Others, the more thoughtful ones, said that Sister Faustina must surely be very close to God if she has the strength to bear all that suffering (Diary 126). The simple truths of the faith were becoming incomprehensible; my soul was undergoing torment, not finding contentment anywhere. Through the many visions that she had, she was able to grow and nourish her love for Christ in the Eucharist. Other saints and angels, whose company and assistance she had often enjoyed, also lent a helping hand. In the Vilnian period Jesus returned to the issue of the establishment of the Feast of Divine Mercy in the Church. Her family had ten children and was very poor. The suffering lasted a minute and then God again filled her soul with great comfort. She wrote: "I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. Her repeated protests that she felt unable to meet such a demand were of no avail. Some warned her of hallucinations, others declared she was hysterical and fantasising, and yet others acknowledged that she must be close to Jesus since she was bearing all this suffering with such calm. She said that she would soon die and that she had finished all she had had to write and pass on. The parish priest, Father Jzef Chodyski, made the following entry for 27 August 1905 in the parish register: On this day, 27 August 1905, at one oclock in the afternoon, Stanisaw Kowalski, farmer, aged 40 years, came accompanied by Franciszek Bednarek, aged 35 years, and Jzef Stasiak, aged 40 years, farmers of Gogowiec, presenting to us an infant of the female sex, born of his wife Marianna ne Babel, aged 30, at eight oclock in the morning of 25 August 1905 in the village of Gogowiec. Biography. But occasionally someone was a witness to them. Where, if not in Divine Mercy, will the world find rescue and the light of hope? The suffering martyrs go through is no greater, for at such times death would bring me relief; there is nothing I can compare this suffering with, this endless dying of the soul (Diary 1116). [2]. She looked unremarkable, slightly delayed age-wise, rather feeble figure, a maidservant and cook by profession, no dowry, not even the most meagre of trousseaus. Helenka asked the pastor of St. James parish, Father Jakub Dbrowski, for help. A sick man lived in a lumber room under the stairs in the house. Our dear Novice Mistress bolstered my courage in these difficult moments. At last on 1 August 1925, the vigil of the Feast of Our Lady Queen of Angels, the day came when Helenka Kowalska crossed the threshold into the convent enclosure. It turned out to be a false alarm. After a few weeks stay at Walendw she went to the Congregations house at Derdy, which was just a kilometre away where she cooked for the small group of sisters and over thirty charges. Shortly before she died she sat up in bed and asked Mother Superior to come up closer. My soul started to die from the suffering. Nevertheless, my confessor did not allow me to miss a single Holy Communion. 2. Mother Michaela Moraczewska, superior of the Warsaw house, who was present during the conversation, offered to speak to the candidate herself. Jesus not only revealed the depth of His Mercy to St. Faustina, but also gave her new forms of worship: the picture inscribed Jesus, I trust in You, the Feast of Divine Mercy, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the Prayer in the Hour of His Death on the Cross, the Hour of Mercy. She is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as a saint, and is known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy. St Mary Faustina Kowalska was born on 25 August 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland, to a poor, religious family of peasants, the third of 10 children. He called her Diary a Gospel of Mercy written from a 20th-century perspective, which has helped people to survive the extremely painful experiences of these times. The child received the name Helena in Holy Baptism administered on this day, and the godparents were Konstanty Bednarek and Marianna Szewczyk (Szczepaniak). However, under heavy inner pressure, Sister Faustina did not wait until the feast-day but told Father Andrasz during her weekly confession that she had decided to leave the Congregation. In the Lipszyc household Helenka was treated like a member of the family, they all loved and respected her for her hard work and cheerfulness, she had a way with children, in short she had all it takes to be a good wife and mother. Through her the Lord Jesus communicates to the world the great message of God's mercy and reveals the pattern of Christian perfection based on trust in God and on the attitude of mercy toward one's neighbors. As a little girl she was already distinguished from others by a sense of mercy. The pale ray stands for the water which justifies souls; and the red ray stands for the blood which is the life of souls Happy is he who shall live in their shadow, for the just hand of God shall not reach him (Diary 299). After the funeral service, which was conducted by Father Wadysaw Wojto SJ attended by two other priests, the sisters themselves carried Sister Faustinas coffin down to the communitys cemetery