On September 30, at 6.30 am, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Holy Mass will be celebrated at the Image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina in the intentions of IT specialists, donors, translators and other individuals contributing to www.saint-faustina.org. The Eucharist is an expression of gratitude from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy for bringing the message of the merciful love of God towards man to the world together. Let it bring great glory to the Divine Mercy in human souls.
On Saturday, 30th of September, 14th Living Rosary Pilgrimage will come to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. The program for the meeting includes a 10 am prayer and welcoming of the pilgrims at the Basilica, a special sermon, rosary, and a solemn Mass. The pilgrims will also visit the chapel with the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina.
On September 28, we will be celebrating the anniversary of the beatification of Fr. Michael Sopocko. At 3 pm on squares, corners and intersections of the streets in crowded cities, as well as in other public places and at rural crossroads, people will gather to recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The participants will pray for mercy for themselves, their loved ones, their homeland, the Church and the world. Everyone can join. The event is held to remind us about the message of God’s mercy that Jesus gave to St. Faustina. Just find a place at an intersection and recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, individually or in a group. If this is impossible – you can connect spiritually. More: www.iskra.jezuici.pl.
On September 23th (Saturday), the 12th pilgrimage counting several thousand Greek Catholics from Slovakia will arrive to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. At 9.15 am, Akathistos will be sung in honor of the Blessed Mother of God. The solemn Byzantine Rite Mass at 10 am will be chaired by Archbishop Peter Rusnák, the Metropolitan of Bratislava. After lunch break (about 2.00 pm), Sister M. Clareta Fečova from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki will provide a conference about Our Lady in the life and writings of Saint Faustina. The pilgrims will pray at the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus next to the tomb of St. Faustina. The pilgrimage will end officially at 3 pm with prayer at the Hour of Mercy, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and a pastoral blessing.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a special gift from God for our times, because it was dictated by Jesus Himself and has great promises attached to its trustful recitation. It is now the best known and widely practiced prayer to Divine Mercy. Its words are recited not only by Roman Catholics, but also by Greek Catholics, Maronites, Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Anglicans and people of other faiths, who experience its extraordinary effectiveness in obtaining graces and temporal benefits.
As a result, various initiatives and works of mercy have sprung up around this prayer. The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy maintains the Perpetual Chaplet and the Chaplet for the Dying projects, and produces television and radio broadcasts in Poland, Rome and Slovakia.
At the Shrine of Divine Mercy, this prayer is recited every day by the Sisters and pilgrims. Communion is always practiced after a short prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3 pm). This service (Hour of Mercy and Chaplet) is broadcast by several TV stations, including TVP 3 national, TVP Vilnius, 12 radio stations, online at www.faustyna.pl in 8 languages, in our mobile Faustyna.pl app and our YouTube channel of the same name. Thanks to this connectivity, every day and at the same time, more than a million people are crying out to God with one voice, asking for His mercy for us and the whole world, and for the necessary graces for the Holy Church, our homeland, Europe and the world.
After the summer break, on September 22nd at 7 pm, in the Łagiewniki Shrine’s chapel of the Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina, the traditional monthly youth meeting, dubbed the Łagiewniki 22, will take place. The evening meetings provide space to worship Divine Mercy during which the participants give thanks for the received blessings and entrust all their personal intentions and all matters of the Church and the world to the Lord Jesus.
The Sisters from the community of our Congregation in Washington, D.C., organize the next “Evening with Merciful Jesus” on September 22nd at the John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C .
You can also join the event online atwww.jp2shrine.org/youtube. The lecture will be followed by Adoration of the Lord Jesus and a meet-up with refreshments.
“Evenings with Merciful Jesus” are organized for young people who want to follow St. Faustina and St. John Paul II to discover the new quality of life in friendship with the merciful Lord Jesus.
On September 18, 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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On September 18, the first meeting of this formation year held by the community of Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association will take place at the Santo Spirito in Sassia Church in Rome. The theme will be Spiritual life by the action of God’s mercy in us. The meetings are hosted by sisters from the Roman community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, and the special guest for the day will be Sr. Emmanuela Gemza, president of the Society of the Apostles of Divine Mercy. The meeting agenda includes prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Divine Mercy Chaplet to begin the meeting, conferences, Mass presided over by Fr. Łukasz Brus, spiritual guardian of the Roman “Faustinum” community, and a fraternal agape.
