Janina Kierocińska was born on 14th of June 1885 in Wieluń (Poland) into a large family of deeply religious landowners. She was baptized on June 21, 1885. Already on the day of her First Communion, June 9, 1895 (on the same day Therese of the Child Jesus offered herself as a sacrificial victim to the merciful Love of God), she felt a lively intimacy with Jesus in the Eucharist and wished to dedicate herself completely to God. Her vocation encountered difficulties on the part of her parents and especially from father. From her youth she became acquainted with the works of Saint Teresa of Jesus, which had a strong influence on her spiritual life. In the family environment she led a life of deep prayer, sacrifice and love of neighbour.
From 1909 she was under the spiritual guidance of the Servant of God, Father Anselm Gądek OCD (1884-1969). On 11th of May 1911, she entered the Third Order of Discalced Carmelites in Krakow and on 6th of October 1914 she made her profession, taking the name Teresa. When Father Anselm, as Provincial of the Polish province, founded on December 31, 1921, the contemplative-active Congregation of the Carmelite Sisters of the Child Jesus, he appointed Janina Kierocińska as the first superior of the new Congregation. Since then, as Mother Teresa of St. Joseph, together with the sisters of the new community, she began to serve God and the people in the poorest neighbourhood of Sosnowiec. During Father Anselm's stay in Rome (1925-1947), Mother Teresa for 21 years, that is, until her death, directed the life of the Congregation according to the constitution, written by him and approved in 1933 by the Bishop of Częstochowa.
The Servant of God (Janina) formed the sisters in the charism given by Fr. Founder in spiritual childhood and guided the works of the apostolate and mercy among the poor. During World War II she showed heroic courage. She protected in the convent the girls destined for deportation to Germany, helped the soldiers of the «Armia Krajowa», organized aid for refugees, cooking for the poor and the orphanage, dedicating herself to clandestine teaching of the children and youth. During the German occupation, she risked her life saving the Jews and after her death in 1992, she was decorated with the Righteous Among the Nations medal awarded by the Yad Vashem Institute of National Memory in Jerusalem. After the war, Mother Teresa, together with the sisters, took part in the new tasks of the Church in Poland. The sisters took care of catechesis in schools, ran a kindergarten and dedicated themselves to charitable work.
The magnanimous love she felt for every person rose from her profound unity with God. Throughout her life she cultivated in herself the spirit of prayer and sacrifice precisely for the sisters. Her pathway to holiness consisted of a total trust in God and dedication to neighbour. She was distinguished in a particular way by her devotion to the Child Jesus, the Holy Eucharist, the Most Sacred Face of Jesus, Our Lady of Mt Carmel and Saint Joseph.
She died, reputed for her holiness, on 12th of July 1946 in Sosnowiec. Currently her remains lie in the church of the Most Holy Face of Jesus in Sosnowiec. The cause of beatification of Mother Teresa of St. Joseph was begun on September 14, 1983 and was conducted in the diocese of Częstochowa in the years 1983-1988.
The Decree on Heroic Virtues was promulgated by Pope Francis on May 3, 2013.
