.g. "Everyday life of Polish Convents in the 17th and 18th Centuries", "Black Sheep", "Balaam's Donkey", "Six Truths of Faith and their Consequences", and has translated the monastic fathers. She also translated the letters of Bl.  Mectilde de Bar, which is how I came across her.  (Blogs: April 2017 & October 2021),

Because Sister Malgorzata is famous in her country, there are many photos of her and in all she is a happy looking nun, one I would love to know!

 "Living for God is more than prayer. The contemplative dimension of life consists in the awareness that we live in someone else's world, which serves God's purposes, not ours. Every little decision we make strengthens or weakens this awareness."

* A village in Northern Poland.  It is 37 miles NW of the regional capital of Gdansk. In 1215 Zarnowiec belonged to the Cistercian order based in Oliwa Abbey, which founded a monastery for women there. The monastery received special economic & juridical privileges from the Duke of Pomerania. For hundreds of years it was a back and forth existence, due to wars.

In 1589 the monastery was given to Benedictine nuns from Chelmno. Again another couple of hundred years of take-overs, exiles and the monastery was re-founded in 1946, after the war, by Benedictine from Vilnius, now Lithuania - where St. Faustina had lived).