in the garden. Required fields are marked *. For Your Sons sake, You have to love me (Diary 240). During her next confession she told her confessor about this incident. I saw how enthusiastically Sister Faustina carried out all her duties. After taking her first vows Sister Faustina stayed for a few months in Krakw. With this priests help, Sister Faustina commissioned an artist to paint the first Divine Mercy image, based on her vision of Jesus. The first months of 1938 saw a further deterioration in Sister Faustinas health, and her superiors decided to send her to Prdnik Hospital again after Easter. Those who are strong devotees to Divine Mercy and St. Faustina, may know a lot already about her life. In October 1928 the Congregation held its General Chapter, and the office of Mother General was entrusted to Mother Michaela Olga Moraczewska who was educated (a graduate of a music conservatory) and spoke several languages. . She would often tell the sisters and charges about Gods love of mankind and about the tremendous value of doing good to ones neighbour. At the hospital she experienced a lot of extraordinary graces. On Friday, 13 September 1935, Sister Faustina had a vision in her cell of an Angel who was sent down by God to punish the earth. On 2 February 1923 Helenka was sent by an employment agency to the house of Mrs. Marcjanna Sadowska, who had a shop at No. When she entered the ward next day she saw that one of the patients was dying and heard that the agony had begun during the night at the hour when she had woken up. To find out more about St. Faustina, click here. But when I went down to the kitchen, I didnt find anything for the poor, yet after a while, I found some soup, which I heated up, crumbled a bit of bread into it, and gave it to the poor young man. And you could always observe a childlike joy on her face. Join the "Apostle of Mercy" as you prepare for Christ's birth! Her relics are in the Shrine of the Divine Mercy at agiewniki, Krakw. Sister Faustinas parents came to the agiewniki convent. I gave her the prayers and said good-bye, and she said, 'See you in heaven. He asked me to say the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus for my penance. I opened up all my soul, as usual. But already after three weeks she observed that there was little time in the convent for prayer, and wanted to move to a stricter order. At night, when she prayed prostrating herself on the floor, she saw the tortured face of Jesus and asked, Who has hurt You so much, Jesus? Jesus replied, You will cause Me such pain if your leave this Order. I felt wonderfully happy at having been able to confess everything. Sister Szymona Nalewajk, since she and Helenka were postulants in the same period, admired Helenka for taking all the humiliations so meekly and without grumbling. Already in the first days, when she suffered much because for nearly three weeks she had no access to confession, This afternoon, Father Andrasz came into my isolation room and sat down to hear my Confession. That was the family atmosphere of little Helenka, Gods chosen one to be the prophet of our times. He asked her to hold the moment of His death on the cross in veneration. I shall complete all that is wanting in you (Diary 435). When the painting was completed Father Sopoko put it up in a dark corridor in the Observantine Convent next to St. Michaels Church, of which he was rector. Towards the end of April 1932 she came to Krakw for an eight-day retreat which was to be followed by her perpetual vows. She felt that she loved God and was loved in return. During the terrible war years the devotion to the Divine Mercy spread rapidly, bringing a ray of light and hope into the darkness. She suffered from tuberculosis of the lungs and alimentary system and that is why for over 8 months stayed at the hospital in Krakw Prdnik. Sister Faustina followed the novice mistress instructions attentively and fulfilled all the duties allotted her with exactitude. St. John Paul II called her "the great apostle of Divine Mercy in our time." He declared the Sunday after Easter "Mercy Sunday." In preparing for her role, Vargo delved into the saint's dairy and life. Here are some more interesting facts: The Diary of St. Faustina is the second most important book in the world, after the Bible. This conduct was inspired by Helenkas fervent faith and concern to be like Jesus trusting in the Heavenly Father even when He was on the cross and Who was meek and humble throughout His life, loving all people with a patient, understanding, and indescribably self-sacrificing love. But Sister Faustina was not pleased, although the artist and Father Sopoko did all they could to render as faithful an image of Jesus as possible. Sister Faustina told him that his chief concern was to be the establishment of the Feast of the Divine Mercy in the Church and not to worry too much about the new congregation, and that there would be signs which would let him know what to do in this matter. Sister Faustina was born on 25 August 1905 in Gogowiec, Poland to Marianna and Stanisaw Kowalski as the third of ten children. The Candlemas candle continued to burn.. By William Nardi 10/5/2020 Sister Gaudia Skass of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy displays an image of the Divine Mercy. