On March 1, 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 (124-125). 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
Lent invites us to reflect on our lives and their purpose. Let us help in this the extremely eloquent vision of Sister Faustina. One day, I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of pleasures.
People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness, and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all their sufferings” (Diary, 153).
What is the purpose of my life? Which road am I taking?
On February 27, the Hrušov community of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Slovakia will lead an online day of recollection on ZOOM. The theme will be Wounded, but beloved. The meeting will feature a conference from Sr. Jana Mara, individual prayer and meditation and an opportunity to talk to the Sisters. At 3 p.m., prayer at the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy are planned, to be followed by a summary of the retreat and a surprise. To sign up, email sr.jana@milosrdenstvo.sk before February 26th.
Under this theme, a meeting for high school age girls will be held by the Diocese of Arlington on February 27. The meeting, to be held in Lake Ridge, Virginia, will be led by Sisters from the Washington community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. During the meeting, the girls will have the opportunity to participate in the Holy Mass, and to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament after listening to conferences given by the Sisters. Together they will reflect on the great dignity of the human person and how to live in order to reveal the likeness of God in oneself more and more clearly. There will also be time to ask the Sisters some questions, especially in the context of vocation to religious life.
On the 90th anniversary of the revelation of Merciful Jesus, February 22nd on 9 pm, national Polish Television Program 1 will show Piotr Weychert’s film, Święta Faustyna w blasku Miłosierdzia. The film is a fictionalized document that tells about the life of St. Faustina and the power of Divine Mercy. The film is built around the idea of St. Faustina’s impact on the modern world and is an attempt to answer the question why her mission meets the needs of people living in the twenty-first century so aptly. The film features archival materials intertwined with scenes played out by actors, and is supplemented by computer animations and other visual effects. The film was co-produced by Grupa Filmowa and the National Cultural Center. It was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The sponsors of the film are also: PKN ORLEN, Energa Group and publisher of the monthly “Poznaj Świat”.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Płock, Piotr Libera, has called for support for the expansion of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock. For this purpose all donations made during Holy Mass on Sunday, February 21, in the churches of the diocese will be used. Everyone can join this initiative by making a donation to the account of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Płock, which is conducting the construction in the historic place where the Divine Mercy image was revealed and St. Faustina’s prophetic mission began. May these offerings be an expression of gratitude for the gift of the revelation of this most familiar image of Jesus today, and for the graces requested before it in trusting prayer.
Donations for this purpose can be paid on the following account:
Zgromadzenie Sióstr Matki Bożej Miłosierdzia
Stary Rynek 14/18
09-404 Płock
Bank PEKAO SA
I O w Płocku
ul. Kolegialna 14a
SWIFT CODE: PKOPPLPW
PLN IBAN: 72 1240 3174 1111 0000 2890 0836
USD IBAN: 56 1240 3174 1787 0010 1057 7746
EUR IBAN: 28 1240 3174 1978 0010 1057 7818
Holy Mass is celebrated on the 22nd day of each month and the Sisters pray daily together with the faithful at the Hour of Mercy and with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the intention of everyone who support the construction of the Shrine spiritually and physically.
“In the evening, when I was in my cell I saw he Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment”, St. Faustina wrote in her Diary. “One hand was raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me: ’Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world'” (Diary, 47). The event took place in St. Faustina’s cell at the Plock convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in the Old Market on February 22, 1931. The first Divine Mercy image was painted in Vilnius in 1934 under the guidance of Sister Faustina herself in the studio of Eugeniusz Kazimirowski and exposed for public veneration for the first time at the Gate of Dawn in 1935. Since then, a number of images have been created. The miracle-famous Divine Mercy image by Adolf Hyła, found in the convent chapel of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Shrine of Divine Mercy is the best known one. The painting was created under the guidance of the Mercy apostle’s Krakow spiritual director, Fr. Józef Andrasz, S.J., who dedicated it on the Feast of Mercy, April 16, 1944. It was this image that fulfilled the words of Jesus spoken to St. Faustina at the first revelation: I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world. Not only pilgrims from around the world who physically arrive at this holy place can pray in front of this image, but also online visitors viewing our live broadcasts and the high quality presentation of the image at www.saint-faustina.org.
