We would like to dedicate these words of St. John Paul II to all benefactors and donors of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, as their cash donations and personal involvement in their apostolic work bring a gift to the world: the message of Mercy, which Jesus entrusted to St. Faustina. Particularly, we would like to thank, here at this website, those who support it and who participate in the works which are implemented through it, especially the “Chaplet for the Dying” and the on-line video streaming from the Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki. Thanks to this support, in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, we have purchased a new camera to broadcast the on-line streams and news on all seven language pages and through the Faustyna.pl application. We pray daily for all donors and benefactors, recommending their intentions to the Divine Mercy through the intercession of St. Faustina.
We pray daily for all benefactors and donors, entrusting their intentions to Divine Mercy through the intercession of St. Faustina. The next Holy Mass for those supporting the online broadcast will be celebrated on August 27 at 5:00 PM at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, before the miraculous image of the Merciful Jesus and at the tomb of St. Faustina.
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 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 29nd 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 the Sunday, this year on August 25th, 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.
In the summer months, during the holidays, the numbers of visitors who join the works of “Chaplet for the Dying” and “Perpetual Chaplet of Divine Mercy” at www.saint-faustina.org are not decreasing. On the contrary, they are growing! Thanks to these works, the call for “mercy on us and the whole world” is being made constantly, day and night, every day. Participants in this prayer are located in dozens of countries, including Canada, the US, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Colombia, Panama, Ukraine, Switzerland, Australia and England. Those who would like to join in this prayer can feel free to fill out the proper form.
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”. A detailed intention for August is prayer: Coverage of costs: servers and fiber optic cables, streaming carried out by Livestream Vimeo, and ongoing maintenance of equipment needed for broadcasting.
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.
In August, during evening devotions, the Chaplet of Our Lady of Mercy is sung or recited in all the chapels of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. At the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, evening devotions are celebrated on weekdays at 7 pm (except Thursdays). You can join through on-line video stream at www.saint-faustina.org. The words of the Chaplet of Our Lady of Mercy and more information about Mary as Our Lady of Mercy, in particular concerning this title of Mary, her worship and iconography in the history of the Church and the Congregation, can be found at www.saint-faustina.org, tab: Our Lady of Mercy.
During the summer, the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy go on holidays too. Usually, they spend these days visiting their families or other convents of the Congregation. The younger sisters are happy to organize their stay at the retreat house of the Congregation in Zakopane’s Krzeptówki and Rabka, because they can also stay with members of their families there. What is more, they can make hiking trips from there. We would like to wish you all to make your holiday a time of restoration of your spiritual and physical strength.
Every day in Poland, an average of more than 1,000 people pass away. Globally, at any given moment, countless individuals require not only medical assistance but, more importantly, spiritual support. This spiritual care is crucial in the final hours as individuals transition from this world to eternity. The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy runs the Chaplet for the Dying initiative, offering swift assistance—sometimes within 20 seconds—through mobile and Internet communications. This aid is facilitated by individuals who participate through prayer or financial support. This year, volunteers from 40 countries have pledged their support, but more are needed to urgently provide prayers for those in their final moments. To learn more about participating and to access the entry form, visit www.saint-faustina.org
The sisters warmly invite you to join this meaningful work of mercy and assure you of their prayers. The next Mass dedicated to this cause, praying for a serene death for the dying and eternal joy for the departed, will be celebrated on August 20 at 5 p.m. at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, in front of the renowned image of the Merciful Jesus and at the tomb of St. Faustina.
On Saturday, August 24, the annual Slovak National Pilgrimage to the Rock Sanctuary of Divine Mercy on Mount Butkov in Slovakia will take place. The celebrations will begin with a joint prayer during the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, led by the Sisters of the Congregation of the Mother of God’s Mercy from both Slovak communities. The solemn Holy Mass in honor of Our Lady of Mercy will be celebrated at 3:45 PM.
The place dedicated to the veneration of Divine Mercy on Mount Butkov (11th floor of the quarry), where a large illuminated Cross, as well as monuments of St. Faustina and St. John Paul II, and a 9-meter statue of Our Lady of Mercy, have been previously installed, is part of the “Rock Sanctuary of Divine Mercy” with the temple in Ladce.
