The story of the Sister Servants of Jesus journey from Warsaw, Poland to the Shrine of Saint Joseph in Stirling, New Jersey begins fifty-five years ago in war-torn Poland. A young man from Saint Paul, Minnesota, was serving with the 42^nd Infantry Division during World War II. His unit was part of the Allied Forces that liberated the infamous concentration camp at Dachau. Among those imprisoned at Dachau was a newly ordained Capuchin Priest name Father Raphael, who was arrested when the Nazis invaded Poland.

Ten year's later a chance meeting in Washington, D.C. united the two men together again. By his time, the young soldier had become a Trinity Missionary, Father Leonard; and he was pursuing graduate studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.. After the war, Father Raphael had immigrated to the United States and was also studying at the university.

The two priests became friends and not surprisingly, shared their experiences' of the war. What was surprising was the discovery that their paths had crossed a decade earlier at Dachau.

Their story made the newspapers both here in the United States, and in Poland. After finishing graduate school the friends parted ways. After a few other mission assignments, Father Leonard Bachmann became Director of the Shrine of Saint Joseph, from 1969 to 1980. Coincidentally, Father Raphael was working at a nearby parish. Father Raphael's sister had joined a religious order, the Servants of Jesus in Poland. When the Sisters decided to try to open a mission in the United States, they sent Father Raphael's sister. With her brother's help, Sister Agnes found work as a housekeeper at Saint Vincent de Paul's Parish in Stirling, just minutes from the Shrine of Saint Joseph. Sister Agnes practiced her English and prayed for the day when more sisters could join her in America.

Sister Agnes and Father Leonard met a few years later, again by chance, when Father Leonard was a guest at the parish where she worked. Sister Agnes recognized Father Leonard's name on the program and sought him out. When she learned that he was indeed the same man who had saved her brother those many years ago, she became overwhelmed with gratitude. Because of the emotional ties they shared with Father Raphael, Father Leonard and Sister Agnes felt an immediate bond. When Father Leonard learned of her situation, he agreed to sponsor other Sister Servants of Jesus from Poland. He gave the sisters work at the Shrine, and turned an adjacent house into a convent.

The order of the Sister Servants of Jesus was founded in 1884 by a Capuchin Priest, Father Honoratas Kozminski. He was declared "Blessed" on December 8, 1884. The original work of the sisters was with young peasant girls who were flocking to the cities to find work as domestic servants. The sisters would try to place them in good homes where they would be treated well. For the young women who did not have domestic skills, the sisters ran schools to teach Home Economics and gave the girls shelter at their convents.

The Communists took everything from us, explained Sister Sophie, but because we never wore a religious habit, we were not easily recognized as nuns. We had access into many places that would otherwise be closed to us. We had to work incognito, but because our sisters had jobs in schools and hospitals, we were able to be influential in quiet ways.

Even so, the cloud of communism hanging over all religious communities in Poland foliowed the Servants of Jesus to America. Fearing reprisals on their sisters back home, they were afraid at first to let anyone know what members of the community had come into the United States. It was only after the breakdown of Communism in Eastern Europe that the Sisters felt completely free to talk about their religious life.

Today the Sister Servants of Jesus have hundreds of sisters working worldwide in Poland, Ukraine, England, Bolivia, and the United States. Six sisters are now serving in Stirling, New Jersey. Sisters Anna, Sophie, Sophia, Stephanie, Krystyna, and Halina. Father Leonard brought the first sisters to Stirling nearly twenty-five years ago. Father Leonard spoke of the sisters in this way - "I think of the Sister Servants of Jesus as the Heart of the Shrine, They are the most generous, industrious, and prayer-filled women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I am confident, that the many graces God has given me are the result of their prayers."

The sisters are grateful for all Father Leonard has done to make their dream of a mission in the United States come true. In fact, the sisters feel a deep kinship with all our Trinity Missionaries. Sister Sophie has said, "We feel like brothers and sisters. Many times, tears come to our eyes because of their goodness. It is beautiful how they reach out to us."

Their journey from Warsaw to Stirling has been challenging, but the sisters have no regrets. They truly believe that the Lord has led them to the Shrine of Saint Joseph, and they place their future in God's hands.

At present our sisters devotion and love are seen daily at the Shrine of Saint Joseph through the management of the Residence, Gift Shop, Chapel maintenance, preparations made for the many Retreats scheduled at the Shrine, and numerous other duties.

Left To Right Top Row: SR-Krystyna Sagan, SR. Anna Karwat,
                                           SR. Sophia Kozikowska, SR, Sophie Kedziora,
Left To  Right Bottom Row: SR. Halina Momot And SR. Stephanie Tylczak.