On June 9th, at St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church in Oleksów, Sr. Faustyna Olszewska of the Kierzk community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will share the message of Mercy and the spiritual wealth of St. Faustina with the faithful, not only during the Sunday service, but also at a meetup afterwards.
On June 8, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the Fourth National Convention of members and volunteers of the “Faustinum” Association of Apostles of Divine Mercy will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. It will be guided by the motto Be witnesses of Mercy. The program includes Holy Mass, conferences by Sr. Maria Faustina Ciborowska, I.S.M.M., entitled ‘Go home to your own people, and tell them what the Lord has done for you – the Witness to Mercy in the Bible’ and Sr. Emanuela Gemza, ‘My Personal Testimony,’ followed by group meetings, Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and a final blessing.
On June 5 and 7, the Annual Divine Mercy Medicine, Bioethics, and Spirituality Conference will be held at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, organized by the Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy in cooperation with the Marian Fathers. This event will be attended by Sr. Salwatricze from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, who will give a conference on transformation of painful experiences into a gift.
On June 7th, the 27th anniversary of the first pilgrimage made by Pope John Paul II to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki will be celebrated. The Pope prayed in front of the grace-famous painting of Merciful Jesus and at the tomb of (then Blessed) Sister Faustina. He also gave a short speech in which he conveyed many important matters. He said that nothing is more necessary to man than the Mercy of God. The pope added, that he took the message of Mercy from this place to the Holy See and that it shaped the image of his pontificate. He thanked for being able to fulfill the wish of Jesus concerning the introduction of the Feast of Mercy in Poland. In a special message addressed the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, he encouraged them in their charismatic apostolic ministry, entrusted to him by Sister Faustina.
On June 7th, Sr. Ligia and Sr. Wincenta from the Roman community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will share the message of Mercy and the spiritual legacy of St. Faustina in Viterbo, at the Parish of the Holy Family, with Apostles of Divine Mercy from three different parishes. There will be prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, followed by Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
On June 4th, Sr. Franciszka Siadaczka of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will celebrate the centenary of her birth. On this occasion, on June 8th at 11:00 a.m. a Mass will be celebrated in Walendów for the intention of the Jubilarian with the participation of Sisters from many convents, followed by wishes, a joint lunch and reminiscences.
Sister Franciszka entered the Congregation in 1945, took her first vows on April 30th, 1948, and made her perpetual vows five years later. During her 79 years of religious life, she performed various duties, including serving as a sacristan in Krakow-Łagiewniki, a nurse and caretaker of the sick in Warsaw’s Grochów, in Zakopane and Walendów. As a pensioner – so far fully fit and active, interested in the life of the Congregation, the Church, Poland and the world – she testifies to God’s merciful love and obtains required graces for everyone.
On June 4th, at 5 p.m. at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Mass will be celebrated in the intention of all IT Specialists and Donors who have contributed to our on-line broadcasting from the Łagiewniki Shrine and to the purchase of the new camera, which has been on-line since May 27th. The live video streaming is available at Faustyna.pl including its 8 different language versions, our Faustyna.pl YouTube channel and our Faustyna.pl mobile application. Last year, it has been accessed by more than 4,400,000 unique visitors and TV broadcasters in Poland and abroad. May Merciful Jesus abundantly bless our Donors Benefactors. Our Sisters are imploring for these blessings each day in their prayers.
On 5 June (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: “Bond with the Church and concern for the salvation of souls”. It will begin at 2:15 p.m. with joint adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. At 3.20 p.m. Eucharist, followed by agape, conference from the series “ABC of spiritual life” and sharing your thoughts and experience on this topic. The meetings are led by sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and priests.
This Sunday, June 1, a solemn introduction of the relics of St. Faustina to the Church of St. John the Baptist will take place at the parish of Sabinov, Slovakia. Relics of the Apostle of Divine Mercy will be handed over by Sr. Blanka Krajčikova and Sr. Antoniana Štullerová from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Košice, Slovakia. On this occasion, they will share the spiritual legacy of St. Faustina, especially the message of Mercy with which Jesus sent her to the whole world, they will lead the prayer at the Hour of Mercy, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and Adoration.
