Michael Sopoćko ( ; 1 November 1888 – 15 February 1975) was a Polish Catholic priest and professor at

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...

. He is best known as the

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divinity, divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters ...

Faustina Kowalska Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, OLM (born Helena Kowalska; 25 August 1905 – 5 October 1938) was a Catholic Church in Poland, Polish Catholic religious sister and Christia ...

. He was beatified by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

in 2008.

Life

Sopoćko was born to Polish parents in 1888 in Juszewszczyzna (also known as Nowosady) near

Valozhyn Valozhyn or Volozhin (, ; ; ; ; ) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Valozhyn District. It is located northwest of the capital Minsk, on the Valozhynka River in the Neman, Neman River basin, and the begi ...

within the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, now

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. He entered Vilnius Priest Seminary in 1910 and was ordained in 1914. He was a priest in Vilnius (1914–1918) and then a chaplain in the army in Warsaw and Vilnius during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After obtaining his doctorate in theology in 1926, he became the spiritual director at the seminary in Vilnius and, in 1928, professor of

pastoral theology Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as ...

at Stefan Batory University, in Vilnius.

Divine Mercy

Sopoćko was very supportive of the Divine Mercy devotion of Faustina Kowalska and in her diary (Notebook V, item 1238) she stated: "This priest is a great soul, entirely filled with God." Since 1931 Kowalska had been trying (without success) to find someone to paint the ''Divine Mercy'' image until Sopoćko became her confessor in the middle of 1933. By January 1934, Sopoćko arranged for the artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski (who was also a professor at the university) to paint the image. On Friday 26 April 1935 Sopoćko delivered the first sermon ever on the Divine Mercy – and Kowalska attended the sermon. The first Mass during which the Divine Mercy image was displayed was on 28 April 1935, the

Divine Mercy Sunday Divine Mercy Sunday (also known as the Feast of the Divine Mercy) is a feast day that is observed in the Roman Rite calendar, as well as some Anglo-Catholics of the Church of England (it is not an official Anglican feast). It is celebrated on th ...

(the first after Easter). Sopoćko managed to obtain permission to place the painting within the

Gate of Dawn The Gate of Dawn (), or Sharp Gate (, , , , ) is a city gate in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and one of its most important religious, historical and cultural monuments. It is a major site of Catholic pilgrimage in Lithuania. History T ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

as he celebrated the Mass that Sunday. In the summer of 1936, Sopoćko wrote the first brochure on the Divine Mercy devotion and obtained the

imprimatur An imprimatur (sometimes abbreviated as ''impr.'', from Latin, "let it be printed") is a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement. The imprimatur rule in the Catho ...

of Archbishop Jałbrzykowski for it. The brochure carried the Divine Mercy image on the cover.

Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus

In 1942 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Sopoćko and other professors and students had to go into hiding near Vilnius for about two years. However, he used the time to establish a new religious congregation, based on the Divine Mercy messages reported by Kowalska. After the war, Sopoćko wrote the constitution for the congregation and helped the formation of what is now the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus. In an entry in her diary on 8 February 1935, (Notebook I, item 378), Kowalska had written that the Divine Mercy devotion would be suppressed for some time after her death but then be accepted again although Sopoćko would suffer for it.Catherine M. Odell, 1998, ''Faustina: Apostle of Divine Mercy'', OSV Press, , pp. 153–160 In 1959, the Vatican forbade the Divine Mercy devotion and censured Sopoćko. In 1965 Karol Wojtyła, then Archbishop of Kraków and later Pope John Paul II, opened a new investigation and submitted documents in 1968, which resulted in the reversal of the ban in 1978. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the boundaries of Poland had changed so much, Sopoćko left Vilnius. Until 1962, he had been a professor of pastoral theology at the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

. Meanwhile, he wrote a book ''Miłosierdzie Boga w dziełach Jego'' (''Mercy of God in His works'') in four volumes. He died on 15 February 1975 in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and was buried there. In 1988, his remains were transferred to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in

Białostoczek Białostoczek was a village in Poland that was incorporated, on 10 May 1919, into the city of Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in ...

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Veneration

Sopoćko's case for

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

was started at the Vatican in 1987. In 2004,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

issued a decree on Sopoćko's virtues.''Purest of All Lilies: The Virgin Mary in the Spirituality of St. Faustina'' by Donald H. Calloway, 2008, , p. 29 In December 2007, Pope

Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...

approved of a miracle through his intercession. His solemn beatification took place on 28 September 2008 at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, in Białystok. An estimated 80,000 people attended, including the Polish president,

Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...

, and the speaker of the

Parliament of Poland The parliament of Poland is the bicameral legislature of Poland. It is composed of an upper house (the Senate) and a lower house (the Sejm). Both houses are accommodated in the Sejm and Senate Complex in Warsaw. The Constitution of Poland does ...

, Bronislaw Komorowski.

References

Sources

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External links

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Blessed Fr. Sopocko - TheDivineMercy.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sopocko, Michal 1888 births 1975 deaths Polish beatified people 20th-century Polish Roman Catholic priests Academic staff of Vilnius University People from Białystok Catholic devotions Visions of Jesus and Mary Divine Mercy (Catholic devotion) 20th-century venerated Christians Beatifications by Pope Benedict XVI Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II Founders of Catholic religious communities