A retreat titled The Prophetic Message of Divine Mercy for Our Times will be held at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Turlock from March 24 to 28. It will be delivered by Sr. Gaudia Skass and Sr. Grace from the DC community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. There is a vibrant Divine Mercy worship in this parish, which provides an opportunity to explore the message of Mercy that Jesus gave to St. Faustina, and Pope St. John Paul II gave the Church and the world for the third millennium, because only in the Mercy of God will the world find peace and man will find happiness. During the retreat there will be opportunities for confession, adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, personal prayer in silence, communal Eucharist and Stations of the Cross.
Works of mercy. This fast is what God desires. The following event in the life of St. Faustina is among the things which can convince us of it: The doctor did not allow me to go to the chapel to attend the Passion Service, although I had a great desire for it; however, I prayed in my own room. Suddenly I heard the bell in the next room, and I went in and rendered a service to a seriously sick person. When I returned to my room, I suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said, My daughter, you gave Me greater pleasure by rendering Me that service than if you had prayed for a long time. I answered, But it was not to You, Jesus, but to that patient that I rendered this service. And the Lord answered me, Yes, My daughter, but whatever you do for your neighbor, you do for Me (Diary, 1029).
Jesus instructed St. Faustina, and through her, all of us, that there are three ways to provide good to our neighbors: by deed, word, and prayer. He said: In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. (Diary, 742). Jesus asked Sister Faustina to do at least one act of mercy towards her neighbors during a day, and do it out of love for Him. This is the only wealth on earth that has eternal value. It makes us beautiful in our humanity and our Christian vocation, but also rich before God.
On March 27, Sr. Wincenta Mąka of the Roman community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will share the message of Mercy as recorded in the Diary of St. Faustina with the faithful in the parish of Santa Maria di Sovereto in Terlizzi, province of Bari, during Sunday Mass. Separately, she will meet with Divine Mercy devotees to talk more about preparing for and living out the Feast of Divine Mercy and the great promises Jesus has tied to this holiday.
On March 25, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, diocesan celebration of the Sanctity of Human Life Day will be combined with the rite of admission to the Work of Spiritual Adoption of an Unborn Child. Solemn Eucharist at 7 pm in the Basilica will be presided over by Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, the Meropolitan Bishop of Krakow.
Pope Francis, announcing the Year of the Family in the Church on 27 December 2020, said: In the family, three words need to be used. I want to repeat this! Three words: ‘Please’, ‘Thank you’, ‘Sorry’. Three essential words!. In our families when we are not overbearing and ask: ‘May I?’; in our families when we are not selfish and can say: ‘Thank you!’; and in our families when someone realizes that he or she did something wrong and is able to say ‘Sorry!’, our family experiences peace and joy.
St. Faustina is associated with the revelations of Merciful Jesus, the prophetic mission of proclaiming the biblical truth about the merciful love of God to man to the world, with the devotion to Divine Mercy and the new school of spirituality. She is less frequently mentioned in relation with her revelations of Our Lady, and yet in the Diary, dozens of meetings of the Apostle of Divine Mercy with Mary are reported. One revelation was a special occasion, because it talks about the extraordinary role of St. St. Faustina in Divine Mercy plans. On the Feast of the Annunciation of 1936, in the convent chapel at ul. Żytnia in Warsaw, Sister Faustina saw the Mother of God, who told her: 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 [granting] 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). This message from the Mother of God also applies to us and impels us to bring the message of the merciful love of God to man to the world by testimony of life, deed, word and prayer.
On March 22nd at 7 pm, in the Łagiewniki Shrine’s chapel of the Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina, the traditional monthly youth meeting, dubbed the Łagiewniki 22, will take place. This year, the Sisters and participants of the meetings are following a new theme: Come and Trust! In prayer, the young people will entrust all the difficult matters of the Church, the world and their personal problems to the merciful Lord. The evenings of adoration will also be a spiritual preparation for the 20th anniversary of the act of entrusting the world to Divine Mercy, which was done by St. Pope John Paul II in 17 August 2002 at the Łagiewniki Shrine.
Meditating on the Passion of Jesus. During Lent, we consider the suffering of Jesus, which He took upon Himself out of love for us and for our salvation, more often than in other times of the year. We participate in the devotion of the cross and Bitter Lamentations, and we read the Scriptures that announce and describe the paschal events. Jesus instructed Faustina, and through her all of us, to consider His Passion in such a way as if it took place only for her sake (cf. (Diary, 1761). He explained: There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion than there is to a whole year of flagellation that draws blood; the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy 369). My daughter, meditate frequently on the sufferings which I have undergone for your sake, and then nothing of what you suffer for Me will seem great to you. You please Me most when you meditate on My Sorrowful Passion. Join your little sufferings to My Sorrowful Passion, so that they may have infinite value before My Majesty (Diary, 1512). Following these indications of Jesus, Sister Faustina penetrated deeply into the mystery of the merciful love of God for every man and thanked Jesus for the Book from which she learned to love God and people. That book is Your Passion which You underwent for love of me. It is from this book that I have learned how to love God and souls. In this book there are found for us inexhaustible treasures. O Jesus, how few souls understand You in Your martyrdom of love! Oh, how great is the fire of purest love which burns in Your Most Sacred Heart! Happy the soul that has come to understand the love of the Heart of Jesus! (Diary, 304).
