Sister Mary Alice Kwiecien

Beginning in 1950, Felician Sisters in Canada sought Felician Sisters from Poland to come and help minister to their displaced Polish compatriots. 

Sister Mary Alice Kwiecien, born in Poland, arrived in Canada in 1966 to serve her fellow Polish immigrants. In doing so, she saw the need to invite lay people to serve parishes in a broad range of roles. She got the opportunity to put her beliefs in action.

It happened that Father Stanley Bak was forming a new Polish parish in Mississauga and needed a pastoral minister to help serve the needs of the parish community, using each person's talents and gifts for the good of all and the glory of God. Sister Alice was a perfect fit for the new Blessed Maximilian Kolbe Parish established in 1979. 

Then, one year later, a surge of Polish refugees flooded into Canada. 

Sister Alice and Father Bak engaged parishioners to open their hearts and homes to these new arrivals from Poland. For the next 10 years, until Poland was freed from Soviet Rule, the parish of St. Maximilian Kolbe sponsored 6,000 Polish refugee families.

As co-coordinator of the sponsorship program, Sister Alice was responsible for ensuring that families were warmly welcomed. Integrating new immigrants was both challenging and rewarding; it involved a tremendous amount of work. From addressing physical needs to providing spiritual and moral support, and helping with psychological adaptation.

In 1992, on the 125th anniversary of Canada becoming a country, Sister Alice was honored for “her unique contribution to Canadian society” for sponsoring 6,000 families. She said her greatest reward was when people told her that because of her invitation and support, their lives changed, and they grew closer to God.