On June 1rd, the Youth Meeting at Lednica will be held for the twenty-seventh time. This year the main theme will be the Eucharist, and the motto of the meeting will be Come home. Sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will be there with Sr. Gaudia Skass who will deliver a message to the participants of this event, which flows from the spiritual legacy of St. Faustina. The Saint’s relics also have accompanied the young during the Lednica meetings for a few years.
On 30 May, Thursday, the Church is celebrating the feast of Feast of Corpus Christi (Corpus Domini). Holy Mass at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki will be celebrated according to the Sunday schedule. Before noon, the procession of Corpus Christi will set out from the Wawel Hill to the Market Square in Krakow, and in the afternoon, other processions will take place in individual parishes. In the parish church in Łagiewniki, the Eucharistic procession to four altars will begin with Mass at 5:00 pm. The faithful will proceed along the street Siostry Faustyny in the direction of the Shrine of the Divine Mercy. At the basilica, the procession will conclude with a thankful Te Deum and a solemn blessing of the Holy Sacrament. Divine Mercy Mass for the intercession of St. Faustina in the intention of prayers and thanks from the faithful will be celebrated at 7 pm at the convent chapel.
May 27th is the 18h anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s pilgrimage to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. The Holy Father prayed before the grace-famous painting of Merciful Jesus and at the tomb of St. Faustina, in the chapel of Perpetual Adoration, and in the Basilica he met with the sick, who – as he said – are the most eloquent witnesses of God’s Mercy and have an active part in the salvation of the world. On a general audience in Rome, he recalled this pilgrimage to the Shrine in Łagiewniki: I had the opportunity to point out that only Divine Mercy illuminates the mystery of man. … Contemplating the illuminating wounds of the risen Christ, Sister Faustina Kowalska received a message of trust to humanity, the message of God’s Mercy … This message is indeed the main message of our time: mercy as God’s power and as the boundary for the evils of the whole world.
In May, in a number of parishes in Poland, children participate for the first time in the sacraments of confession and Holy Communion. More and more children in special white clothes arrive with their priests, catechists and parents to the Shrine of Divine Mercy to make thanks for the great gift of God’s mercy which is the Eucharistic presence of the Lord Jesus and His indwelling in the human soul and to ask for fidelity and growth in the love of God and other people.
On May 27th, work is planned for the installation of the new camera in the chapel with the miraculously famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Due to this, video broadcasting at www.faustyna.pl and its other language versions will be temporarily offline. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope for your understanding. We also thank you for all the offerings made for the purchase of the new camera and the conservationist’s approval for its installation.
A spiritual retreat of members and volunteers of the Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association from Slovakia will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on May 24-26. The topic of the retreat will be This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! (Matthew, 17:5). The retreat will be delivered by Fr. Tomáš Belá from Košice, Slovakia, and Sr. M. Clareta Fečová from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, vice-head of the Faustinum Association.
On May 25th (Saturday), after a communal prayer in the Basilica of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki at 7:30 am, the 17th Pilgrimage to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska will begin. The pilgrims will make the distance of 33 km on foot. They will visit the churches of Mary Queen of Poland in Krakow’s Nowy Ruczaj and in Rzozów, and the church of the Most Holy Trinity in Przytkowice as they go. The arrival to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is planned at 6:45 pm. After a Holy Mass, they will return to Krakow by buses.
When the Congregation chose Mary for the Heavenly Superior General, St. Faustina had a vision where she saw all the sisters covered under Mary’s coat and heard the words of a great promise: “Everyone who perseveres zealously till death in My Congregation will be spared the fire of purgatory, and I desire that each one distinguish herself by the following virtues: humility and meekness; chastity and love of God and neighbor; compassion and mercy”. After these words, the whole Congregation disappeared from my sight, and I remained alone with the Most Holy Mother who instructed me about the will of God and how to apply it to my life, submitting completely to His most holy decrees. It is impossible for one to please God without obeying His holy will. “My daughter, I strongly recommend that you faithfully fulfill all God’s wishes, for that is most pleasing in His holy eyes. I very much desire that you distinguish yourself in this faithfulness in accomplishing God’s will. Put the will of God before all sacrifices and holocausts” (Diary, 1244).
