Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis

Sr. M. Fulgentia


Sister M. Fulgentia Kubis  is one of the sisters of the Polish Province celebrating her golden jubilee this year.

Daily ministry – bringing Christ’s healing presence

If you are looking for Sr. M. Fulgentia after lunch you will find her nowhere else but on the second floor of the Provincial House, in the infirmary - a unit for sick sisters.

She spends her time with them each afternoon. She goes there by the elevator as it is not easy to her anymore to take the stairway. Her duty is just to stay with the sick sisters so that the other sisters working in the infirmary could have a rest or do something for themselves.

Sister Fulgentia brings Christ healing presence through her humble but cheerful presence and good deeds.

The rosary, saying together with the older sisters, ends her afternoon duty.

There are many intentions to pray for: the world, community, family and those who ask "Sister pray for us...".

Youth

When she was 17 years old, she started working hard at a building construction. Although she was a young girl, she worked by a concrete mixer caring wheelbarrows with sand. She didn’t mind hardship. The most important thing for her was the fact that she had a job. Then she was moved to do some office work and she took a job as a store keeper.

God above has plans and sees more and far ahead  than we can even image.

Monika – this is sister Fulgentia’s baptismal name, didn’t realize at the time that experiences gained as a builder would be useful to her in religious life while building a new house in O?drzychowice, the one she lives in now.

Jesus called: "Follow me..."

Being asked about the beginning of her religious life she replied: "Once I went with my friend to a nearby village called Chrz?szczyce  to celebrate a church fair day of Our Lady of Scapular. On a notice board by the church I read some information about one of religious orders and at that moment the question arose in me: Am I to choose religious life???

I fought against that thought and against that question for a long time. Later on I shared it with my mother....she got sad, because she was worried about me. It was the year 1954 not easy time in Poland for the Catholic Church and religious congregations. Polish Primate, Wyszy?ski, was kept prisoner, a lot of convents were closed and sisters were taken to work camps or were isolated, a lot of sisters lost their job in hospitals. The government authorities took away properties of Church.

Perseverance and courage

While I was working at the construction I had a good and kind friend. He said that if I wanted to join a sisterhood  I should choose only Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. He had knew us well and he promised to help me.

He put me in touch with Sr. Ursina who worked in Opole at St. Wojciech (Adalbert) Hospital and was postulant mistress at that time.

Then talked to Sr. Ludwiga Brenninkmeyer – Provincial Superior, during her visit in Opole. It seemed that everything was going well until I needed my health record. I did have hard time getting it.

I went to a doctor and said that I needed my health record because I wanted to join a convent. He didn’t like my idea. He couldn’t understand why such a young girl wanted to serve God being a nun. In his opinion I was going to waste my life and so he wrote in the record that : Monika Kubis, that’s me, had a serious heart problem.

So I had to go another doctor to get the second opinion and he wrote truthfully that I was healthy.

Never before entering the congregation had I had a chance to be in O?drzychowice where the Provincial House and Novitiate have been located. Thus novitiate mistress Sr. M. Chromatia Hallas worried that a candidate is coming for good without prior visit and not seen before.

Whereas I didn’t even think of going to her sooner and introducing myself. Those were different days and it was enough for me to talk to Sr. Ludwiga when she was in Opole.

Today I am grateful to God for the golden jubilee of my religious vows.

A few important dates

13 April 1932 – Sr. M. Fulgentia, née Monika Kubis, was born in Krzanowice near Opole

16 July 1955 – she entered our convent in O?drzychowice

03 May 1958 – First  Vows

03 May 1963 – Final  Vows

1973-84 – she  worked as Provincial Treasurer and Secretary

In her religious life she has also been sisters’ superior, a bookkeeper and a sacristy worker in different houses of our Province.

Since 2001, she has been back to Ołdrzychowice which she saw for the first time on the day of entering our congregation.