On August 1st, it will be 98 years since Helena Kowalska, known throughout the world under her religious name of Sister Faustina, joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Despite explicit instructions from Jesus to go to Warsaw and enter a convent to begin monastic life, her way to start following her vocation was not easy. As she wrote in her Diary, she knocked on the doors of many convents, but she was accepted nowhere. It was only in the convent at ul. Żytnia in Warsaw that she received an approval to join, but not before she spends a year working as a maid to earn a modest dowry. Finally, on August 1st, 1925 she stepped over the threshold of the closure, and wrote in her Diary: I felt immensely happy; it seemed to me that I had stepped into the life of Paradise. A single prayer was bursting forth from my heart, one of thanksgiving (Diary, 17). She then spent 13 years in many convents of the Congregation, fulfilling simple duties, and at the same time leading a very deep spiritual life. The Lord sent St. Faustina to the world to remind people of the Biblical truth about the merciful love of God to each human being and call them to proclaim it with a new power of witness, deed, word and prayer.
On July 31st, the liturgical calendar includes a commemoration of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus and one of the patron saints of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, which has benefited from Ignatian spirituality throughout its history. Saint Faustina mentions this Saint twice in her Diary, when she writes about his advice concerning keeping the vow of obedience, and on the occasion of her the vision in 1935: The Feast of St. Ignatius. I prayed fervently to this Saint, complaining and asking how he could watch me and not come to my assistance in such important matters, that is in fulfilling God’s will. I said to the Saint: “You, who are our Patron, you were burning with the fire of love and zeal for the greater glory of God, I humbly ask you, please help me carry out God’s plans.” It was during Mass. Then I saw St. Ignatius on the left-hand side of the altar with a big book in his hands. He said to me: “My daughter, I am not indifferent to your affairs; this rule can be applied to the Congregation as well.” With his hand he pointed to the book and vanished. I was extremely pleased that the Saints have us very much in their thoughts and that they are in close touch with us. O, divine Goodness, how beautiful the spiritual world is, if we can be in communion with the Saints already here on earth. All day long I felt that this Patron Saint, whom I hold so dear, was close by my side.
The Firm In Faith Founded On Love national conference of married couples will be held from July 21-23 in Lincolnshire, Illinois, USA. It will be attended by Sr. Donata Farbaniec of the Washington, D.C., community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, who will share the message of Mercy as recorded in the Diary of St. Faustina in the context of this year’s theme of the conference. The event is organized by Family Missionaries of Christ.
July 16 is the 157th anniversary of the death of Mother Thérèse Rondeau, the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in France (Laval), and co-founder of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland. She was born on October 6, 1793 in Laval, France. She was christened Theresa Agatha. Under the influence of her confessor, Fr. J. Chanon, S.J., Theresa undertook working with penitent women, that is to say women in need of deep moral renewal and willing to change their lives. In order to prepare better for this work, in 1818 she moved to Bordeaux, where Mother Teresa de Lamourous ran a house for penitent women, which was called “Mercy”. After a two-month stay, Theresa Rondeau made private vows and returned to Laval to become the foundress of a new work, independent from Bordeaux, and in time this became the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in France. Mother Teresa Potocka, née Ewa Sułkowska, who later became the foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland, adopted the spirituality of the French Congregation and their way of conducting apostolic work. Mother Teresa Rondeau died on 16 July 1866 and was buried within the grounds of the Congregation in Laval; her tomb is in a garden belonging to the convent. Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland has named a co-founder. The spiritual co-founder of the Congregation is St. Faustina Kowalska.
On July 9-13, in the Miłosierdzie Retreat House in Derdy near Warsaw, a retreat for members and volunteers of the Faustinum Association will be held. This will be the second in a series of retreats that correspond to the themes of the various stages of formation, either communal or individual. This retreat, with the theme “Invited to trust”, will be attended by those members and volunteers of Faustinum who have completed their second year of formation in the Association. The retreat will be hosted by Fr. Krzysztof Kowal, MS and Sr. M. Emanuela Gemza, ISMM.
On July 3-7, Sr. Hedvig Uličná of the Košice community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will lead meetings about God’s mercy and St. Faustina for Hungarian-speaking children between the ages of 6 and 10. A summer camp for these children is being organized in Košice, Slovakia.
