Jadwiga Jaroszewska

On January 6, 1926, Jadwiga Jaroszewska began working as a volunteer in the venereal disease ward of Saint Lazarus Hospital (szpital św. Łazarza) in Warsaw, a place where marginalized women and prostitutes were forcibly treated. This date of January 6, 1926, is considered the founding act of her new religious family: the Congregation of the Benedictine Samaritan Sisters of the Cross of Christ (Zgromadzenie Sióstr Benedyktynek Samarytanek Krzyża Chrystusowego).

Quickly joined by other companions, she structured the work. In 1927, she took over the management of the "Przystań" (The Haven) establishment in Henryków, near Warsaw, intended for the rehabilitation of morally neglected young girls and single mothers leaving the hospital.

The association then acquired an estate in Niegów, which became the heart of the congregation. There, she established the general house, the novitiate, and a reception center for children suffering from mental disabilities. Faced with the lack of suitable structures at the time, Mother Wincenta developed an innovative educational and therapeutic method for these children, called the "family system" (system rodzinkowy), aimed at offering them a warm living environment that respects their dignity.

The work, initially recognized as a lay association under the name "Association of Samaritans," was officially erected as a congregation of diocesan right on December 8, 1932, by Cardinal Aleksander Kakowski. Mother Wincenta led the congregation as superior general for eleven years, despite her fragile health. She passed away prematurely on November 10, 1937, in Warsaw, following a serious kidney disease.

The reputation for holiness of Mother Wincenta Jadwiga Jaroszewska spread rapidly after her death. Her cause for beatification was introduced in the Archdiocese of Warsaw.

The diocesan inquiry into her life and virtues was officially opened on December 15, 1992, and closed on August 4, 1996. The decree of validity for the diocesan inquiry was issued by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on July 5, 1999. The Positio, a summary document demonstrating the heroic nature of her virtues, was published in 2012. On March 18, 2015, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thereby conferring upon her the title of Venerable.

Jadwiga Jaroszewska is currently recognized as Venerable. For her beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to her intercession by the Holy See is required. To date, no miracle has been the subject of an official decree of validation.

The spirituality of the Benedictine Samaritan Sisters of the Cross of Christ unites monastic contemplation with charitable action. It is based on the Rule of Saint Benedict, characterized by a love for the liturgy, a spirit of prayer, and a fraternal and familial atmosphere.

The specific charism bequeathed by Mother Wincenta rests on the adoration of Divine Justice and the expiation (reparation) of the sins of the world through Samaritan service to the most vulnerable. The congregation's motto is "Deus caritas est" (God is love). The sisters commit themselves to manifesting divine mercy where human dignity is violated, particularly among the physically or mentally disabled, abandoned children, and mothers in difficulty.

Today, the congregation (recognized as being of pontifical right on April 5, 1974) continues its work through several social assistance homes (Domy Pomocy Społecznej) in Poland (notably in Niegów, Bielawki, Fiszor, Moryń, Parchowo, and Pruszków). The mortal remains of the Venerable rest in a sarcophagus located in the Saint Jude Thaddeus chapel of the Holy Trinity Church in Niegów.

In recognition of her pioneering social action and heroic dedication, she was posthumously awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by Polish President Lech Kaczyński on November 19, 2009.