The feast of St. Joseph – March 19th – at the Shrine of Divine Mercy’s convent chapel of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina is an indulgence, because it is the original dedication of the chapel and the entire property called “Józefowo”. The ceremony will be preceded by a novena, during which at the evening worship services Litany of St. Joseph is sung, and in the morning after the breviary, a prayer is recited to the Husband of Mary and Foster Father of Jesus. Holy Masses will take place at 6.30 am and 5.00 pm.
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 March 11-13, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, a retreat for priests will take place. “Seen through the eyes of the Merciful Lord”. Participants in these spiritual exercises will discover, how beautiful they are in the eyes of God. One way to help them is to contemplate the Merciful Jesus from the painting He himself commissioned St. Faustina to paint 91 years ago in this very place. The retreat will be hosted by Fr. Krzysztof Ruciński and Sr. M. Diana Kuczek from the Plock community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy.
On 13 March, the official introduction of relics of St. Faustina at the Parish of Our Lady’s Maternity in Łosień, Diocese of Kielce, will take place. The event will be attended by Sister Maria Faustyna Ciborowska from the Convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki, who will share the message of Mercy and the spiritual legacy of the Apostle of Divine Mercy written in her Diary, and by Apostles of Divine Mercy from the Faustinum Association, who will share their experience of Divine Mercy and their participation in the mission of St. Faustina.
On March 9-11, at the Shrine of St. Faustina in Warsaw at ul. Żytnia 1, a Lenten retreat for children and young teens from primary schools (1st to 8th grade) will be held. The children will accompany St. Faustina in learning from Merciful Jesus about how to be merciful and finally get to Heaven. Meanwhile, the teens will seek answers to the question what counts in life and how to seek true values. The retreat will be hosted by Sr. Maria Faustyna and Sr. Rachela of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy.
Mary, Mother of the Son of God, Mercy Incarnate and Mother of each of us. Ultimately beautiful in her love for God and man. A role model for every girl, mother and consecrated person. That is why we direct our prayers of thankfulness and supplication. To read more about the most beautiful of Women, Our Lady of Mercy, her veneration, iconography, liturgy and prayers, visit: www.saint-faustina.org.
On March 2-6, Sr. Emanuela Gemza and Sr. Maria Faustyna Ciborowska from the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki will deliver a retreat at the parish of St. Stanislaus in Dobrzechów and the filial church in Kozłówek. During the retreat, the Sisters and parishioners will be exploring the mystery of Divine Mercy based on the Gospel and the Diary of St. Faustina, to show what the human answer to this welcoming love of God should be like, expressed by trust in the Lord and the attitude of mercy towards one’s neighbor.
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.
On February 25-27, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, a retreat for Faustinum Association members will take place. It will be themed “Jesus, I trust in You! From Listening to Trusting the Merciful.” The retreat, based on the Gospel and excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina, will be provided by Fr. Krzysztof Wons, SDS, PhD in spirituality theology, director of the Salvatorian Spirituality Center in Krakow, retreat leader and spiritual director.
Such is the title of the 27th episode of our short film clip series about the Message of Mercy from Jesus, based on the Diary of Sister Faustina. Every episode contains a dialog between Jesus and St. Faustina. In this episode, Jesus is saying: “I am giving people a vessel with which they are to come to the fount of mercy for graces. That vessel is the picture with the inscription ‘Jesus, I trust in You” (Diary, 327). Saint Faustina responds: “O my Jesus, every day my soul bathes in the rays of Your mercy; I know of no moment in my life when I did not experience Your mercy” (Diary, 697).
The script for a series of short films featuring Jesus’ message of mercy was written by Sr. M. Elżbieta Siepak, ISMM. This message reveals God’s merciful love and calls us to respond to it with an attitude of trust in God, that is, by doing His will, and by doing good to others through deeds, words and prayer. The narrators are Adam Woronowicz and Aleksandra Posielężna, and the music was written by the Krakow composed and musician, Paweł Bębenek. The one-minute film clips with beautiful outdoor scenes are produced by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in cooperation with TVP. You can watch them all on you YouTube channel: Faustina.pl.