On 6 July falls the 142th anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa Ewa nee Sułkowska, Countess Potocka, the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland. Is it a small thing to save one soul, she wrote. This idea guided her life and work, which she established to rescue women and girls in need of deep moral renewal (“the Magdalenas”). The Congregation later gave to the Church and the world the trasure that was Sister Faustina, apostle of Divine Mercy who is now recognized as its spiritual co-founder. Mother Teresa Potocka died in the palace of Wilanów. Her mortal remains rest in the tomb of the Congregation at the Powązki cemetery in Warsaw. We do not call her a saint, because only the Church has the right to give that title, said Fr. Zygmunt Golian, her spiritual director, in the funeral speech. However, let our efforts at work, for which he was ready to give her life, prove her sanctity. More information about the life and work of Mother Teresa Potocka can be found here.
From June 30 to July 2, a vocational retreat for girls and women will take place in the Discalced Carmelites monastery in Lorinčík near Košice in the south of Slovakia, themed “Lord, if you want, you can”. It will be led by the Carmelite Fathers and Sr. Benediktína Fečová from the Košice community of the Congregation of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy.
From June 25-28, 75 young women from the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia, will participate in an annual camp organized for the discernment of life’s vocation. The motto of the summer camps is We pray hard and play hard! Sister Faustia and Sister Grace from the Washington, D.C., community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will talk about what a vocation is, how to discern it, what types of vocations there are, what it’s like to be a sister…, as well as give personal testimonies, lead prayer and spend time with the girls. The meeting agenda includes Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, Adoration and all kinds of outdoor games.
August 17th is the 21th anniversary of the entrustment of the world to Divine Mercy by Pope John Paul II during his last pilgrimage to Poland at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. After the consecration of the basilica, the Holy Father uttered words in which he entrusted the fate of the world and every human being to God, the Father rich in Mercy. These words became a daily prayer not only for the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and the pilgrims coming to the Łagiewniki Shrine, but also to millions of people in the world.
God, Father of Mercy,
Who revealed Your love in your Son, Jesus Christ,
And poured it upon us in the Holy Spirit the Comforter,
today we entrust to you the fate of the world and every human being.
Look upon over us sinners,
heal our weakness,
overcome all the evil,
let all the inhabitants of the Earth experience Your Mercy,
In You, the Triune God,
we have always found a source of hope.
God, Father of Mercy,
for your painful torment and the Resurrection of Your Son
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
The annual retreat for worshipers of Divine Mercy will take place on June 24-26 at the Jesuit retreat house in Prešov, Slovakia. The retreat with God’s greatest attribute, which is His mercy, will be led by Sr. M. Benediktína Fečová ISMM from the Košice community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy together with the Jesuit Fathers from the Prešov community.
On the occasion of the 38th World Youth Day in Portugal, the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy is launching a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Faustyna.pl website, to be operated by Sisters of the convent in Rio de Janeiro. The website features source texts on the mystery of the Divine Mercy, Mary the Mother of Mercy, St. Faustina, her life, mission and spirituality, Shrines of Divine Mercy in Poland and worldwide, and also tells about the life and activities of the Congregation where the Apostle of Divine Mercy lived and died. The website also has the online video streams from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, the Chaplet for the Dying and the Perpetual Chaplet in addition to contracts for downloading the miracle-famous Divine Mercy Image and the photos and images of St. Faustina.
It is the ninth language version of the website, apart from the Polish, English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian and Slovak ones, which was created thanks to the apostolic service of the team of translators and consultants under the direction of Robert Jankowski, our IT team and the Sisters of the Congregation of the Lady of Mercy.
“I betroth you to Jesus Christ”. These are the words 3 sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will hear from Bishop Jan Zając on August 2nd during their perpetual vows at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will take place in the chapel with the famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. The vows of chastity, poverty and obedience will be made in the presence of the Superior General, Mother Miriam Janiec. The ceremony will be attended by sisters, priests, families and friends. It will be one of the most important days in the lives of these sisters, the Congregation and the Church—the espousal of God and the human soul.
The monthly formation meetings of the Faustinum community will be held in Borši (Streda nad Bodrogom parish) in Slovakia on Monday and Tuesday (June 19-20). The program includes conferences on the theme of God’s mercy in the Bible and St. Faustina’s Diary, will be delivered by Sr. M. Hedvig Uličná of the Košice community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Slovakia.
