“In the army, I learned how to work with other people and work in a team. This made me try to see the value of community in the order and strive for the goal,” says the nun.
Before Sr. Jadwiga Szczechowicz decided to join the convent, she first worked in the US Marine Corps. However, it was only in the Congregation of the Albertine Sisters Serving the Poor that she discovered that her vocation was to help those in need.
Sister Jadwiga Szczechowicz was born in Suche, a small town near Poronin. As a thirteen-year-old girl, she emigrated with her family to the United States. In an interview with us, she mentions that after graduating from High School in Chicago, she decided to take a break from her studies. It was then that she joined the U.S. Marine Corps. For five years she was in active service, and the remaining four were in reserve.
”I felt good in the army, serving in the Marine Corps. I learned how to work in a team and that strength lies in unity, and in a group we can overcome even the biggest obstacles,” she says.
A nun with a military background
In the Marines, she drove a big truck, learned to dive and protected American diplomatic posts around the world. She served in Japan, Russia, Luxembourg and Botswana. Thoughts of a religious vocation began to cross her mind while working in Africa. “There I threw myself into the whirl of duties, looking for new challenges, until one day a 'spark of silence' appeared in me. Then I felt blissfully at peace. And since I joined the military, I've been both physically and mentally away from my family. I was losing contact with God, but also the ground under my feet,” Sr. Jadwiga recalls in an interview with Aleteia.
At that time, she got her hands on two books: Sister Faustina's Diary and Maria Valtorta's Poem of God-Man . After this spiritual reading, Sister Jadwiga no longer wanted to live without God. “I had questions about faith. My thoughts returned to my family home, to what my parents once passed on to me. I began to wonder if I really believe in God, what my identity is and what I have done with the gift of faith I have received,” explains the Albertine.
From the ranks of the army to… the monastery
Sr. Jadwiga recalls that in Botswana she heard colleagues talking about a girl who was a soldier and went to a convent. “I started to wonder what would happen if it was me,” recalls Sr. Jadwiga.
This is how her path to a religious vocation began. However, she continued to serve in the marines, first in Moscow, then in Luxembourg. One day, however, she decided to go to confession. After completing her military mission, she returned to Chicago to her family.
“I wanted to help others, so I enrolled in college, after which I will be able to work with people with disabilities. Although I have dealt with many difficulties in life, I was not convinced that this path was right for me. I saw sick, poor, lonely people around me. I even tried to help them, but I didn't know how to go about it. Once she went to the pastor of one of the American parishes, Fr. Michael Zoufal. She told him that she wanted to join a nunnery. “I got from him the addresses of ten convents that were closest to our parish. Albertine nuns were in the first place, but they did not answer the phone,” recalls the nun.
So Sr. Jadwiga decided that she would go to the Missionaries of Charity, but also in this case there were "stairs". “The superior said she wouldn't accept me because I was still on contract in the army,” she says. While "sitting" on the Internet, she was thinking about which congregation she could go to, "accidentally" her page of Albertine Sisters opened. “I called them again and this time they answered,” says Sr. Jadwiga.
"God Works Anytime, Anywhere"
The nun is convinced that through everything that happened in her life, God was preparing her to make a conscious decision about her vocation. "Life experiences helped me to understand that God works in every place and time, and nothing is impossible for Him" - she says.
S. Jadwiga emphasizes that in the army, all actions take place on orders, there is no time for discussion. “It differs from the order in that the order is more open, a space for dialogue. We can always report our doubts to our superior, talk about our feelings and what we currently have in our hearts. However, it still happens that I think like a soldier and in such moments I try to be more delicate,” says the nun.
It is here that he fulfills his vocation
Sister Jadwiga Szczechowicz has been a member of the Congregation of the Albertine Sisters Serving the Poor for nine years. On July 16, 2022 (along with four other sisters), she made her perpetual vows. There was no shortage of common prayer, singing of a highland band and thanks for the gift of a religious vocation.
Albertynka is in the last year of nursing studies. "It's a very demanding field of study, so I spend every free minute on learning" - he emphasizes in an interview with us. He also adds that he often thinks back to his time in the Marines. She confesses that she still hasn't managed to realize a certain travel dream. She would like to go to the Philippines. "We get a lot of letters from the inhabitants of this place who ask us for information about Saint Brother Albert and Blessed Bernardina," explains the Albertine. “The most important thing, however, is to surrender to God's will and trust Him,” he adds with a smile.