By Gia Myers • Posted September 12, 2024

Reading “The Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska” made a significant impression on a nursing student at Michigan State University who was beginning to discern religious life over a decade ago. The saint quickly became a “close friend.”

Now, Sister Marie Faustina Wolniakowski, RSM, is a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, and she’s the new Delegate for Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, a position she embraced in July.

In her role, Sister Marie Faustina supports consecrated persons – religious sisters and brothers, consecrated virgins and hermits – in the archdiocese, and she represents the archbishop to them in pastoral and canonical matters. She also supports those who are discerning a vocation to consecrated life as well as religious priests.

Growing up in Michigan, she was raised in a “very supportive and nurturing” Catholic family with four siblings. She enjoyed playing basketball and softball both in elementary school and high school.

On long car rides the family prayed the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet together. As a young child, she was not yet aware of the chaplet’s connection to Saint Faustina.

As a college student, Sister Marie Faustina became involved with young adult ministries and attended retreats and conferences. She began experiencing a “deepening of her relationship with the Lord,” and she felt “drawn to a deeper life of prayer.”

It was on a mission trip to Mexico during her sophomore year that she felt her heart “on fire” while serving others with great joy.

“My heart quickly became captivated with tending to the needs of others and seeing Christ in each person,” she said.

By the time she flew back to the United States, she knew the Lord was beckoning her to give more of herself. She started attending Mass as often as possible.

One day she attended a weekday Mass at a church she had never visited before, and the Mass readings for the day were providential. The first reading was from the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 3, in which the Lord calls Samuel, but being a youth, Samuel is unfamiliar with the voice of the Lord.

In verse 10, Samuel finally addresses the Lord saying, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” In that moment, Sister Marie Faustina realized that the Lord had been quietly speaking to her heart all along.

Pausing her college studies, she entered religious life at the Religious Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse in Alma.

“It took my whole family by surprise. They just didn’t see me becoming a sister, but they realized this is the Lord’s work,” she said.

When entering the novitiate, she received her religious name. At that time in her community, it was not common practice to provide name requests to the Mother General.

“So, I didn’t know which religious name I was going to receive,” she said.

When receiving the name of her “close friend” Saint Faustina, Sister Marie Faustina said she was “so grateful to God, and I knew the friendship I had with (the saint) was real, and it continues to be so. It’s all in God’s hands and his providence.”

At a Mass in August 2020, Sister Marie Faustina professed perpetual vows, including poverty, chastity, obedience, and service to those in need.

She also earned a degree in education at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She went on to teach at Catholic elementary schools in Minnesota and Colorado.

Coming to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia marked Sister Marie Faustina’s first trip to the East Coast.

“There’s such a rich and beautiful history in this archdiocese,” she said. “I’m enjoying learning about all of it.”

She appreciates how people in the archdiocese have been “so welcoming and supportive” to her in her new role, and she has a goal of visiting two religious communities per week, “joining them for prayer, getting to know their life and the work that they do.”

She also wants those in religious and consecrated life to know that they can reach out to her with any needs or issues.

“I’m so grateful to be of service and to be able to minister in this position because it’s such a beautiful role in the Church, and I want to be able to provide in the ways that this role is meant to be there for the Church,” she said.

“I will serve in any possible way I can and that he allows.”