Celine Borzecka

In Rome, Celine met Father Peter Semenenko, who became her spiritual director and encouraged her in her vocation. In 1882, she began an informal community life with her daughter Hedwig and other companions. In 1887, she opened a girls' school in Rome, whose chaplain was the future Pope Benedict XV. On January 6, 1891, she officially founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a unique case of co-foundation by a mother and her daughter. The institute developed rapidly in Poland, Bulgaria, and the United States. After the sudden death of Hedwig in 1906, Celine continued her work and passed away in Krakow on October 26, 1913.

The reputation of holiness of Celine Borzecka spread rapidly after her death. Her cause for beatification was officially opened in Rome in 1944 under the pontificate of Pius XII. The diocesan process carefully examined her writings and the testimonies regarding her heroic life in all its states: young girl, wife, mother, widow, and religious. On February 11, 1982, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroism of her virtues, conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

The beatification of Celine Borzecka was made possible by the scientifically inexplicable healing in 1999 of Andrzej Mecherzynski-Wiktor, her fifth-degree descendant, who was the victim of a severe head injury after a climbing accident. After a novena of prayers, the young man recovered completely. The miracle was approved by Pope Benedict XVI in December 2006. Celine Borzecka was beatified on October 27, 2007, at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome by Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, representing Pope Benedict XVI.

The spirituality of Celine Borzecka is deeply rooted in the Paschal mystery, summarized by the motto of her congregation: "Through the Cross and Death to the Resurrection and Glory." Her life bears witness to a constant search for and a loving acceptance of the will of God. Today, the Sisters of the Resurrection continue her work of Christian education and care for the sick in several countries, notably in Poland, Italy, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Australia, and Tanzania.