On August 17-18 this year, Divine Mercy devotees will gather at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki for the XI National Pilgrimage. This event commemorates the anniversary of the consecration of the Divine Mercy Basilica and the entrustment of the world to Divine Mercy by St. John Paul II. Key Event Highlights include a Eucharist celebration at 12:00 PM on Saturday by Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Metropolitan of Krakow. Throughout the event, various works of mercy will be showcased in tents set up in the square in front of the basilica. The group Promyczki Dobra will perform two concerts on Saturday, scheduled for 1:30 PM and 4:30 PM, in the St. John Paul II Auditorium. For more information and a detailed program, visit the Shrine Rector’s website, at www.misericordia.eu.
August 17th is the 22th 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.
For the first time, a summer pilgrimage will be held from August 3-11 from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Spišská Nova Ves, Slovakia, to the Rock Shrine on Mount Butkov. The pilgrimage is organized by the Pallottine Fathers, and will be attended, among others, by Sr. Pavla Stanovčáková from the community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Dvur Králové. The route the pilgrims will take is more than 225 kilometers.
A parish retreat will be held from August 8-11 at St. Lawrence Parish in Hrabušice, Slovakia. The day of recollection will be led by Sr. M. Blanka Krajčíková of the Košice community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The program includes conferences, adoration, a meeting with children on Friday and youth on Saturday. The retreat will culminate with a solemn indulgent Mass at 10:30 am.
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.
“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 3nd 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.
On 2 August, at 10:30 am at the Shrine of Divine Mercy, Sister Mariana from Brazil and Sister Helena from Belarus from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, after serving a two-year novitiate and making an eight-day retreat, will make their first vows before the Superior General, Mother Miriam Janiec. The ceremonies, taking place in the convent chapel of the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina will be presided Bishop Robert Chrząszcz. The ceremony will be attended by sisters from many convents of the Congregation and families of the sisters. During the first profession, sisters make vows of chastity, poverty and obedience to Jesus for a year, which are then renewed for five consecutive years. After this period, perpetual vows take place.
On August 1st, it will be 99 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.
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”. Specjal intention for July: for safe holidays for those who rest and that everyone may use this time to grow spiritually in their trust in God and in the richness of mercy shown to people.
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.
On July 25-29, a formation retreat of the “Faustinum” Association will be held at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki in two groups: first tier, under the motto Endowed with Mercy, and second for those who have already taken the first retreat. The motto of the retreat for the second group is Let God’s Mercy work in you, that is, live, choose, and act according to what God expects, because His plan is optimal for our development and happiness on earth and in eternity. The retreat will be delivered by Fr. Sławomir Czajka, Bible scholar, Director of the St. Casimir Theological Institute in Radom, Sr. Emanuela Gemza, I.S.M.M., head of the “Faustinum” Association, and Sr. Eliana Chmielewska, leader of the Krakow “Faustinum” community.
The Sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Washington, D.C. (USA) are organizing a spiritual retreat on a pilgrimage to Poland from July 14 to 26, 2024. The pilgrimage will be an extraordinary journey following in the footsteps of two saints who changed the world by reminding us of the truth about God, whose name is MERCY! The program includes conferences, prayer, and visits to the most important places associated with St. Faustina and St. John Paul II. Highlights will include an extended stay at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, the site from which the message of Mercy and the consecration of the entire world to Divine Mercy have spread worldwide.
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.
On July 10, the 22th “From Mercy to Mercy” Greater Poland’s Pilgrimage will depart from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Ostrów Wielkopolski for the capital of the Divine Mercy veneration in Krakow-Łagiewniki. The pilgrims will arrive on July 21. On the way, on July 16th they will be joined by more pilgrims from the Poznan Foot Pilgrimage to Jasna Góra, who will be extending their walking route beyond Czestochowa – to Krakow-Łagiewniki. Spiritually, they will be joined by listeners of Radio Rodzina from the Diocese of Kalisz.
On July 12, the 12th 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 20. 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.