Sister M. Kandida Lukáčová

Sr. M. Kandida – Mária Lukáčová
Born: September 18, 1926   Died: October 11, 2023

Sister Kandida was born on August 18, 1926, in Skároš, near Košice, in Slovakia.
Her parents, Ján and Helena, had twelve children.

Sister Kandida attended school - eight grades - in her native village.
She attended other four grades in Spišská Nová Ves.

At the age of 21, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Redeemer
in Spišská Nová Ves and became a candidate.
A year later, in 1948, was admitted into Novitiate by the Provincial Superior,
Sr. Oktávia Majzonová, in Levoča. After two years, on August 24,
1950, she made her first profession in Levoča. She made her final profession on July 9, 1958, in Košice.

Her first assignment was the state hospital in Košice.
There she worked for 11 years as a nurse in the chirurgical department. In 1957,
she continued her education and she became registered nurse.  

Since 1948, there was a tendency to remove the religious in the country.
In hospitals the Sisters were persuaded to remove their religious dress
so they could continue in the nursing. Since the Sisters were faithful to their vocations,
the withdrawal of Sisters from hospitals was slow because the hospital administrators
did not have lay nurses who could work instead of religious nurses.
Sister Kandida was the last group of Sisters in Košice to be fired.
During the night on July 7, 1959, the Sisters had to pack quickly.
At 1 a.m. the command rang out “Load luggage!”
At 3 a.m. they attended the last Holy Mass and at 5 a.m. the bus with whitewashed windows
took them into the unknown. At 1 p.m. the bus stopped at the ancient castle in Slovenská Ľupča.
There Sister Kandida worked at field for the United Peasant Cooperative for two years, 1959 – 1960.
The next twenty-eight years (1960 – 1988), she worked in the Institute for Handicapped and Mentally Ill, in Velehrad.
After her retirement, she still worked hard: five years (1987 – 1992) in Charitas in Rúbaň
and fifteen years (1992 – 2007) in the Priestly Seminary, first in Slovenská Ľupča,
then, when it moved in Badín. At the age of 81,
she was transferred to the community in Vrícko where she spent her last 16 years.

Working in a priestly seminary formed several characteristic features in her.
In the documentary  “Suffer, Be Silent and Pray”, which was processed by LUX Television,
she expressed her love to the seminary and priests. She prayed a lot
and sacrificed herself for priests and new vocations. She also prayed
“for those young men who have no courage to enter a seminary.” Once she said,
“There will be nowhere better for us than in Badín, except Heaven.”

Although she was bedridden the last few years, she grew spiritually.
When she was no longer able to read, she liked to listen very carefully lives
of saints that she was able to say again. She showed gratitude until her last breath.
She liked to gift others.  

She was interested in what was happening in our Congregation
and about Sisters, even during the last General Chapter in 2023.
During the recent elections in Slovakia, she would like to vote.
When a younger Sister asked her who we were going to vote for, she said seriously, “God’s mercy”.

Sister Kandida had a young spirit. Therefore, all Sisters liked her.
We knew that she really loved us and prayed for us. When she prayed,
she prayed fully, attentively and concentrated. Her favorite prayer was “Glory Be”.)
Another ejaculation was “Only how Jesus would like”.
Despite her illness, she was cheerful, enjoyed little things, she pleased and encouraged others.
After a hard and sleepless night, she prayed, “Jesus, take everything, everything take and I give You everything.”
In the last days, her consolation was the cross, which she held tightly in her hands and repeated,
“Jesus, I love You and thank You for everything.”

She venerated especially Infant Jesus and St. Joseph. Him she invoked, asking for help
to persevere to the end. The Lord called her to Himself on Wednesday, a day of St. Joseph.

Our Sister Kandida remains a great example for us,
how we should live fully with God and for God, for which we thank her.

Eternal rest grant her O Lord
and perpetual light shine upon her.  
May she rest in peace. Amen.