The main celebrations related to the 90th anniversary of the revelation of the Divine Mercy image will take place at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock on 22 February at 5 p.m. Solemn Mass will be presided by Archbishop Jan Romeo Pawłowski from the Vatican. Due to the pandemic restrictions, the Bishop of the Diocese of Płock Piotr Libera cordially invites the venerators of Divine Mercy to communicate spiritually with the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock through the Internet. The Mass will be broadcast on the Shrine’s You Tube channel and the channel of Catholic Radio of the Płock Diocese. In addition, Masses on that day in the Płock Shrine will be celebrated at 6.30 am, 9.00 am, and at noon. At 3 p.m., prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, will be followed by Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. As an immediate preparation for the celebration there will be a Triduum of Holy Mass services between 19 and 21 February at 5 pm.
On February 22nd at 7 pm, in the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki’s chapel of the Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina, a traditional evening adoration for youth and venerators of Divine Mercy will take place. The meeting will take place next to the most famous painting of Merciful Jesus worldwide, which fulfilled His words spoken 90 years ago, when Jesus manifested Himself to St. Faustina: I want this picture venerated first in your chapel, and in the whole world. We will be giving thanks for this great gift from God and all the graces implored through it in trusting prayer combined with acts of mercy toward our neighbors. Due to sanitary requirements related to the pandemic we would like to encourage you to participate online, at www.saint-faustina.org and our Faustyna.pl YouTube channel, or in our Faustyna.pl mobile application.
On February 22th, at the John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., a virtual Evening with Merciful Jesus will be organized, due to the Shrine being still closed to the public due to the pandemic. Sisters from the Washington community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will host the event. The evening will be devoted to forgiveness. A conference on this topic will be delivered by Fr. Jim McCormack, a Marian priest, who also will share his experience of God’s mercy in many very difficult situations. The meeting will start at 7 pm EST at the image of the Merciful Jesus with prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. You Tube live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4deSWNfrY1k&feature=youtu.be . F acebook: https://www.facebook.com/JP2Shrine
February 22 marks the 9 years of the ministry by the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in the open Facebook group Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia. This work is essentially the proclamation of the message of Mercy and is maintained for formation and information purposes. The group has more than 38,200 members. On this occasion, we would like to thank the Group Admins for their work. You are surrounded by daily prayer at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki in front of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina.
The Funeral Mass for Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC will be on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, at 9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA, USA. It will be a private ceremony but it will be live-streamed: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/DailyMass
Fr. Seraphim used to say of himself: „Mercy is my life.” For 20 years he worked as a vice-postulator in the canonization process of St. Faustina for North America. He witnessed the first miracle, attributed to the intercession of Sister Faustina, which opened her path for beatification in 1993. He was also the coordinator of efforts to verify the second miracle before her canonization. He devoted his entire life in the congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception to spreading the Divine Mercy message and the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina. He was the rector of the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA and the director of the Institute of Divine Mercy, also in Stockbridge. He wrote a series of articles for the “Marian Helpers” magazine, supervised the publication of various books, brochures and audiovisual materials on the message and devotion to Divine Mercy, and the writings of Sister Faustina. As a promoter of the Divine Mercy and St. Faustina he was well known to EWTN viewers, for whom he hosted many programs devoted to this subject. He was also a consultant and a co-author of several films. He carried the message of Mercy to the world as a speaker on retreats, theological symposiums and congresses of Divine Mercy in many countries of the world. When he came to Poland, he always visited the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki to pray at the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and at the tomb of St. Faustina, to whom he personally owed, among others, healing from cancer disease. He returned to the home of Heavenly Father on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11, 2021. He was 90 years old.
The first Friday of Lent, this year on February 19, has been celebrated in Poland for many years as a day of prayer and penance for the sin of sexual abuse of minors. Thus, we entrust all people wounded by sexual violence in their childhood or youth, and especially when the perpetrators were priests, to Divine Mercy on this day. We also ask for the grace of conversion for the perpetrators of these terrible crimes, and those who did see the evil, not did nothing to stand in defense of the victims, so that by recognition of their guilt and acceptance of just punishment and penance for their actions, they become sincerely reconciled with God and the community of the Church. At the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki we specifically recommend these intentions during prayer at the Hour of Mercy and in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
On February 17, Ash Wednesday, we will enter the time of Lent. On that day, during Holy Mass, the priests sprinkle the faithful with ash as a sign of penitence. The ash comes from the “palms” which had been blessed on Palm Sunday and now burnt). While sprinkling ash on the heads of the faithful, the priests say to them: „Repent and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”. These words reminds us about the fragility of human life, the need to believe in the Gospel and to repent in order to reach eternal life. On Ash Wednesday, those above 14 years old should abstain from meat and fast, which implies eating no more than three times a day, including one full meal. Solemn fasting should be observed by those under the age of 60. Holy Mass at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki’s chapel with the Divine Mercy Image and the tomb of St. Faustina will be celebrated at 6:30 am, 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm, and in the basilica they will be celebrated as on every Sunday. The beginning of Lent is intended to help in self-reflection, repentance, developing one’s mercy imagination and good preparation for Easter.
