October 23 marks the beginning of a novena to be celebrated before the 161th anniversary of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, which was founded in Warsaw on the feast of All Saints, November 1, 1862, by Mother Teresa Ewa Countess Potocka of the Sułowski Dukes. God called St. Faustina Kowalska (spiritual co-founder) to this Congregation, to whom He gave the message of Mercy and sent her on a prophetic mission to proclaim it to the world. In this novena, Sisters in all the Congregation’s convents in Poland and around the world will give thanks for the graces received throughout the history of the Religious Community, ask for the grace to make God’s mercy present today and trust in the mercy of the Holy Trinity for the coming years of witnessing and apostolic service.
At the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, this novena will be celebrated on weekdays at 7 p.m. and on Sundays at 6:20 p.m., followed by an October rosary service.
The first day of November is celebrated in the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy as the day when the Church pays homage to all the Saints and, additionally, as the anniversary of the establishment of the Congregation in Poland. On this day, in 1862, Archbishop Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński consecrated the first chapel and House of Mercy in Warsaw at ul. Żytnia. On this day, the sisters refer especially to the early history of their Congregation. They commemorate its founder, Countess Teresa Ewa Potocka nee Sułkowska, who accepted the invitation of Archbishop Szczęsny Feliński and came to Warsaw to aid “fallen” women in returning to a life of dignity, and to establish a house for them inspired by the House of Mercy in Laval (France), which became the model for their apostolic work and religious life. Together with the Church, the sisters also revere all those who have achieved the goal of their lives: eternal union with God. These saints also include the Divine Mercy apostle, Sr. Faustina Kowalska, raised to the altars as a saint and known all over the world. Saint Faustina was the spiritual co-founder of the Congregation, along with St. Archbishop Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński and the deceased sisters, pupils and Divine Mercy apostles who were members of the association “Faustinum” and who participated in the mission of the Congregation by making the merciful love of God present in the world through their lives, deeds, words and prayers. The sisters in all the convents their gratitude for the Congregation’s past, entrusting its present and future to God’s mercy, so that all Divine plans for it are fulfilled.
On the Feast of All Saints, the Church honors those raised to the altars, known by name and biography, but also all the priests, other consecrated persons and lay faithful who have reached the goal of human life that is eternal union with God in love. There are more saints who live among us than there may seem to be. One piece of evidence for this is the history of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, which has been intertwined with the lives of many unusual people, in addition to St. Faustina Kowalska. Throughout the over 160-year-long existence and activity of the Congregation, some of these individuals were raised to the glory of the altars by the Church. They include Archbishop Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński, who was a co-founder of the Congregation; Pope St. John Paul II, who visited Łagiewniki so often and has done so much for the mission of Mercy; Bl. Julian Nowowiejski, the Bishop who invited the sisters to Płock and who wrote the first history of the Congregation; Bl. Jan Balicki, who initiated the Congregation’s works in Przemyśl and served the sisters and their pupils for three years; Bl. Maria Karwowska, who spent her formation period in the Łagiewniki convent and Bl. Michael Sopoćko, the Vilnius confessor of the convent on the Antokol and spiritual director of St. Faustina. The following are included as candidates for sainthood: the fathers who served as confessors to the convent in Krakow-Łagiewniki: the servant of God Fr. Wojciech Baudiss, S.J.; Fr. Bernard Łubieński (Redemptorist); Fr. Stanisław Bednarski, S.J.; Fr. Stanisław Podoleński, S.J.; Fr. Marian Morawski, S.J.; Fr. Józef Cyrek, S.J.; or the servant of God Fr. Jacek Woroniecki, O.P., the author of The Mystery of Divine Mercy, which was copied from the original manuscript by the sisters in Łagiewniki. This list of saints, blessed and servants of the Lord is much longer, particularly because it can include individuals who did not cooperate with the Congregation permanently, but had a different type of relationship with it. Today, too, saints are among us. They are the people fascinated by the merciful love of Jesus, who participate in His life and His mission to reveal the mystery of Divine Mercy to the world.
The October formation meetings of members and volunteers of the “Faustínum” association in Borši (Streda nad Bodrogom parish) in Slovakia will be held on Monday, October 23 at 5 p.m. for the Hungarian-speaking community and on Tuesday, October 24, at the same time for the Slovak-speaking community. Both meetings, the topic of which will be God’s mercy in the Holy Scriptures and in the “Diary” of St. Faustina, will be led by Sister M. Hedvig Uličná from the community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Nižný Hrušov.
On October 25-28, the annual meeting of superiors and formators from Poland and abroad will be held in the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki. The meeting will be of an informational and formative nature and will be led by Mother Miriam Janiec, Superior General of the Congregation. The meeting will end with a night vigil before the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel with the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of Saint. Faustina, during which sisters from many communities of the Congregation will also ask God to kindle the charism of mercy in their hearts.
