On Sunday, the octave of Christmas, which this year is December 28, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family, that is, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is also a celebration of every human family, which, like the Family of Nazareth is the work of the Heavenly Father and is intended to lead people to Him, and to be faced with many difficulties in this earthly life. Today, in times of a massive attack on the family, the crisis of marriage and family life, the Holy Family shows a happy model of community life, in which the first place is the Lord God, and  relationships between people apply the principle of love and mutual trust.

On this day, we thank God’s Mercy in a special way for the gift of our families and ask for the necessary graces for those who are experiencing difficulties and crises, and for the conflicted and broken families we ask for the grace of reconciliation, mutual forgiveness, a return on the path of mutual love and imitation of the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. In this intention, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, at the Image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina, a daily Rosary is recited at 8:30 pm, and the second Saturday of the month at 5pm Holy Mass is celebrated. You can join in this prayer online at www.saint-faustina.org where it is be broadcast.

The very word for “eve” in Polish, wigilia, comes from the word “vigil”. This particular vigil is filled with prayer, fasting and other mortifications undertaken out of love for Jesus, as a direct preparation for the celebration of His birth in the human form. According to Christian tradition, when the first star appears in the sky (referring symbolically to the Star of Bethlehem, which heralded the birth of Jesus), Poles sit down to supper in their homes, religious orders and various other communities. The wafer that Poles break with their dear ones as they exchange greetings provides an opportunity for forgiveness and reconciliation and creates an atmosphere of love in which God is present. Saint Faustina described several Christmas Eves in her Diary. She commented on her last one, which she experienced in 1937 in Krakow: Before supper, I went into the chapel for a moment to break the wafer spiritually with those beloved persons, so dear to my heart, though far away. First, I steeped myself in a profound prayer and asked the Lord for graces for them all as a group and then for each one individually. Jesus gave me to know how much this pleased Him, and my soul was filled with even greater joy to see that God loves in a special way those whom we love. After I had gone into the refectory, during the reading, my whole being found itself plunged in God. Interiorly, I saw God looking at us with great pleasure. I remained alone with the Heavenly Father. At that moment, I had a deeper knowledge of the Three Divine persons, whom we shall contemplate for all eternity and, after millions of years, shall discover that we have just barely begun our contemplation. Oh, how great is the mercy of God, who allows man to participate in such a high degree in His divine happiness! At the same time, what great pain pierces my heart [at the thought] that so many souls have spurned this happiness (Diary, 1438-1439). May God be invited to every home, every Christmas table and every human heart! Only in Him and His Mercy will the world ever find peace and man will find happiness!

It is a tradition that a solemn Mass named Pasterka („Shepherds’ Mass”) is celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve in Polish churches and chapels, including the ones of our Congregation. It is the first Eucharist of Christmas, which commemorates the expectation and prayer of the Bethlehem shepherds arriving to greet the Son of God born in flesh. A mystical experience of Sister Faustina described in her Diary brings us closer to the joyful mystery of Jesus’ coming to earth and living in clean hearts: As Holy Mass began, I immediately felt a great interior recollection; joy filled my soul. During the offertory, I saw Jesus on the altar, incomparably beautiful. The whole time the Infant kept looking at everyone, stretching out His little hands (Diary, 347).  After Holy Communion, she writes elsewhere, I heard the words: I am always in your heart; not only when you receive Me in Holy Communion, but always (Diary, 575). We would like to wish you all to experience the joy that comes from the presence of God in our souls during the Midnight Mass, throughout the holidays and on every day of the New Year!

The most important aspect of preparing for Christmas is concern about spiritual matters, so as to prepare for the new birth of the Son of God in your soul. This is why during this period we make a number of resolutions intended to organize our spiritual life, attend retreats and participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In many shrines of Divine Mercy, including the ones in Krakow-Łagiewniki and Plock, as well as in other churches, long lines are setting up for confession. Without this, preparations for Christmas will be deprived of the deepest joy that is the presence of God in your soul and they might become just two days off from work and an opportunity to give presents which fill you with joy only briefly. You do believe that God was born in a Bethlehem manger, but woe to you if He is not born in you, wrote the poet Adam Mickiewicz.