On May 10th (Friday), the Church is making a novena before the feast of the Holy Spirit. In the chapels of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, including the one with the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina at the Shrine of Divine Mercy, this novena is combined with the May devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. You can participate in it on-line and ask for the light and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit for you, the Church, our country and the world, so that the Spirit lead us to full familiarity with Jesus, reveal to us the depth of His merciful love and teach us to perceive His presence and action in our daily lives. At the end of the novena in the Łagiewniki Shrine, a prayer vigil will be held.
On May 18th at 9 pm a prayerful vigil before the feast of the Pentecost will begin at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. We will gather in the chapel of the miracle-famous image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina, which will become the Cenacle. Together with Mary, the Mother of Mercy, we shall be asking the Holy Spirit for the Light, Power and Graces for us, the Holy Church, our Country and the entire World. The vigil will end with the Eucharist celebrated at 10 p.m. You can join in this prayer online at www.saint-faustina.org where it will be broadcast.
On Saturday, May 18st, there will be a spring pilgrimage to the Rock Shrine of Divine Mercy on Mount Butkov in Slovakia. Celebrations will start with communal prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy led by the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy from from Slovakia. Solemn Mass in honor of St. John Paul II at 3.30 p.m. The site devoted to the worship of Divine Mercy located at Mount Butkov (11th floor of a stone quarry), where a large illuminated cross, in addition to statues of St. Faustina and St. John Paul II have been placed, is part of the Rock Shrine of Divine Mercy with a church in Ladce.
On May 18th, faithful across Australia and Oceania will join in prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 pm for the 7 time. 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 13—the anniversary of the revelation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, above all, by the faithful of Australia and Oceania. Also Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy have joined in this prayerful action. Also Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy have joined in this prayerful action. On May 18th, all those participating will pray for the following intentions: More information and how to join: www.worldchaplet.org
On May 15th, in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Prešov, Slovakia, a “Day of Divine Mercy” will be held. Sister from both communities of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Slovakia will take part, the ones from the Košice and Nižny Hrušov, together with members and volunteers of the “Faustinum” Association. The program includes: Holy Mass, sisters’ conference on “Mercy – God’s limit for the evil of the whole world”, adoration and prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
In Krakow, on May 12th (Sunday), an annual procession in honor of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr will walk from the Wawel Hill to the monastery of Skałka (the place of his martyrdom). This beautiful procession dating back to the thirteenth century, is attended by bishops, priests, various male and female religious congregations, parish delegations from the entire archdiocese of Krakow, including some wearing regional costumes, and many other faithful. Traditionally, in the sign of their relics, patrons of Poland are also following: St. Stanislaus, St. Adalbert and other Polish saints, among them St. Faustina, who has participated in this national procession for many years.
This is the motto of a retreat dedicated to listening to the voice of God in the whirlwind of daily activities, joys and worries, to be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on May 10-12. The participants will learn this art from St. Faustina, who wrote: “I’m striving for interior silence, so as to hear His voice…” (Diary, 1828). The retreat will be delivered by Fr. Robert Więcek, S.J., retreatist, director of the National Secretariat of the Pontifical World Prayer Network, and Sr. M. Emanuela Gemza, I.S.M.M., president of the “Faustinum” Association of Apostles of Divine Mercy, author of “Faustinum” books and formation notebooks. For more information, go to www.faustinum.pl.
On May 8 we will be celebrating the 156th anniversary of the establishment, by Mother Teresa Ewa Countess Potocki nee Sułkowski, of the first house of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow. The sisters became involved in the education of girls and women in need of deep moral renewal, first in the “House of Mercy” at the Church of Divine Mercy at Smoleńsk street, and then in the convent at the crossroads of Zwierzyniecka and Straszewskiego (now occupied by Hotel Radisson). Since 1891, the convent’s house has been in Krakow-Łagiewniki. Today, the sisters are performing more than their original work, being also involved in the mission of St. Faustina to proclaim the message of Mercy to the world. They do this not only at the Shrine of Divine Mercy among the pilgrims from around the world, but also through many new works: the Association of Divine Mercy Apostles “Faustinum”, the publishing company “Misericordia”, the quarterly magazine “Orędzie Miłosierdzia”, the website available in 8 languages, the online broadcasts from the chapel of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina, the perpetual Chaplet, the Chaplet for the dying, presence in the media, social networking, visits to parishes in Poland and abroad, participation in symposia and conferences devoted to the Mercy of God and the heritage of St. Faustina, etc. Their ministry, even the most implicit, includes the proclamation of the message of the merciful Love of God to man.