On October 22, the next meeting of this formation year held by the community of Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association will take place at the Santo Spirito in Sassia Church in Rome. The theme will be : “Getting to know God in the mystery of his mercy”. The meetings are hosted by sisters from the Roman community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and Priest Łukasz Brus, spiritual guardian of the Roman “Faustinum” community. The meeting agenda includes prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Divine Mercy Chaplet to begin the meeting, Mass, conferences and a fraternal agape.
As part of the Samaritan project, a women’s retreat will be held at the Shchuchinsk retreat house from October 20-22 with the theme If you knew the gift of God (John 4:1-42). It will be delivered by Sr. Anastasis Omelchenko from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Petropavlovsk, Sr. Madlen Hofmann, and Fr. Hans Reiner. The retreat will include meditations on the word of God, conferences, prayer, and workshops.
On October 21-22 this year. Sister Vianneya Dąbrowska from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki will share the message of Mercy and the spiritual heritage of Saint. Sister Faustina with the faithful in the parish of St. Wojciech Bishop and Martyr in Momota Górne and the branch church, Sandomierz diocese. These meetings are organized as part of the preparation for the reception of the relics of the Apostle of Divine Mercy, which will be ceremonially introduced on October 29 this year.
The “Garden of Mary” Community, operating at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki, would like to invite women to a 9-month women’s hearts renewal experience titled, Pneumatophora. The invitation is for any woman who seeks deep formation and wants to revive her relationship with Jesus. The topic of this year’s conferences is Bride of the Risen One. The meetings are open, require no prior sign-ups, and are held every third Tuesday of the month at the Chapel of St. Faustina (lower part of the basilica).
Meeting agenda on October 17:
6 pm – Holy Mass with sermon, presided over by Fr. Dr. Mirosław Smyrak.
7 pm – worship led by the Garden of Mary team or Michał Niemiec.
8 pm – conference in the “Faustinum” room (in the complex of monastery facilities).
8:30 pm – group discussions.
9 pm – self-entrustment to Mary, the Jasna Góra Appeal prayer.
On Sunday, October 15, Bishop Ireneusz Pękalski will solemnly introduce the relics of St. Faustina to the parish of St. Luke the Evangelist and St. Florian in Łódź before Mass at 6 pm. The spiritual preparation for this event will be the novena to St. Faustina, which will be celebrated after the evening Mass. The novena prayers will be combined with a catechesis on the spiritual heritage of the Apostle of Divine Mercy, which will be delivered by Sr. Ignacja Bazan from the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Mother of Divine Mercy on Krośnieńska street in Łódź.
On October15th in the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Zakopane, a ceremony of admission to postulate will be held for candidates. After the religious ceremonies, Holy Mass will in the chapel of the convent in the intention of the postulants.
The period of postulancy is the first trial in religious life. It is intended, first of all, to gradually introduce new sisters into the life of the Congregation, and also to complement and extend their religious knowledge, to shape the culture of coexistence with others according to the etiquette, to develop the practice of natural virtues and to facilitate a closer familiarization with the life and apostolic mission of the Congregation. This is achieved through attending lectures and study, but also through prayer and work in the community of sisters.
This Sunday, October 8, there will be a solemn introduction of the relics of St. Faustina to the Church of St. John the Baptist in Hruštín, Slovakia’ Orava region. Relics of the Apostle of Divine Mercy will be handed over by Sr. Clareta Fečova from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. On this occasion, she will share the spiritual legacy of St. Faustina, especially the message of Mercy with which Jesus sent her to the whole world.
The feast of St. Faustina Kowalska, the patroness of the city of Lodz, will take place on October 5th at the parish church consecrated in her honor as the Parish of St. Faustina at Plac Niepodległości. Holy Mass at 6 pm. After Mass, a procession with relics of St. Faustina will pass down the Piotrkowska Street to the Archicathedral Basilica, where the Act of Entrusting the Archdiocese to Divine Mercy will be renewed.
October 5 marks the 85th anniversary of St. Faustina’s, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, birth for heaven. On this day her liturgical memory is celebrated as is a feast in all convents of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. St. Faustina is a great mystic of the Church and a prophet whom Jesus sent to the whole world with the message of Mercy. Her school of spirituality recorded in the Diary serves millions of people around the world. Saint John Paul II said of her simply that “she is a gift of God for our time, a gift of Poland to the entire Church.”
Her influence on the life of the Church is expressed, for example, in the widespread practice of the Divine Mercy devotion in the forms she provided. Today, there is probably no country without a Divine Mercy Image; the Feast of Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter was included in liturgical calendar of the entire Church in 2000; the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is recited even in tribal languages, although it was dictated in Polish, as is the entire message of Mercy; the practice of praying at the moment of Jesus’ agony on the Cross, the Hour of Mercy, is gaining popularity, along with the entire Mercy devotion. The Apostolic Divine Mercy Movement, a “congregation” that Jesus demanded to be founded, is one of the largest movements in the modern Church.
