Sr. M. Gabriela Kubecka
Aneta was born in Lublin (Poland) on February 27, 1980, twin of Regina with whom she spent her childhood. As a young woman she was involved in the group of young people of the Light -Life Movement. She willingly attended pilgrimages to the Marian Shrine of Jasna Góra in the “Timothy” group led by the Paulines. She was very active in the life of the Church.
A promising young woman full of hope, she entered the Congregation in Częstochowa on 16th October 1999. Her parish priest introduces her to us saying: “She is a prayerful person, modest, academic, hardworking and responsible. She has many qualities that will help her to serve God in her chosen religious order.”
After the novitiate, the Mistress of Novices, Sr. M. Urszula Szymańska, in presenting her for profession highlights some characteristics of Aneta:
“Aneta possesses a great capacity to learn, and she commits herself to serious personal study, deepening the knowledge of the Church’s doctrine and of our charism. She gladly shares with the group what she discovers in her personal study. A sense of belonging to our Congregation and to the Pauline Family is growing in her and she knows how to live her vocation with joy. She possesses a sense of the beauty of the liturgy and of our liturgical ministry.”
After her profession she was initially engaged in the liturgical apostolate: first in Częstochowa then in Warsaw, then for three years she attended the nursing course in Warsaw. She then spent time as a nurse in Częstochowa and dedicated herself to the care of the sick sisters. She herself affirms that this time was very favorable for growing in the gift of herself to others. She made her perpetual vows on 13th February 2011. In the written self-assessment in view of the perpetual vows she emphasizes important personal notes:
“My journey of conformation to Jesus the Master was marked on the one hand by the great desire for holiness and fidelity to spiritual direction and on the other I found in me so much impatience and the temptation of perfectionism. I learned to see in myself not only my weaknesses … but also the action of grace. Working as a nurse I took care not to forget the many dimensions of our apostolate, for example serving as organist, cultivating prayer for priests, helping in sewing workshops or cultivating silence as reparation for sins committed with the media and as a space to listen to God.
During the years of juniorate, I cultivated the continuous lectio of the Bible, rediscovering the personal importance of this nourishment. The crowning achievement of my formation was my stay in Italy and participation in the preparation for Perpetual Profession.
Participation in the international community in Rome enriched me very much. Knowing the richness of various cultures, I am convinced every day that Jesus the Master, whom we believe in and proclaim, is always the same, in every part of the world. I learned to accept diversity by seeking what is important: glory to God and peace to all.
Following the example of Mother Scholastica Rivata, I would like to become a candle that burns and joyfully consecrates her life so that God may be glorified, and all people saved. May God accomplish the work He began by calling me to follow Jesus the Master closely so that I too can say in the end: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”.
After her perpetual profession she was asked to be a nurse in the Priestly House of Lublin. She made herself known as a person of prayer, very silent, not only did she speak little, but she did not even make any noise around her, committing herself to doing well what was assigned to her. She did not enter useless discussions and did not deal with superfluous things. She was committed to working on herself, she knew how to take advantage of everything that was offered to her for her own growth. She took great care of her spiritual life. Every morning she got up early and went to pray so that she could then serve the elderly priests. She knew how to manage her time, she was able to reconcile the service of nurse with personal study, also giving a great contribution to the provincial secretariat in the translations of Italian texts“.
She was distinguished by her obedience and her sincere collaboration with those who were responsible was upright and virtuous. She carried out the apostolate with dedication, precision, and generosity. “Once she experienced some problems and asked me to change a certain decision, but for important reasons I could not do it and I tried to explain it to her“, says Sr. M. Cecylia Wilk, who was provincial superior at the time – “She listened attentively, then wiped the tears from her eyes and answered forcefully: all right! After a while I saw her fully engaged in her tasks with a cheerful face, only later she confided to me that she had benefited from that decision that had not been changed, so she was happy“.
At the beginning of 2014 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, which she accepted with great spiritual maturity and faith by undertaking the necessary examinations and treatment. She saw this as an opportunity to witness, especially to those who were struggling with the disease. She did not complain and did not focus excessively on her illness, she was confident that she overcome it. Shortly before the first chemotherapy treatment, it was discovered that she had been infected with the bacterium clostridium difficile while caring for one of the seriously ill priests. Despite hospitalization, after the first chemotherapy treatment, her weakened body became susceptible to the growth of this bacterium, but there was hope that with drugs her body would fight and overcome it. Sadly, she suffered septic shock that led to her death on February 21st, 2014 at 4.30 am in a hospital in Lublin, only 33 years old.
Dear Sr. M. Gabriela, in your notes you wrote that you wanted to be a candle that burns and joyfully consecrates her life so that God may be glorified, and all people saved. You shone briefly here on earth, giving everything, you could. We thank you for this. Your final night on this earth, as in your whole life, was the bride’s race in search of the Bridegroom, whom you finally found at daybreak, crying out full of happiness: “I held him and I will not let him go“. Remain, therefore, in this embrace of Love forever and intercede for the priests and sisters, especially the youngest, who, like you, love Jesus the Master and give their lives for him and for their brothers and sisters in every part of the world.
2 Comments
Dear sister thank you for your short and beautiful life.
Even though we were filled with sadness when we heard about your sudden death, we believe that you are a life giving candle to our congregation in the illuminating presence of God.
Pray for us
What beautiful witness of a life spent for selfless love
May her beautiful soul rest in peace