The Dives in Misericordia Covenant Community National Convention will be held on September 15-17 this year. It will be attended by Sister Emanuela Gemza of the Krakow community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, president of the “Faustinum” association, who will share the spiritual wealth and mission of St. Faustina as recorded in her famous Diary.
On September 14-17, young women who are involved in the Girl Scouts of Europe Movement will meet at the Shrine in Górka Klasztorna near Lobżenica. The organizers expect more than two hundred people to come to the oldest place of Marian devotion in Poland. The National Scout Girl Pilgrimage will be held under the theme Guide of Faith. The event will be attended by Sr. Gaudia Skass from the convent at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki, who will share her experience of the Mother of God in the life of St. Faustina and her own on Saturday, September 16.
The Scouts of Europe is a movement that exists in 20 European countries, bringing together Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian organizations to cultivate love for their countries along with love for other nations, so inherent in the spirit of Christianity. Catholic organizations enjoy the status of a private association of the faithful under pontifical law, granted by the Holy See in 2003, which means that the scouting formation carried out in the movement is an educational tool leading to holiness.
A spiritual retreat of members of the Faustinum Association will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on September 15-17, themed A Treasure in Clay Pots. It will be delivered by Fr. Artur Ciepielski from Slovakia and Sr. M. Clareta Fečova, I.S.M.M., vice-director of the Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association, based on Scriptures and the Diary of St. Faustina. The retreat will be followed by a ceremony before the Eucharist to welcome new members to the Faustinum Association from Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
On 13 and 14 of September, we will be celebraring the 88th anniversary of the revelation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Jesus taught humanity two prayers: Modlitwy Pańskiej, when the Apostles asked Him for it, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which He dictated to St. Faustina in Polish, in the Vilnius convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1935. As she noted in her Diary: In the evening when I was in my cell, I saw an Angel, the executor of divine wrath. He was clothed in a dazing robe, his face gloriously bright, a cloud beneath his feet. From the cloud, bolts of thunder and flashes of lightning were springing into his hands; and from his hand they were going forth, and only then were they striking the earth. When I saw this sign of divine wrath which was about to strike the earth, and in particular a certain place, which for good reasons I cannot name, I began to implore the Angel to hold off for a few moments, and the world would do penance. But my plea was a mere nothing in the face of divine anger. Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. The greatness of Its majesty pierced me deeply and I did not dare to repeat my entrietaties. At that very moment I felt in my soul the power of Jesus’ grace which dwells in my soul. When I became conscious of this grace, I was instantly snatched up before the Throne of God. Oh, how great is our Lord and God and how incomprehensible His holiness! I will make no attempt to describe this greatness, because before long we shall all see Him as He is. I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly.
As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel’s helplessness: he could not carry out the just punishment,which was rightly due for sins. Never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then.
The words with which I entreated God are these: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins, and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us.
The next morning, when I enered chapel, heard these words interiorly: Every time you enter the chapel, immediately recite the prayer which I taught you yesterday. When had said the prayer, in my soul I heard these words: This prayer will will serve to appease My wrath. You will recite it for nine days, on the beads of the rosary, in the folllowing manner: First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the I BELIEVE IN GOD. Then on the following words: ‘Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and on the whole world.” In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: „Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and thw whole world” (Diary, 474-476).
In consequent revelations, the Lord Jesus associated many great promises with this prayer, on the condition it is recited in the spirit of trust in Him and mercy towards one’s neighbors. The general promise states that trustful recitation of the Chaplet can help a person acquire anything which is compliant with the will of God. Moreover, He provided us with additional promises, which apply to the joyful grace and the grace of serene death, without fear and apprehension. They can be obtaied not only by thise who pray the Chaplet trustfully, but also by the dying at whose side the prayer is said in a proper manner.
Today, apart from the call Jesus, I trust in You!, it is the best known prayer to Divine Mercy, recited on all continents and languages, even in those of small tribes. More information on the Chaplet and its story can be found here.
