Michał Sopoćko

The major turning point in Father Sopoćko's life occurred in 1933, when he was appointed ordinary confessor to the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Vilnius. It was there that he met Sister Faustina Kowalska. Faustina confided in him her mystical visions of Christ and the mission she had received to propagate the devotion to the Divine Mercy. Initially cautious and skeptical, Father Sopoćko subjected the young nun to psychiatric examinations to ensure her mental health. Convinced of the authenticity of her spiritual experiences, he became her guide and indispensable support.

It was at Father Sopoćko's command that Sister Faustina began writing her famous Diary (Small Diary), which would become a masterpiece of Christian mysticism. In 1934, to fulfill the request of Christ transmitted by Faustina, he commissioned the painter Eugeniusz Kazimirowski to create the first painting of the Merciful Jesus ("Jesus, I trust in You"). Father Sopoćko himself posed for the painter to help him represent the posture of Christ. He organized the first public exhibition of this sacred image at the Gate of Dawn (Ostra Brama) in Vilnius, from April 26 to 28, 1935.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus (Sorores Iesu Misericordis) began to take shape in Vilnius in 1941/1942. The first sisters took their secret vows on November 16, 1944, in Vilnius. After the Second World War, due to Soviet persecution and the shifting of borders, Father Sopoćko was forced to leave Vilnius in 1947 to settle in Białystok, Poland. The sisters moved to Myślibórz, where they officially began their common life on August 25, 1947. The congregation was canonically erected as a diocesan right institute on August 2, 1955, by Bishop Zygmunt Szelążek. It would receive final pontifical approval on May 13, 2008, under the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

The spread of the devotion to the Divine Mercy encountered numerous theological and administrative obstacles. In 1959, the Holy Office (Vatican) prohibited the distribution of images and writings of Sister Faustina in the form then presented, and issued a severe warning to Father Sopoćko. Faced with this trial, Father Sopoćko demonstrated heroic obedience and profound humility, submitting without reservation to the decisions of the Church while continuing to deepen theologically the mystery of Divine Mercy in a general manner.

The official investigation into the life and writings of Faustina was reopened in 1965 by the Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyła (the future Pope John Paul II), which led to the total lifting of the prohibition by the Vatican in 1978. Father Sopoćko would not see this rehabilitation in his lifetime. He spent the final years of his life in Białystok, where he continued to teach at the seminary until 1962 and to provide spiritual guidance to the faithful. He died holily on February 15, 1975, in Białystok, on the feast day of Saint Faustinus, the patron saint of Sister Faustina.

The cause for the beatification of Father Michał Sopoćko was opened at the diocesan level in Białystok on December 4, 1987. On December 20, 2004, Pope John Paul II promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

In December 2007, Pope Benedict XVI approved a miracle attributed to his intercession. This miracle concerns the scientifically inexplicable healing of a young man who was the victim of severe chemical poisoning.

The solemn beatification ceremony took place on September 28, 2008, at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Białystok. It was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and personal delegate of Pope Benedict XVI, in the presence of more than 80,000 faithful.

The spirituality of Father Michał Sopoćko is entirely centered on absolute trust in the Mercy of God, which he considered the greatest attribute of the Creator. He dedicated his life to providing a solid theological foundation for the private revelations of Sister Faustina, publishing numerous works, including his major four-volume work, The Mercy of God in His Works (Milosierdzie Boga w dzielach Jego).

His legacy endures today through the worldwide devotion to Divine Mercy, the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday (instituted by John Paul II in 2000), and the apostolic action of the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus, which he founded.