Such is the theme of the retreat for women of the Kostanay deanery in Kazakhstan to be held on May 3-5 at the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Lisakovsk. The topic of the meeting will be woman’s dignity. It will be delivered by Sr. Anastasis Omelchenko of the Petropavlovsk community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, Sr. Madlen Hofmann. The retreat will feature Bible meditations, lectures and workshops.
On Saturday, May 4th, 17th annual pilgrimage of Catholics from Slovakia organized by Radio Lumen will arrive at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. About 10,000 pilgrims from all over Slovakia will participate in solemn Mass at 10:30 am, presided by Bishop František Trstenský from Spiš and concelebrated by many priests who will arrive with the pilgrims. At 14.00 pm, Sr. M. Clareta Fečova from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will give a conference. The pilgrimage will conclude with prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3:00 pm), the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and pastorial blessings. The events will traditionally be broadcast by the Catholic Radio Lumen, which will allow those unable to participate in person and come to Łagiewniki in a spiritual manner.
April 30th is the 24th anniversary of the canonization of Sr. Faustina Kowalska from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, an apostle of Divine Mercy. Her canonization took place at St. Peter’s Square in Rome and at the Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki in the year 2000. Saint Faustina described the event with details more than 60 years earlier, at the end of March 1937 (Diary, 1044-1048). Whoever participated in these events knows that her vision was fulfilled accurately. On that day, the Holy Father John Paul II introduced the Feast of Divine Mercy for the whole Church and provided it with the message of Mercy as articulated by St. Faustina for the third millennium of our faith. You can find out more the testimony of miraculous healing which was tested for the canonization, a description of the event and the canonization homily of the Holy Father at faustyna.pl. We give daily thanks for this “gift of God our time”, as St. Faustina and the message of Mercy which she provided us with were called by St. John Paul II. Millions of people around the world are joining in St. Faustina’s prophetic mission of proclaiming the biblical truth about the merciful Love of God to the world through the witness of life, deeds, words and prayer, creating the Apostolic Movement of the Divine Mercy, which is the “new congregation” as demanded by Jesus. May the anniversary of the Apostle of Divine Mercy’s canonization be an opportunity for us not only to give thanks, but also to explore the abundant heritage of the Saint.
Saint Faustina is commonly associated with her revelations of Merciful Jesus and not so much with ones of the Virgin Mary. However, she experienced tens of such revelations. While She conversed with Sister Faustina, Mary revealed to her the mystery of Divine Mercy in her own life. She also instructed, reassured and accompanied the Saint in her prophetic mission of Mercy. She told her: Out of the depths of God’s Mercy, I am your Mother (Diary, 449) and I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of Mercy, and your Mother (Diary, 330).
The Blessed Virgin was, for Sister Faustina, primarily the Mother of the Son of God – the Embodiment of Mercy – and thanks to the Divine Mercy, also the mother of every human being. As the caring best Mother of all and a Mistress of spiritual life, she instructed her regarding the contemplation of God in her soul, regarding obedience to the will of God, the art of lovingly accepting one’s own cross and concern for the virtues that condition the attitude of trust in God and mercy towards our fellow human beings. I saw the Mother of God, Sister Faustina noted, who said to me, “Oh, how pleasing to God is the soul that follows faithfully the inspirations of His grace! I gave the Savior to the world; as for you, you have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the end. I sympathize with you” (Diary 635).
The 2nd National Faustinum Convention will be held in San Giovanni Rotondo from April 26-28 under the theme United with Merciful Jesus. It will be attended by sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy from Krakow and Rome: Sisters Emanuela Gemza, president of the Faustinum Association of Apostles of Divine Mercy, and Sr. Wincenta Mąka, who will deliver presenations, and Sisters Eliana Chmielewska and Tymoteusza Kmiotek, who will share their testimonies.
Earlier, the sisters from the Krakow community will meet with the faithful at St. Dominic’s Church in Bari and Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Taviano to introduce them to the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina,