On September 14th, faithful across Australia and Oceania will join in prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 pm. The action is the fruit of the Congress of Divine Mercy held in Melbourne in 2018 and involves joining in prayer twice a year: on May 18, which is the anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II, and on September 14—the anniversary of the revelation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Also Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy have joined in this prayerful action. More information and how to join: www.worldchaplet.org
This Saturday, on September 9, a youth pilgrimage from the Diocese of Płock will proceed from Płońsk to Czerwińsk. It will be participated by Sisters Rachela and Helena from the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Płock. The pilgrimage will be a vocational activity, therefore it will be an opportunity to share the spiritual experience of St. Faustina and the Sisters’ own vocation with the young pilgrims.
On September 9, (Saturday), the 21th National Railway Workers’ Pilgrimage will arrive at the Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki. It will start at 10 AM with the devotion Way of the Cross. At noon, the central moment of the pilgrimage will take place: Holy Mass presided over by Bishop Robert Chrząszcz. The pilgrims will also visit the chapel with the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina, to whom they will entrust their personal intentions. The pilgrimage will end with prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3 pm) and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
On September 3 (Sunday) at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Plock at the Old Market Square, another formative meeting of the Faustinum Divine Mercy Apostles Association community will be held. The topic of the meeting is: “Spiritual life as a work of God’s mercy in us”.. It will begin at 2:15 p.m. with communal adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, to be continued with prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, followed by a conference and Holy Mass at 5 p.m. The meetings are hosted by Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and priests.
As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of St. Faustina’s stay in Łódź and the 600th anniversary of the city she patronizes, the archdiocesan pilgrimage to Głogowiec and the Shrine in Świnice Warckie will take place on September 2. The pilgrimage community will form in front of the family home of the Apostle of Divine Mercy in Głogowiec at 10 a.m. and proceed to her parish church, now the Baptismal Shrine of St. Faustina. At 12 pm, solemn Eucharist will be presided over by the Metropolitan Bishop of Łódź, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, who will renew the entrustment of the Church of Łódź to Divine Mercy. At 3 pm, the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed, which will conclude the event.
Monastic life involves changing one’s place of living and, often, also of the type of apostolic work. Usually, in mid-August, the sisters move to other convents, where they are sent due to their vocation of obedience. This frequently means not only a new place to live, but also a different kind of work. The sisters are sent wherever the Congregation is taking up new tasks or needs to answer to the needs of its apostolic work. For the sisters, it is an opportunity to acquire freedom of all earthly attachments in order to live only for God and His Kingdom.
It happened in Świnice, on 27 August 1905, at one o’clock in the afternoon. Stanislaw Kowalski, aged 40, a farmer from Głogowiec, in the presence of Franciszek Bednarek, aged 35 and Józef Stasiak, aged 40, both farmers from Głogowiec, appeared and showed us the female child born in the village of Głogowiec on August 25 this year, at eight o’clock in the morning, of his wedding wife Marianna née Babel, aged 30. This child received, at baptism held today, the name Helena, and her godparents were Konstanty Bednarek and Marianna Szewczyk. This provision of the rite of baptism from parish records was left by the parish priest, Father Józef Chodyński, who baptized the little Helena Kowalska. The Deed was drawn up in the Russian language, because it was still the time of the Partitions of Poland, when the country was not to be seen on the political map of Europe. Helena’s father, Stanisław Kowalski, signed this record in Polish. The godparents, who were illiterate, confirmed their signatures by an X. In the former parish church, today the Baptismal Shrine of St. Faustina, you can see the same font at which the baby Helena Kowalska became a child of God and a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, baptized two days after her birth, on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The grace of baptism was further developed in her life as she achieved the fullness of mystical union with God here on Earth. Today, she is venerated as an apostle of Divine Mercy, because Jesus chose her as a prophet of our time, and sent her into the world with the message of Mercy.
In the last days of August, in the convents of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy which run Youth Education Centers operate (Krakow, Kalisz and Wroclaw), student dormitories, community centers or kindergartens, like in other educational institutions in Poland, preparations for the new school year are under way. Here, the opening of the school year is always accompanied by a Holy Mass, during which the teachers and the pupils and students ask God for His blessing and the graces needed during the next ten months, so that they may become more than just a period of effective learning, but also a time of fruitful spiritual growth.