On August 1th, in the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, postulant will receive new names and costumes of novices (black dress and a white veil) after a first, ten-month period of religious life. They will begin another two year’s term of novitiate, after which they will be able to make their first religious vows. The ceremony of investiture takes place within enclosure, but a Mass for the intention of the sister who begin their novitiate will be celebrated in the chapel of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina, at 11:00.
On July 7, the 11th International Walking Pilgrimage will set off from Hidasnemeti (Hungary) across Slovakia to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. During the nine days, the pilgrims will make their way along a 275 km route through Kosice, Radatice, Pečowská Nová Ves, Plavnica, Piwniczna Zdrój, Gostwica, Tymbark and Brzączowice. The pilgrimage will reach Krakow on July 15. At 3 pm, prayer at the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be recited in the chapel of the convent before the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina.
The liturgical calendar includes compulsory commemoration of St. Mary Magdalene, who is the patroness of good change, on 22 of July. Since the beginning, this Saint is the patron of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, especially of the girls and women in need of moral regeneration, the education of whom is the main task of the sisters. Images and statues of Mary Magdalene are found in many convents of the Congregation. In the convent chapel of the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina at the Shrine in Krakow-Lagiewniki, her the statue is located in the main altar which is dedicated to the patron saint of the Congregation – Our Lady of Mercy.
The Sisters from the community of our Congregation in Washington, D.C., organize the next “Evening with Merciful Jesus” on July 22nd at the John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. The honorable guest this month will be Sr. Mary Claire from the community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Lakeville. Her presentation will be titled Heart to Heart with Merciful Jesus.
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 June 22, at 7 p.m., a monthly meeting of young faithful, the traditional Łagiewnki 22, will take place at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, at the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina. 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.
On June 10, Sr. Donata of the Washington, D.C., community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will lead a day of recollection at the National Center for Padre Pio, in Barto, Pennsylvania. The theme for reflection and prayer will be the devotion to the Divine Mercy in the forms handed down by St. Faustina, especially its essence, that is, the attitude of trusting God to do His will.
The Sisters from the community of our Congregation in Washington, D.C., organize the next “Evening with Merciful Jesus” on June 22nd at the John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. The honorable guest this month will be Fr. Patrick Fiorillo, chaplain of the Harvard Catholic Centre and vicar of the parish of St. Paul at Harvard Square in Boston; member of the Vatican III jazz band which is made up of priests only. In his presentation, Fr. Patrick will speak about human sin and evil versus God’s unfailing love that restores man’s dignity as a child of God.
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 Friday 23 June at 3.20 pm monthly Holy Mass will be celebrated for the Faustinum Divine Mercy Apostles Association in Slovakia. It will be celebrated at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Košice’s KVP area by Fr. Radoslav Gönci. Regular monthly Masses for the intentions of the Faustinum in Slovakia have been celebrated since 2006.
After the service, a formation meetup will be called for the local community of the Faustinum, which will be hosted by Fr. Tomáš Svat and Sr. M. Antoniana Štullerová of the Košice community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy.
Until 23 June you can register for the three day Divine Mercy Retreat: “Brought to a new birth through Divine Mercy”, which will be held from the 25th to 27th of August at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków Łagiewniki. It will be led by Fr Jason Jones, Rector of the Diocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy in Wales, and sr. Maria Vianneya Dąbrowska from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.
For more information and the registartion form, visit: www.faustinum.pl/eng
On 8 June, 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.
On June 7 and 8, 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. Inga from the Washington community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, who will give a conference on Eucharist a source of healing for patients.
A formal gathering of members and volunteers of the Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on June 3rd. The theme of the Convention will be: The community of the Church as a place of growth, which corresponds with the motto of the pastoral year in Poland. The meeting agenda includes Holy Mass, lectures, community sharing, Adoration of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament and the entrustment of the Faustinum Association to St. Joseph, who communicated to St. Faustina that he is supporting her prophetic mission to bring the message of Mercy to the world and who asked her for prayer as well.
To find out more about the Faustinum Association and the Convention agenda, please visit www.faustinum.pl.
On June 3rd, 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 Follow the Lamb. 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.
A spiritual retreat for young women will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on May 26-28. The theme of the event is How do I find my way? It will be delivered by Fr. Mariusz Balcerek, S.J. and Sr. M. Gaudia Skass, I.S.M.M. Based on Scriptures, the Diary of St. Faustina and the teaching of St. Ignatius Loyola concerning how to discern spirits.
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.
May 27th is the 17th 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.
