Helena Majewska was born as a daughter of Władysław Majewski (Polish family inhabiting the grounds of present Ukraine) and Maria from the Gorzelniaks (family originating from the Greater Poland, Polish territory at present) on 10th April 1902 (according to Gregorian calendar) in Podolia (Ukraine at present), in the village of Kuryłowka, Śnitków parish, where she was also baptized, although baptism record book is not available at present.
She came from Polish family, keeping patriotic traditions and attending secret school for Polish children.
She had two older brothers: Bolesław and Kazimierz. The first died on 1st December 1920 in Brudzewo near Kalisz (Poland at present), being over twenty, and Kazimierz died in the middle of 1962 in Łódź (present Poland territory). His descendants live in Poland.
Looking at the Majewski family from Helena’s childhood we can observe the results of Russian authorities repressions. The family was forced to change their place of living several times, worsening the family social status with every next moving. They moved, among others, to Sadkowice (1905), where Helena has a vision of an angel, Szarogród (1907), where in turn she had an apparition of Mary, to village of Śledzie (1915), where she suffered from serious bronchitis, Matejkowo (1917), Sewerynówka (1919) and Brudzewo, in the Greater Poland (after 1920).
At present we have incomplete information concerning her Ukrainian period of life, and we do not know either anything about her 4-year staying in the Greater Poland.
Helena may have completed four classes of gymnasium in Podolia and a vocational school in Vilnius, where she arrived, living with parents in her brother’s Kazimierz place in autumn 1924.
In 1926 she took up a thanksgiving pilgrimage to Trakai near Vilnius, thanking for healing in her childhood from a serious disease. She belonged, together with her parents to ‘The Apostleship of Prayer Society’ in the Jesuits church of St. Casimirus in Vilnius. From 1928 she worked in the branch office for the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver, located in the church of St. Johns, and from 1932 she became a member of the Society of Internal Mission of Jewish Conversion.
That was also Vilnius in 1933 where she met sister Janina Giedrojć CSA in the church of All the Saints, who was in charge of Eucharistic Circle and a councillor of the habitless Sisters of Angels Congregation, in accordance with the Congregation regulations not disclosing her belonging to it. Example of her faith and involvement fascinated Helena, who revealed her plans to devote her life to God. Janina in turn directed her to sister Konrada Iżycka-Herman, and in January 1934 she began her postulancy. Having completed it, Helena entered the novitiate in the Sisters of the Angels Congregation in October the same year, and started next stages of the formation. She made her first religious vows on 2nd October 1935 and perpetual vows, exactly six years later, during the war time, receiving the religious name of Rafaela.
Living her secret life of the Angels’ sister, she functioned in the world outside as a member of the Philanthropic-Educational Society ‘Labor’, working simultaneously in a weekly magazine ’Nasz Przyjaciel’ (Our Friend), in a shelter for the aged women of Zofia Tyszkiewiczowa, she looked after the Eucharistic Crusade, was a novitiate sub-mistress, a superior.
During the first Soviet occupation of Vilnius territory in 1939 serious repressive measures were taken against the Catholic Church, including monastic congregations. In August 1940 the authorities refused registration of the Philanthropic-Educational Society ‘Labor’, i.e. in fact the Congregation of the Sisters of the Angels, what meant dissolution of the congregation and prohibition of any kind of activity. Sister Helena continued temporary living in different houses of the congregation, acting in conspiracy and helping the ones in need.
On 14th April 1940 she started writing her ‘Diary’ (after some years it was taken by her co-sisters to the general house of the Congregation in the Peoples Republic of Poland – in communism times). She also met the priest Michał Sopoćko (the blessed at present), as she was urged by Jesus to reveal her mission – complete the deeds of Sister Faustina Helena Kowalska ZMBM. From that time Michał Sopoćko became her father-confessor.
On 27th October 1940 sister Helena dedicated herself to Jesus, and her life on behalf of the sins of the world.
On 22nd August 1941she had an apparition of Jesus who said: ‘/…/ you have to help Me to found the Order of Mercy’. She humbly fulfilled the task, having also visions of future candidates to the Order, which she recognized later. She also participated in the vows of so called Vilnius Six, i.e. future founders of the Institute of Divine Mercy and the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus.
Second intervention of the Soviet Army in Vilnius territory increased restrictions towards the Church. The victims included also the Sisters of Angels, as a result of which a part of them together with the Superior General were transferred to Poland in the middle of 1946. Sister Helena also planned to move to PRL, but she stayed in Vilnius seeing the property nationalization and numerous limitations of various activities. Deciding not to disclose their ‘Labor’ activities to the authorities, the sisters became in fact members of illegal religious institution, what meant being enemies towards the new regime.
In June 1947 Helena took up the function of the Superior of Vilnius house situated at Balio Sruogos ( Jonų g. at present), and in August she was elected the Councillor of the congregation. She worked professionally in ‘artel’, i.e. a kind of cooperative. When the firm combined with another ‘artel’, she gave up the job and started working at the post-office and later in a Secondary School no 5 as a secretary.
Superior General suggested Helena in July 1947 to turn with all problematic and difficult situations to father Kamil OFMConv. – Władysław Wełymański ,’Kamuszek’, who became her confessor and a spiritual father until the deportation.
After being arrested in 1949 father Kamil was also interrogated due to sister Helena, as her ‘Diary’ written in 1946 was found by KGB at his place (probably destroyed by KGB). Sister Helena was also interrogated by KGB in cases of father Kamil or the Sisters of Angels.
On 30th August 1950 sister Helena was arrested by KGB and her flat was searched. She was interrogated and waited for the sentence from Moscow, which was passed on 16th December, sentencing Helena for 10 years of imprisonment. She heard the sentence on 26th January 1951 and in June she was transported to the place of her imprisonment – Komi Republic, to Minłag camp. From 31st December 1951 until May 1955 she stayed in a special sub-camp for handicapped – Abeź, and until July 1956 she was in Kazachstan camp Karłag, also in sub-camps of Karabas and Sarepta.
In March 1956 a decision was passed to cancel the sentence and issue the act of rehabilitation. Sister Helena being enlisted to the transport to Poland came finally to Vilnius on 19th July, which was then situated within the territory of the Soviet Union, and the capital of the Lithuanian Soviet Republic.
She returned to her Congregation of Sisters of Angels as a retired sister. In 1957 she was elected to the Congregation Board in case of death of the other sister, and in June 1965 she was chosen to the Congregation Board at the territory of USSR. In 1966 she visited her co-sisters in Poland. She died in 1967 and was buried in the Sołtaniszki cemetery in Vilnius.