On the Sunday after the anniversary of baptism of St. Faustina, this year on August 27th, an annual indulgence at the Baptismal Shrine of the Apostle of Divine Mercy in Świnice Warckie will be held. At 10.00 am, a procession celebrating the relics of the Saint will proceed from her family home in Głogowiec to the parish church in Świnice Warckie, where at the field altar at 12.00 pm solemn Mass will be celebrated. Pilgrims coming from all over Poland and other countries will remain there to pray at the Hour of Mercy (3.00 pm) and recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. In the family home and parish of St. Faustina, two communities of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy live and operate: the active one and the closed one.
On August 25-27, the birth anniversary of St. Faustina will be celebrated by the Brazilian Canção Nova TV in São Paulo who will be broadcasting a special show titled The Last Call to Salvation. The featured guests will include Bp. Tiago, Stanisław Błaszczyk from the Diocese of São Sebastiãodo Rio de Janeiro, Bp. Robert Chrząszcz from Krakow, who has many years of experience serving in Brazil for many years, Ewa Czaczkowska, the author of St. Faustina’s biography and Sisters Solange Diniz Pereira and Christofora Jagła from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Rio de Janeiro.
On August 22, the 21th bicycle pilgrimage will set off from the parish of St. Joseph in Wola, Warsaw, and the parish of Divine Mercy in Grójec to the family home of St. Faustina in Głogowiec. On the trail, the pilgrims are awaited at six Marian shrines (Rokitno, Niepokalanów, Szymanów, Miedniewice, Domaniewice and Mąkolice). They will reach Głogowiec on August 24th. On August 25, at approx. 8.00 am, Holy Mass will be celebrated outside. After the service, the pilgrims will visit the parish church in Świnice Warckie, which is the Baptismal Shrine of St. Faustina. The will also pray at the nearby cemetery with the graves of the parents and siblings of the Apostle of Divine Mercy. The pilgrims can join even on the day of the departure, on the route from Warsaw, Lodz, Rawa Mazowiecka or Grójec.
August 25th is the 118th birthday of Helena Kowalska – St. Faustina, known throughout the world of the Apostle of Divine Mercy. She was born as the third child in the family of Marianna and Stanisław Kowalski in the village of Głogowiec. The certificate of baptism states that she was born about eight in the morning, and on that year, it was a Friday. Sister Faustina’s mother – Marianna née Babel – recalled that she had sanctified her womb, because the earlier births nearly cost her life, but her subsequent children were born without problems. She said about Helena: “Blessed child, dearest daughter.” Sister Faustina, in turn, constantly thanked God for her parents, God-fearing, righteous and diligent people who brought up their children in a spirit of faith and love of God and other people. Today, the birthplace of the Apostle of Divine Mercy belongs to her Baptismal Shrine, and remains under the care of the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy’s convent in Świnice Warckie. The place of her birth is visited by pilgrims not only from Poland, but also other countries in the world, who travel along the trail of her life.
On the eve of the feast of August 24, after Mass at 6 pm, a procession will set out with the Blessed Sacrament from the parish church of the Baptismal Shrine of St. Faustina to her family home, where there will be an all-night adoration and prayer vigil.
August 25th is the 28nd anniversary of the recognition of Saint Faustina as the spiritual co-founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The decision was made on the 90th anniversary of her birth at the convent of the Sisters at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki under the leadership of the then Superior General, Mother Paulina Słomka. After prior discernment among theologians and pastors of the Church, at the end of the night vigil in front of the grace-famous Divine Mercy Image and the tomb of St. Faustina, Mother General spoke the words of the act, in which she confessed, among others: Holy Sister Faustina … you are not only a renewal of the spirituality and charism of our Congregation, but also its spiritual co-founder. What God did in your life, fulfilling the works of Mother Teresa Potocka and Mother Teresa Rondeau, and what He allowed us to read, we are glad to acknowledge, thankful to the Mercy of God for the great things that have taken place in you and through you in our Congregation. Sister Faustina received the charism of proclaiming the message of Mercy to the world with action, word and prayer, or to nurture this essential evangelical value, the mercy of God and human mercy. Not only did she enrich the charismatic heritage of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, which was founded by countess Mother Teresa of nee Sułkowski Potocka to save fallen women, but also the Church, beginning with the Apostolic Movement of Divine Mercy (the “new congregation” which Jesus desired to be founded) and bringing a new school of spirituality based entirely on the mystery of Divine Mercy to its history. The first heirs of St. Faustina were the members of the Congregation to which she belonged, therefore, John Paul II during his pilgrimage to Krakow-Łagiewniki in 1997, said: Dear Sisters! There is an extraordinary calling for you. By choosing the Blessed Faustina from among you, Christ made your Congregation a guardian of this place, and at the same time He called for a special apostolate of His mercy. Please, take this work. Today’s man needs your preaching of mercy; he needs your works of mercy and he needs your prayers for mercy. Do not neglect any of these dimensions of the apostolate. The full text of the act of recognition of St. Faustina as the spiritual co-founder of the Congregation is read in every community of the Congregation every year on October 5th, the day of her liturgical feast.