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept My mercy. During the homily for her canonization on April 30, 2000, the pope declared Divine Mercy Sunday to be celebrated worldwide. Under Communism maintaining contact between Poland and the Holy See was not at all easy, and so it was difficult to refute the Holy Sees objections to the writings of Sister Faustina and the forms of worship. One day she held a lottery, another time she put on her mothers old clothes and as a beggar went from house to house and the collected money gave to the parish priest for the poor. That is the hour of great mercy for the whole world (Diary 1320). It was Father Micha Sopoko, who lectured in pastoral theology in the Faculty of Theology of the Stefan Batory University, and in educational studies in a teachers training college. Roman Catholic Saint-Maria Faustina Kowalska, known as Saint Faustina, born Helena Kowalska was a Polish Nun who is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as a Saint. I could also clearly see the great holiness of God, I did not dare raise up my eyes to Him but cast myself into the dust at His feet, begging for mercy. The superior of the house, Mother Irena Krzyanowska, like to visit her there, and observed Sister Faustinas great calm and a strange charm about her. During the ceremony she fainted twice. In December of the same year she came back to the house in the ytnia, but not for long. On April 18, 1993, the Holy Father John Paul II raised her to the glory of the altars and on April 30, 2000, numbered her among the saints of the Church. These words filled her soul with a terrible awe. 9 in the Kronieska, and worked for three ladies who were Tertiaries of St. Francis. In the convent chapel Father Andrasz blessed another picture of the Merciful Jesus painted in accordance with Sister Faustinas instructions and started special services in honour of the Divine Mercy. He did his best to follow all her requirements.. However, impelled by the vision of the Suffering Christ, in July 1924 she left for Warsaw to find a place. I wanted to die but could not (Diary 23). At night the whole family would kneel for evening prayers, in May they would sing the Loreto Litany in front of the outdoor chapel outside the house, and in October recite the rosary. She never showed the slightest doubts as to the authenticity of her mission nor fear of death, she was absolutely engrossed in the leading light of her entire life the devotion to Divine Mercy.. He promised her his special help and protection, but asked her every morning to say three Our Fathers and one prayer which the Congregation said in honour of St. Joseph. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize my unfathomable mercy. Word went round in the Pock convent that Sister Faustina had had a vision. It was in the convent at Pock, where Sister Faustina arrived in the May or June of 1930, that her great prophetic mission was to begin. O Mother of God, Mary Most Holy, You, O Mother, are now my Mother in a very special way, because Your beloved Son is my Bridegroom, so we are both Your children. Already on her third day there she had evidence of the efficacy of the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy Jesus had given her. I was to bring her into the life of the community, and admired her for her quick learning. I looked at Sister Amelia but said nothing. She was better at keeping the house than I was. ultimate desires God has for His dear children. She fetched her rosary, knelt by the dying persons bedside and started saying the Chaplet with all the powers of her spirit, asking Jesus to fulfil the promise He had made regarding the Chaplet. That day was to be the refuge for all souls, especially the poor sinners. When she wanted to please her father she would take the Lives of the Saints or some other religious book from our modest bookcase and read aloud. the Diary, 1732). But the joy of those days for Sister Faustina was the fact that Jesus requests had been fulfilled. Sister Felicja was surprised that the doctor allowed her to go to Mass despite her poor condition. Jesus made a big sign of the cross over me and I crossed myself. At the age of nine, she made her first Holy Communion. Jesus paid no attention to this and did not withdraw His directive, but encouraged her, saying, Do not be afraid. From a very tender age she stood out . No-one can deny that God is infinitely merciful; He wants everyone to know that. Her superiors sent her first to the Congregations house in nearby Walendw, where an eight-day annual retreat was just starting under the direction of the Jesuit Father Edmund Elter, a professor of ethics, homiletics and rhetoric at the Gregorianum University in Rome. The week for Confession came she recorded in her diary and, to my joy, I saw the priest whom I knew before I came to Vilnius. Mother Superior Irena Krzyanowska wrote, So as not to attract other sisters attention to Sister Faustinas inner experiences, every Saturday morning I would go with her to Holy Mass at Ostra