Galina Entkevich Roman Catholic Church activist Date of Birth: 01.01.1897

1. Early Life and Education
2. Involvement with the Catholic Church
3. Arrest and Imprisonment
4. Correspondence and Further Imprisonment
5. Exile and Death
6. Beatification Process

Early Life and Education

Galyna Yentkevych, also known as Sister Rosa of the Heart of Mary, was born into a Polish family in an engineering town on the Petersburg-Warsaw railway line. Raised in Moscow, she excelled academically, graduating with honors from the French gymnasium at the Catholic parish of Saints Peter and Paul in 1913. She then pursued studies in natural sciences at the Higher Women's Courses and spent nearly three years studying chemistry at Moscow University.

Involvement with the Catholic Church

After the Russian Revolution, Yentkevych worked as a schoolteacher and kindergarten teacher. In 1918 or 1919, she met Anna Abrikosova (Mother Catherine) and joined the Third Order of Dominicans in the fall of 1920, headed by Mother Catherine. She took the name Sister Rosa of the Heart of Mary, left her family, and resided in Mother Catherine's apartment, sharing living quarters with other nuns. She served as secretary to the senior member of the community. In addition to the standard Dominican vows, she made an additional vow to assist Father Vladimir Abrikosov (Father Vladimir), who provided spiritual guidance to the community.

Arrest and Imprisonment

In 1923, Sister Rosa and the other members of the community were arrested as part of a group of Russian Catholics. On May 19, 1924, she was sentenced to five years in prison, which she served in the Irkutsk political isolation ward. After completing her prison term, she was exiled for three years to the village of Kolpashevo in the Narym Region.

Correspondence and Further Imprisonment

During her incarceration and exile, Sister Rosa wrote letters to her family, who had relocated to Poland by that time. Notably, she wrote to her mother from prison: "Don't worry about me. I'm doing well and don't need anything... I beg you to think of yourself. I need nothing but prayer."

Upon completing her exile, Sister Rosa returned to Rybinsk (1932) and then Tambov (1934). In 1935, she was arrested again on charges of conspiring with imprisoned Catholic priests and was held in pretrial detention with other members of the community. However, they were released after nine months and relocated to Maloyaroslavets. There, Sister Rosa taught German in a school but was dismissed, along with another nun, for refusing to engage in anti-religious propaganda. She then worked as a typist and continued to participate in the community's activities.

Exile and Death

In 1942, Sister Rosa traveled to Kazakhstan to assist Mother Stefania Gorodets, who had been exiled to Novo-Shulba, approximately 100 kilometers from Semipalatinsk. There, she contracted pneumonia and passed away.

Beatification Process

In 2003, the official beatification process (the elevation to the status of a blessed) for Galyna Yentkevych (Sister Rosa of the Heart of Mary) was initiated.