On August 19 this year, worshipers of the Divine Mercy will come to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki as part of the 10th National Pilgrimage, organized on the anniversary of the consecration of the Basilica of Divine Mercy and entrusting the world to Divine Mercy by St. John Paul II. At 12.00 the Eucharist will be presided over by Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Metropolitan of Krakow. During this Holy Mass, the Bell of Hope will be blessed for the Polish National Sanctuary on Kahlenberg on the occasion of the 340th anniversary of the Battle of Vienna and the 40th anniversary of the pilgrimage of St. John Paul II on Kahlenberg. At the end of the Holy Mass. – entrusting the world to God’s Mercy, awarding Beati misericordes medals. The program of the pilgrimage includes a presentation of the works of mercy in tents in the square in front of the basilica, and at 7 p.m. a screening of the film “Sister Faustina” made by the Brazilian TV channel Canção Nova. More information and a detailed program on the website of the Sanctuary Rectorate: www.misericordia.eu.
Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy from several houses in Poland and Kazakhstan will also participate in World Youth Day in Lisbon, along with youth. The next meeting of young people from all over the world will be an excellent opportunity to share the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina, who was a Patron of these youth meetings in Australia in 2008 and in Krakow in 2016.
World Youth Day in Portugal will be held from August 1-6 under the motto “Mary got ready and hurried…” (Luke 1:39). Pope Francis will arrive in Lisbon on 2 August and will remain in Portugal until the last day of the event.
On August 5, the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of the Snows, the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy celebrates its patronal feast, honoring its Patroness – the Mother of Mercy Incarnate. On this day, the election of Mary as the heavenly Superior General of the Congregation has been traditionally renewed since in 1937, in the form of a special, ceremonial prayer. Saint Faustina wrote in her Diary: I saw the Virgin Mary and She said to me, Oh, how very pleased I am with the homage of your love! And at that moment She covered all the sisters of the Congregation with Her mantle. With Her right hand, She clasped Mother General Michael to herself, and with Her left hand she did the so to me, while all the sisters were at Her feet, covered with Her mantle. Then the Mother of God said hen the Mother of God said, Everyone who perseveres zealously till death in My Congregation will be spared the fire of purgatory (Diary, 1244). This day is the anniversary of the dedication of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the oldest church in the West dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Pope Sixtus III, to celebrate the end of the stormy Council of Ephesus (431 AD), which declared the dogma of the divine motherhood of Mary (Theotokos), introduced the feast of the Mother of the Son of God, which was first celebrated in this particular basilica, and with time, successive Popes expanded it to the whole Church. Today, the liturgical calendar of the Church contains the memorial of Our Lady of the Snows, commemorating the miracle associated with the rise of the basilica, and this name is functioning in the minds of the faithful. Therefore, the first circumstance of the establishment of the feast of Mary as Mother of the Son of God – Mercy Incarnate, has been forgotten. For more information about Mary the Mother of Mercy, Her title, worship and iconography in the Church and Congregation, follow the link: Our Lady of Mercy.
On July 27, a novena before the feast of the Patron of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, which falls on August 5, will start. During the novena, the Chaplet of Our Lady of Mercy is sung or recited. In this prayer we ask Mary to defend us from our enemies, accept us at the hour of death and beg for the Mercy of her Son for us. In the chapel of the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina, the novena is celebrated on weekdays at 7 pm, while on Sundays at 6:30 pm. The words of the Chaplet of Our Lady of Mercy.