Brama, and afterwards we would visit the artist, who was given detailed instructions by Sister Faustina how to paint the picture of the Merciful Jesus. This was also when she underlined the words Jesus had said, as instructed by her Vilnian spiritual adviser. They were attended by crowds from the City of Krakw and its environs. It happened again for 13 days, but I was never sure that he would bring me Holy Communion on the next day(Diary 1676). At first Mother General had not consented to her leaving the Congre- gation and had warned Sister Faustina to beware of delusions and imprudent moves, but now that she was travelling to Krakw for a visitation, on 4 May 1937, she said: Up to now, I have always held you back, but now I leave it entirely up to you; if you want to leave, you can do so; if you want to stay in the Congregation, you can stay(Diary 1115). He asked people to kindle that spark of Gods grace and to transmit the fire of mercy to the world. The flames of mercy are burning Me; I want to pour them out onto human souls. Pilgrims started to come to her grave in the agiewniki Convent and pray for her intercession. Just as the astounding revelations on the Divine Mercy entrusted by Jesus to St. Faustina constitute God's final effort of salvation . And when her superior forbade her these visits to the bedsides of the dying on account of her own poor health, she would offer up her prayers and acts of obedience for them, which as Jesus had taught her meant more in His eyes than great deeds undertaken wilfully. When I recognised Him, He disappeared from sight. Soon after that mysterious event she returned to Gogowiec to ask her parents permission to enter a convent. He advised her to be true to these graces, urging her not to stay away from them but to entreat God for a spiritual director who would help her in understanding and carrying out Jesus wishes. They are bringing the message of Mercy into the world through the witness of their lives, works, words, and prayer. She is known and venerated within the Church as the Apostle of Divine Mercy. Jesus request that she proclaim His Mercy to the world occurs time and again throughout the diary. I was extremely happy, as I desperately wanted to make my Confession. She waited for the priest He had promised and the chance to have the painting of the Merciful Jesus made according to Gods will. Suddenly someone woke me up. But Helenka felt her heart was so big that no human love would satisfy it. Sister Faustina had achieved the fullness of union with God and sang a hymn in honour of His unfathomable Mercy. Through the locutory door which was ajar she saw an unpretentious girl and at first, on observing her somewhat shabby appearance, had a mind to turn her away but it occurred to her that it would be more charitable first to talk to her. She prayed to the souls in purgatory to wake her when the time came for Sister Faustina to die. Can the Divine Mercy prayer be said at any time? In October 1937 Jesus gave Sister Faustina another form of worship of the Divine Mercy. Others in her state would never rise, but he had seen her holding on to the wall as she walked to the chapel. What was the main message that Jesus told St Faustina? As I was a senior novice I had to act as her guide (angel). Whenever I left the house Mrs. Sadowska said of her maid years later I could rest assured. Faustina I Silver Roman Imperial Coins (27 BC-476 AD), Finally, as he later disclosed, More out of curiosity rather than conviction as to the authenticity of Sister Faustinas visions, I decided to have the picture painted. This message, Pope Benedict XVI has said, The message of Mercy as the Divine Power, as God putting a check on all the worlds evil, is indeed the chief message of our times. And the Lord told me that He was very pleased with my trustfulness (Diary 54). The moment I took back the cup from him, he let me know that He was the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Not only her parents noticed little Helenkas goodness, and her open attitude to God and other people. Visitors traveled great distances to see the . He promised special graces to priests who preached the truth of Gods merciful love for mankind. Firstly in Warsaw in the ytnia, in 1929 she went to Wilno to replace Sister Petronela Basiura, who was leaving for her third probation; then she returned to Warsaw and the house in the ytnia, only to be sent off to a new house on the Hetmaska in the Grochw district. Sister Faustinas prophetic mission was kept strictly secret during her lifetime. Tell distressed humankind to come up and cling to My Heart, and I shall fill it with peace. The Feast of the Divine Mercy has entered the universal Churchs liturgical calendar for good. He asked for something hot to eat. This argument and their childs happiness persuaded her parents and from then on they had no further objections to her life in the convent. The mystery of Divine Mercy took up the central position in Sister Faustinas life and apostolic work. "After it will come the Day of Justice. Located in: Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. 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