During every evening Mass in February, the Litany of St. Faustina will be sung or recited in all chapels of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Consideration of the antiphons from this Litany is a way to better understand who the Apostle of Divine Mercy is for the Lord and for ourselves, along with her unusually rich spiritual heritage and her prophetic mission of proclaiming the message of Mercy to the world. At the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, the evening Mass will be celebrated in the chapel of the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina every day at 7:00 pm (except Thursdays).
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 February: thanksgiving for the mission of St. Faustina, and especially for the gift of the Divine Mercy Image and all the graces bestowed through it, so that the world finds peace and man finds happiness through the merciful love of God.
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.
February 15 is the name day of Sister Faustina and the liturgical memorial of her Vilnius spiritual director, Bl. Fr. Michael Sopocko. The Shrine of Divine Mercy will celebrate the Saint with morning Mass in her intention at 6:30 am, as is the custom of the Congregation. The intention is thanksgiving for the graces received by St. Faustina in her earthly life and for those the Congregation, the Church, Poland and the world were granted through her intercession and asking that she show the merciful love of God to all and support trust in Him along with the attitude of being good neighbors in us. Broadcast at www.saint-faustina.org. Anyone can submit their prayer there as well as provide the gift of prayer, which an act of true mercy toward our neighbors, or another spiritual gift.
On February 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 (120-123). 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
Such is the title of the English, Spanish, French and Italian book with 30-day program guidelines on how to entrust oneself to the merciful God through Mary. It is a translation of the book which was written on the basis of Scripture and the Diary of St. Faustina by Sr. Miriam Janiec from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Selected quotations are intended as prompts for personal prayer and meditation and that will lead the reader towards inner healing and freedom of heart, and thus to an attitude of trust in God and becoming more and more merciful like Him. In addition to the meditation prompts, the book also contains daily prayers of trust, inviting to entrusting oneself, day after day, as our human life goes on. The proposed spiritual path eventually leads us to complete entrustment of ourselves and our life into the hands of merciful Lord by making a solemn act of entrusting oneself to the merciful God through Mary.
You can download a file “Jesus' message of Mercy” at Faustyna.pl for the non-commercial spread of the message of Mercy, which St. Faustina provided us with in her Diary. It contains the most important words of Jesus recorded by the Apostle of Divine Mercy. The pdf file has been translated into 15 languages. In 2020, it was shared 1242 times via faustyna.pl. The Spanish version was downloaded by the most (549) people, Polish by 156, English by 186, French by 142, Italian by 69, German by 69 and Russian by 19… In many cases, more than one language version was downloaded by the same individual.
Our website, www.faustyna.pl is holding Patrons draw for 2021. More than 170,000 people have already received their Helper from Heaven. As we know from their testimonies, the random Patrons are extremely responsive to the needs and life situations of people. It is worthwhile to have such a holy Company, as the Dwellers of Heaven are willing and helpful if we ask them to be so.
This year, Joanna writes, my Patron will be Bl. Bronisława of Poland. Initially, I was disappointed that she was not one of the “great saints” and at first I thought that I will have a lot of suffering. However, after reading who Blessed Bronisława was, and seeing my practice for this year, i.e. “I pray for the ability to endure daily hardship and suffering of everyday life…”, I discovered that this was exactly what I need. I cannot endure hardship and suffering, often finding myself running away from them. I saw that this practice and the patroness are a part of the way that Jesus leads me towards with His grace, and that this is a promise for me that the Lord will deliver me from my slavery, and that I can ask Him and Blessed Bronisława of Poland to give me the ability to go through this. Praise the Lord!
At the main entrance to the Shrine of Divine Mercy’s convent chapel of the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina, a contactless stoup has been installed. Thanks to this, those entering to pray can once again use the holy water, and not only from the non-contact hand sanitizer dispenser. Holy water reminds us of baptism, in which we have been freed from sin, and emphasizes our belonging to Christ. It is a sign of the presence of God who purifies and sanctifies everything, and an outward symbol of our confession of faith and rejection of Satan.
On February 8, as on every eighth day of the month, the community of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Gdansk, Częstochowa, Kalisz and Kiekrz will support married couples praying for offspring. 563 of them are already expecting children, with many more already enjoying parenthood. Intentions asking for prayer for this purpose (names of married couples) can be sent by email at: www.modlitwaopotomstwo.pl.