On February 22 at 5 pm, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Holy Mass will be celebrated at the Image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina, for the intentions of all benefactors and donors who support the media apostolic works of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy: Chaplet for the Dying, online broadcasting from the Łagiewniki Shrine, and the website: faustyna.pl available in several languages. Live stream from the service will be available at Faustyna.pl, our Faustyna.pl YouTube channel and in the Faustina.pl mobile application.
“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.
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 22nd, the 91th anniversary of the revelation of Merciful Jesus, in the Płock Shrine of the Divine Mercy at the Old Market, Holy Mass will take place at 6.30 am, 10 am, 12 pm and 5.00 pm. At 3 pm – prayer in the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet to Divine Mercy will be recited. At 5.00 pm, Holy Mass will be presided over by Bishop Piotr Libera. The celebration of the anniversary will be participated by the inhabitants of Plock and by venerators of Divine Mercy from many towns and villages in Poland, traditionally arriving to witness these events despite the wintry weather.
On February 22nd, at the John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., the already traditional monthly Evening with Merciful Jesus will take place at 7 pm. It will be hosted by Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. This time, Sr. Gaudia Skass will speak about the courageous and amazing story of Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, in bringing the message of Divine Mercy to the world. She will also share little-known facts from his life that inspire to get involved in the mission of preparing the world for Jesus’ second coming to earth. Those who cannot connect with us personally on that evening, are invited to join via the live event on the Shrine’s fanpage at https://www.facebook.com/JP2Shrine or YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaintJohnPaulIINationalShrine
On February 17, Sister Clareta Fečova from the Krakow community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy will participate in a formation meeting held by the community of the Society of the Faustinum Divine Mercy Apostles Association in Jablunkov, the Ostrava-Opava diocese in the Czech Republic. During the meeting, which will take place at the local Franciscan monastery, she will proclaim the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina and give a presentation on How to be an Apostle of Divine Mercy in the Modern World. The meeting will include Holy Mass and agape with sharing the experience of the apostolate of mercy in the Czech Republic.
A three-day retreat will be held in Velehrad on February 18-20, to be delivered by Fr. Ján Bittšanský and Sr. Clareta Fečová from the Krakow community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. The retreat focused on Divine Mercy experienced with the Gospel and readings from the Diary of St. Faustina will be themed with the quotation: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” Mk 6:31).
The anniversary of the Divine Mercy Image revelation in Płock at the Old Market Square will be preceded by a three-day retreat, to be delivered by Fr. Sławomir Czajka. He will give conferences between 19 and 21 February at 5 pm, on the topic of the Greatness of Divine Mercy.
The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy has made selected digital files of photos and other images of St. Faustina Kowalska available for downloading from all the 7 language versions of the official www.faustyna.pl website. The files are intended for the non-commercial dissemination of the legacy, spirituality and mission of the Apostle of Divine Mercy in the media, book and multimedia publications, teachings, apostolic and pastoral activities, etc. Each such publication should correctly convey the spiritual legacy of the Apostle of Divine Mercy, especially the Divine Mercy devotion in the forms that Jesus provided to her. The source information is available at our website, www.faustyna.pl in its all language versions. The files can be downloaded with a fillable form, from the Saint Faustina tab.
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.
The Patron draw is a very good idea, every draw wins, Łukasz wrote after drawing his Patron of the year at www.faustyna.pl. Until 31 January 2022, over 300,000 individuals – including over 194,000 from Poland, over 45,000 from Slovakia, and over 53,000 Spanish-speaking users have participated in the annual Patron draw. Also many French, Italian, German and Russian speaking visitors have joined. Many participated again, while others took part for the first time. Some of their testimonies are available at Faustina.pl: „Jesus set a difficult task for me in 2022. The drawing of the patron saint for the year 2022: a moment of reflection, a short prayer, and now I have my Protector, it is St. Stephen. Nothing happens against God’s will. “One who can forgive prepare many graces from God for himself” is a message from the Diary. Through such seemingly small events, God shows me what I need to improve, because I seem to be able to forgive, to forgive, but am I, 100%? But I received a valuable suggestion from St. Faustina: “Whenever I look at the cross, I shall forgive sincerely”. There are no losers in this draw, every draw wins. You can draw your Patron throughout the year, whenever you need some assistance from Heaven.
On the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes (11 February), we will be celebrating the World Day of the Sick. On this occasion, the Shrine of Divine Mercy will host major diocesan events for patients and their caregivers. In the basilica, at noon, solemn Holy Mass combined with anointing of the Sick will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Krakow, Archbishop Marek Jędrszewski. The live broadcast of the ceremony will be available at the Shrine Rector’s website: www.milosierdzie.pl.