On December 16 a novena to the Infant Jesus will start in all the convents of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, including the chapel of the miracle-famous Image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina in the Shrine of Divine Mercy. Traditionally, the antiphons sung and the Litany of the Infant Jesus recited there prepare the faithful spiritually for Christmas.

During the fourth week of Advent, St. Faustina will lead us deep into our souls, which also became the birthplace of Jesus in us. Jesus came to this world to be born in every human heart and make it happy. “I seek no happiness except in my interior”, she wrote, “in which God abides. I rejoice in God within me. Here I dwell constantly with Him; here I am at my most intimate with Him; here I safely dwell with Him, here is a place beyond the reach of human gaze. The Blessed Virgin is encouraging me to abide with God in this manner” (Diary, 454). Let us try to make the last days of Advent a time of the new birth of Jesus not only in our hearts through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but let us strive to make sure that He finds a place in many human souls through our prayer and sacrifice.

On 22 December this year, a youth meeting titled “Łagiewnicka 22” will take place at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki. It will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the chapel with the grace-filled image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St Faustina, and will be led by sisters from the Kraków community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The programme includes a reading from the Diary of St Sister Faustina by Sr Eliana Chmielewska, followed by a moment of silent prayer and praise of Divine Mercy during the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

On December 22 this year, at the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome, another meeting of the community of the “Faustinum” Association will take place. During the meeting, trust in the school of St. Faustina will be discussed. The meeting will be led by sisters from the Roman community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and Fr. Fabio Nardelli, OFM, a Franciscan and professor at the Pontifical Antonianum University in Rome. The theme will be: “Humility and the Attitude of Trust.” The meeting will begin with prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3:00 pm) and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, followed at 3:20 pm by Holy Mass. The program also includes conferences, Eucharistic adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and the Rosary prayer.
Participation is also possible via a live transmission on Google Meet.

The Polish name for the votive Mass celebrating the Virgin Mary, celebrated in Advent is “roraty”. The name comes from the words of the introit which begins with: rorate caeli desuper – “Drop down ye heavens from above”. At the altar, a special candle decorated with a white ribbon is lit, symbolizing the Virgin, and the faithful hold lighted candles that illuminate the darkness inside the church while they are waiting for a sign of the coming of Christ. This candle is referred to as “roratka”. At the Shrine of Divine Mercy, this Mass is celebrated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 6.30 am. Internet users can get involved in the prayer online at www.saint-faustina.org .

Let us spend the third week of this Advent contemplating the mystery of Divine Mercy in the Nativity of Christ. Sister Faustina wrote: “And the uncomprehended miracle of Your mercy is accomplished, O Lord: the Word is made Flesh, God – the Word of God, Mercy Incarnate – has come to dwell among us. You have raised us up to Your Divinity by stooping down to us here is the surfeit of Your love, the infinite depth of Your mercy. The Heavens are astounded at the surfeit of Your love. No longer does anyone fear to approach You. You are the God of mercy; You take pity on our wretchedness; You are our God, and we are Your people. You are a Father unto us, and we are Your children by Your grace; may Your mercy be praised for Your gracious coming down to us” (Diary, 1745). Let us follow St. Faustina in considering the merciful love of God in the miracle of the Son of God being born in the stable in Bethlehem and in the soul of man. Let us thank Him for wanting to be so close to us from birth through all the events of life until death, to live with us in the Father’s house and make us heirs to Heaven.

As part of the preparation for Christmas, on 20 December this year, a one-day retreat will take place at the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the theme: “A great light has shone in the darkness.” The programme includes the Eucharist, conferences, individual and communal prayer during the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, as well as sharing experiences of God. The retreat will be combined with the Polish tradition of sharing the “Christmas wafer” and exchanging Christmas greetings.