The community of people praying for children led by Fr. Andrzej Wiecki and sisters of the Gdańsk community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy cordially invite married couples trying to conceive to Adoration of Merciful Jesus with a prayer for healing, which will take place on 8 February at 7.30 pm at the shrine of the Pregnant Holy Mother in Matemblewo. Live stream: www.facebook.com/modlitwaopotomstwo
On February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the World Day for Consecrated Life will be celebrated in the Church. On this occasion, we can learn more about the gift of God’s mercy that is the vocation to live according to the values of chastity, poverty and obedience. It is a day of thanksgiving for each call to religious service and for the many gifts with which institutions of consecrated life have been bestowed. The Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, thanks to the gifts received from the founder, Mother Teresa Potocka and the spiritual co-founder, St. Faustina Kowalska, are participating in the life and salvific mission of Jesus Christ by proclaiming the merciful love of God towards every human being by the witness of their lives, deeds, words and prayers. Priests and the laity also participate in this spirituality and apostolic mission of the Congregation in various ways. In particular, members and volunteers of the Association of the Apostles of Divine Mercy, „Faustinum”, who come from more than 90 countries worldwide, are involved in this mission.
This is the motto of a presentation from Sr. Gaudia and Sr. Inga from the DC community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, who will be sharing the message of Divine Mercy in Lafayette, which is one of the largest cities in the state of Louisiana, USA, on 26-28 January. The Sisters will visit three parishes on the consecutive evenings to proclaim Mercy in English and Spanish. Every evening, the conference will be followed by an hour of Adoration of Merciful Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, during which several priests will hear confessions from the faithful. During the day, the Sisters will meet with students from several high schools and one Catholic university.
Every day at 3-3.20 pm, Sisters’ from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy prayer at the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy is broadcast from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. In this prayer, in accordance with the wish of the Lord Jesus, we contemplate the mystery of the merciful love most fully revealed in His passion, death and resurrection, and beg for His mercy, recommending the intentions offered on the altar of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy Image and the tomb of St. Faustina, along with matters of the Church, our country and the world. Also listeners of 10 radio stations, television viewers and Internet users from many countries of the world are involved in this prayer. The broadcast will be available at www.saint-faustina.org and from TVP3 nationwide broadcasting from Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays and Sundays on TVP1. Polish television broadcast can be received also at faustyna.pl and its 7 language versions. Soon, it will also be available in the Faustyna.pl applications.
On Sunday, the octave of Christmas, which this year is December 27, 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 faustyna.pl where it is be broadcast.
Every year on January 1st, in the convents of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, a drawing of annual patron Saints takes place. The Diary tells us how important this was for St. Faustina. Her desire was to be accompanied and supported by Someone from Heaven on all her days of the new year. In the morning during meditation, she wrote, there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic Jesus be my special Patron for this year also, as in the past. But, hiding this desire from my Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else but that. When we came to refectory for breakfast, we blessed ourselves and began drawing our patrons. When I approached the holy cards on which the names of the patrons were written, without hesitation I took one, but I didn’t read the name immediately as I wanted to mortify myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my soul: “I am your patron”. Read. I looked at once at the inscription and read, “Patron for the Year 1935-the Most Blessed Eucharist.” My heart leapt with joy (Diary, 360).
With a patron Saint, each sister receives a prayerful intention and a message. Those involved in the draw also include priests, cooperators, members and volunteers of the “Faustinum” association, friends and members of the group “Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia” on Facebook. From January 1, 20017, also visitors at Faustina.pl can participate in the draw.
May the Patron Saints aid us, may they help us more and more fully; participate in the life and mission of Jesus; revealing the merciful love of God to the world!
In 2020, our website, www.faustyna.pl, recorded almost 15,500,000 views and over 2,015,000 visitors – including almost 1,026,000 Polish-language version users, over 230,000 English-speakers, over 276,000 Spanish-speaking, 51,000 Italian-speaking, 79,000 French-speaking, 52,000 German-speaking, 11,500 Russian-language, 11,300 Slovak-language and others. Thanks to our Contributors, IT specialists and Translators, updates were possible at all our language pages. The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy would like to thank all the Cooperators, without whom this work could not be albe to grow, and all online Visitors, without whom this wonderful exchange in the provision of good could not take place and carry the message of Mercy and all spiritual heritage of Saint Faustina to the world. We wish you all that the New Year 2021 be rich in grace and mercy.