On December 19 this year at 6:00 p.m., at the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Świnice Warckie, another formation meeting will take place for devotees of Divine Mercy who wish to come to know God more deeply in the mystery of His merciful love and to benefit from the school of spirituality of St. Sister Faustina. The “Faustinum” community is led by s. Lilioza Gorzkiewicz, and the spiritual director is ks. Marek Zieliński. Formation meetings are held on the third Fridays of the month.

On Wednesday, 17 December, a one-day retreat for young people from the first to the third year will take place at St. Elizabeth’s Medical School in Košice, under the theme: “Maranatha, come, Lord, come.” The retreat will be led by Sr. Mariela Lengyelová and Sr. Jana Mária Krnáčová from the Košice and Hrušov communities of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Slovakia.

On December 15, another Monday’s meeting will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, dedicated to contemplating the Catechism of the Catholic Church and prayer at the miracle-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina for the recovery of faith in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus, and for priests. At 6.45 pm, Fr. Janusz Kościelniak will lead a short meditation based on the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  The focal point of the program will be the encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with individual blessing. Those who cannot physically come to Łagiewniki, can connect to the on-line broadcast at www.saint-faustina.org .

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In the second week of Advent with St. Faustina, we would like to invite you to consider Divine Mercy in the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God. “God, You did not allow Man to perish after his fall, but in Your mercy forgave him; You forgave him in a Divine manner, not only forgiving his sin but also bestowing all manner of graces upon him. Mercy prompted You to come to come down to us Yourself and lift us up out of our wretchedness. God, the Lord of Lords, is to come down on Earth, the Immortal One is to stoop down. But where will You come down, O Lord? To Solomon’s temple? Will You have a new abode built for You? Where do You intend to come down? O Lord, what kind of abode shall we build You, if the whole Earth is Your footstool? You have prepared an abode for Yourself: the Holy Virgin, Her immaculate womb is Your dwelling” (Diary, 1745). During this week, let us follow St. Faustina in contemplating the Mercy of God in the mystery of the incarnation of His Son, Who took on a human form in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let’s be thankful that human nature became elevated in this way, and has been present in the mystery of the Trinity through Jesus ever since.

Under this title, in the series “The Names of Jesus in the Diary”, Advent retreats will take place on 12–14 December at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki. For St. Faustina, Jesus was the Lord in whom she placed complete trust and to whom she surrendered her life, desiring to fulfill His will in everything. The retreat will be led by Fr. Robert Więcek SJ, retreat preacher and Director of the National Secretariat of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, and Sr. M. Diana Kuczek of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, responsible for the formation of communities and individuals in Faustinum, editor-in-chief of The Message of Mercy, and family counselor.

On December 14 this year, Sr. Gaudia Skass of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy will share the message of Mercy, recorded in the Diary of St. Faustina, with the faithful during the Sunday Masses at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish (Nowe Piaski – Kraków). During a separate meeting, she will speak about the image of the Merciful Jesus and His second coming of Christ to the earth at the end of times.

The Hour of Grace for the World is celebrated from 12.00 pm to 1.00 pm at the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is connected with the revelation of Mary on December 8^th, 1947, in Montichiari, Italy, where She said: It is my wish that every year, on 8^th December, at noon, the Hour of Grace for the World be celebrated. Many divine and bodily graces will be received through this devotion. … This Hour of Grace will produce great and numerous conversions. Hardened and cold hearts resembling this marble will be touched by divine Grace, and they will become faithful to Our Lord in loyal love. … it is my wish that the Hour of Grace for the World be made known and spread throughout the world. … Soon one will recognize the greatness of this Hour of Grace. … If anyone is unable to visit his church, yet will pray at noon at home. At the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, the Hour of Grace is traditionally practiced in the chapel with the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina. You can join in this prayer online at www.saint-faustina.org , where it will be broadcast live.

On November 29, spiritual preparations for the celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary will begin in all the houses of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. There is to be a communal novena consisting of antiphons and the Litany of Loreto. In addition the sisters will be marking the Holy Day with an annual gift to the Mother of Mercy. Over and above the obligatory prayer in the convents’ chapels and her spiritual exercise, Saint Faustina used to make a novena which consisted in saying 1,000 „Hail Marys” each day. She admitted: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Apart from recreation, I have only prayed and worked. I have not said a single unnecessary word during these days. Although I must admit that such a matter requires a good deal of attention and effort, nothing is too much when it comes to honoring the Immaculate Virgin (Diary, 1413). You yourselves can also take part in the prayer online, thanks to our live transmissions from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki.

The novena of 1,000 “Hail Marys” daily, following the example of St. Faustina, is undertaken by the Sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Shrine in Kraków-Łagiewniki and at the Shrine in Niepokalanów.

Sister Faustina would begin every Advent with Virgin Mary. Before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, she would practice a novena with the whole Congregation, and in addition to that, she would always try to offer something more to the Mother of God (e.g. a novena of a thousand Hail Marys). She considered mercy that Mary experienced as a gift of her immaculate conception and the fullness of grace guaranteed to her by Archangel Gabriel, and the gift of Divine motherhood. The one who was chosen to become the Mother of the Son of God knows best how to experience the period of awaiting the coming of Jesus. She advised Sister Faustina: “try to make yourself meek and humble, so that Jesus, Who dwells perpetually in your heart, may rest. Adore Him in your heart, do not leave your interior” (Diary, 785). This may also be our decision for this Advent week to prepare our hearts for God’s ever more complete presence therein.

On December 3th, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Mass will be celebrated at 5 pm in the intentions of all the sponsors, donors and contributors of the media works carried out by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, and especially those who support the Chaplet for the Dying at  www.faustyna.pl and its language versions. Thanks to this support each year we are helping about 40 thousand dying people. Hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world can make a virtual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Łagiewniki and connect in prayer next to the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina. Sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy pray daily for the donors and benefactors who support the work, but this particular Eucharist will be a special gift of gratitude. You can join this celebration via the live video broadcast at www.saint-faustina.org  and in the Faustyna.pl application.

From 28 to 30 November, a retreat on Divine Mercy will take place in the parish of St. Catherine of Alexandria in the town of Šarišské Dravce, as well as in the parishes of Poloma and Krásna Lúka. At the invitation of Fr. Michal Paľovčík, it will be led by Sr. Jana Mária Krnáčová from the Košice community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. A sign of the spiritual renewal of the faithful will be the blessing of the image of the Merciful Jesus.

Under this motto, in San Romano in Tuscany, on November 28–30, a retreat will be held for the members and volunteers of “Faustinum”, aimed at good preparation for the experience of Advent and the Christmas season. It will be led by: Fr. Francesco Brasa, a Franciscan and the priest responsible for “Faustinum” in Italy, who will speak, among other things, about St. Faustina’s encounter with the Infant Jesus (the Incarnate Mercy) in the Eucharist, and Sr. Wincenta Mąka from the Roman community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, who will speak about the presence of Jesus in pure hearts. The program includes: Holy Mass, conferences, common prayer to the Divine Mercy, adoration, the rosary prayer based on the reflections from St. Faustina’s Diary, and sharing personal experiences of the retreat.

People from many countries of the world participating in the work of the Perpetual Chaplet of Divine Mercy are praying not only in their own intentions, but also asking for “mercy on us and the whole world”. Specific intention for November: for the necessary graces for the sick, the dying  as well as for the joy of heaven for the deceased.

The work of Perpetual Chaplet is a response to the request of Jesus to constantly implore for mercy “for us and the whole world”. The work has been operated by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at: www.faustyna.pl since 2011. Anyone can participate in it by filling out a short form and declare to say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which Jesus dictated to St. Faustina—at least once.

Advent is approaching, Sister Faustina wrote in her Diary. I want to prepare my heart for the coming of the Lord Jesus by silence and recollection of spirit, uniting myself with the Most Holy Mother and faithfully imitating Her virtue of silence, by which She found pleasure in the eyes of God Himself.  I trust that, by Her side, I will persevere in this resolution (Diary, 1398). This year, the first Sunday of Advent falls on 30^th of November. Liturgically, Advent and the new year in the liturgy of the Church begins with vespers on November 29^th. It constitutes a time of joyful anticipation of Christmas, spiritual preparation for this holiday and for the second coming of Christ on Earth, in addition to building our sensitivity to His everyday coming to us here and now, as St. Faustina did, through exercise in silence and recollection of spirit. The joy of experiencing the mystery of faith which tells us of the birth of the Son of God in human flesh, Mercy Incarnate, depends on this expectation and spiritual preparation.

On November 29, a day of recollection with the Mother of God will take place at the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Rio de Janeiro. Mary is the One who, even without understanding everything, trusted completely and said “yes” with faith and hope. Participants of this retreat will reflect on how to unite their own “yes” with Her “yes,” which transformed history; how Mary’s example helps renew trust in God, even in moments of uncertainty, so as to live with hearts open to God’s will.

On November 22 of this year, another meeting of the “Faustinum” Association community will take place at the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome. During the meeting, the topic of trust in the school of St. Faustina will be discussed. The meeting will be led by the sisters from the Roman community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and Fr. Łukasz Brus, the rector. The theme will be: “The Supernatural Virtue of Love and the Attitude of Trust.” The gathering will begin with prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3:00 p.m.) and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, followed by Holy Mass at 3:20 p.m. The program also includes conferences, adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and the Rosary with meditations from St. Faustina’s Diary.

It will also be possible to participate via Google Meet.

November is a special month of acting out of mercy towards the dead, whose souls are maturing in Purgatory to fully experience love. Saint Faustina visited that place in her mystical experiences and described it in the Diary: … I saw my Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. The flames which were burning them did not touch me at all. My Guardian Angel did not leave me for an instant. I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice that their greatest torment was longing for God. I saw Our Lady visiting the souls in Purgatory. The souls call her ‘The Star of the Sea’. She brings them refreshment. I wanted to talk with them some more, but my Guardian Angel beckoned me to leave. We went out of that prison of suffering. [I heard and interior voice] which said, My mercy does not want this, but justice demands it (Diary, 20).

Sister Faustina put this question to her deceased sisters while walking by the convent’s cemetery in Krakow-Łagiewniki. She received the following answer: We are happy in the measure that we have fulfilled God’s will (Diary, 515 and 518). Afterwards, the Saint meditated at length on how she was fulfilling the will of God and how she was using the time of her earthly life. This is something to think about when we visit the graves of our loved ones at this time of the year. Every cemetery contains unusual life stories of many people and at the same time it reminds us of the transience of human life, provoking thoughts on its meaning and purpose. Through the life of St. Faustina and her mystical experience, God, who wants happiness for every human being in both this and eternal life, reminds us in a powerful way where happiness lies and how to achieve it.

On 17–21 November, the annual retreat for priests will take place at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki. This year’s theme is: “Mercy in the Psalms – how to renew faith through praying with the Psalms?” For the participants, this retreat will be an opportunity for a personal experience of the Father’s mercy, which enables one to be a witness of His love in priestly ministry. The retreat will be led by Fr. Piotr Kwiatek from the Kraków Province of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin — a psychologist, psychotherapist, retreat preacher, and lecturer. It is organized by the Association of the Apostles of Divine Mercy “Faustinum”; more information is available at: www.faustinum.pl