The influence of her life and mission to proclaim the message of Mercy to the world is also evident in the patronages given to churches. Saint Faustina is the patron saint of Łódź and other places, schools, works of mercy, various associations and communities. Her name is given to girls at baptism and chosen by young persons at the sacrament of confirmation. She was the Patroness of the World Youth Days in Sydney and Krakow. She inspires scientists, theologians, people of culture, art and media, and is one of the Catholic Church’s best-known and best-loved saints. Her relics are in nearly 130 countries around the world, including an Orthodox church in Bucharest and the Anglican Shrine of Divine Mercy in the United Kingdom. All over the world, theological symposiums, diocesan, national, continental and world congresses are held, which draw their dynamism precisely from the life and mission of Faustina. The radiation of this “gift of God” embraces the entire Church and the world, but it is meant to reach every person and prepare the world for the second coming of Christ.
On October 2-4 the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock at the Old Market Square will hold a three-day retreat to prepare the liturgical feast of St. Faustina. Based on the Gospel and the spiritual legacy of the Apostle of Divine Mercy, the retreat will be delivered by Fr. Jarosław Kwiatkowski, Rector of the Shrine. Services and conferences will take place at 5 pm.
On October 2-4, the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki will host the traditionally celebrated triduum before the Feast of St. Faustina. Holy Masses at 5 p.m., Father Zbigniew Bielas, rector of the Łagiewniki Sanctuary, will officiate and give occasional sermons.You can participate in the triduum through the online broadcast at www.faustyna.pl, on the Faustyna.pl YouTube channel and the mobile application with the same name.
A spiritual retreat 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 September 29. The theme of the meeting will be Saint Faustina – a Witness of Freeing Confidence. The motto for the conferences and prayers will be the mystic’s and modern prophetess’ words: “I have put my trust in God and am not afraid of anything” (Diary, 589). The retreat will be delivered by Sr. M. Gaudia Skass ISMM, the spokeswoman of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, involved for many years in the proclamation of the Message of Mercy in Poland and abroad, and Sr. Maria Faustyna Ciborowska ISMM, a Bible scholar and Doctor of Theology.
On September 23th (Saturday), the 12th pilgrimage counting several thousand Greek Catholics from Slovakia will arrive to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. At 9.15 am, Akathistos will be sung in honor of the Blessed Mother of God. The solemn Byzantine Rite Mass at 10 am will be chaired by Archbishop Peter Rusnák, the Metropolitan of Bratislava. After lunch break (about 2.00 pm), Sister M. Clareta Fečova from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki will provide a conference about Our Lady in the life and writings of Saint Faustina. The pilgrims will pray at the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus next to the tomb of St. Faustina. The pilgrimage will end officially at 3 pm with prayer at the Hour of Mercy, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and a pastoral blessing.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a special gift from God for our times, because it was dictated by Jesus Himself and has great promises attached to its trustful recitation. It is now the best known and widely practiced prayer to Divine Mercy. Its words are recited not only by Roman Catholics, but also by Greek Catholics, Maronites, Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Anglicans and people of other faiths, who experience its extraordinary effectiveness in obtaining graces and temporal benefits.
As a result, various initiatives and works of mercy have sprung up around this prayer. The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy maintains the Perpetual Chaplet and the Chaplet for the Dying projects, and produces television and radio broadcasts in Poland, Rome and Slovakia.
At the Shrine of Divine Mercy, this prayer is recited every day by the Sisters and pilgrims. Communion is always practiced after a short prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3 pm). This service (Hour of Mercy and Chaplet) is broadcast by several TV stations, including TVP 3 national, TVP Vilnius, 12 radio stations, online at www.faustyna.pl in 8 languages, in our mobile Faustyna.pl app and our YouTube channel of the same name. Thanks to this connectivity, every day and at the same time, more than a million people are crying out to God with one voice, asking for His mercy for us and the whole world, and for the necessary graces for the Holy Church, our homeland, Europe and the world.
The Sisters from the community of our Congregation in Washington, D.C., organize the next “Evening with Merciful Jesus” on September 22nd at the John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C .
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.
The Dives in Misericordia Covenant Community National Convention will be held on September 15-17 this year. It will be attended by Sister Emanuela Gemza of the Krakow community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, president of the “Faustinum” association, who will share the spiritual wealth and mission of St. Faustina as recorded in her famous Diary.
On September 14-17, young women who are involved in the Girl Scouts of Europe Movement will meet at the Shrine in Górka Klasztorna near Lobżenica. The organizers expect more than two hundred people to come to the oldest place of Marian devotion in Poland. The National Scout Girl Pilgrimage will be held under the theme Guide of Faith. The event will be attended by Sr. Gaudia Skass from the convent at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki, who will share her experience of the Mother of God in the life of St. Faustina and her own on Saturday, September 16.
The Scouts of Europe is a movement that exists in 20 European countries, bringing together Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian organizations to cultivate love for their countries along with love for other nations, so inherent in the spirit of Christianity. Catholic organizations enjoy the status of a private association of the faithful under pontifical law, granted by the Holy See in 2003, which means that the scouting formation carried out in the movement is an educational tool leading to holiness.
A spiritual retreat of members of the Faustinum Association will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on September 15-17, themed A Treasure in Clay Pots. It will be delivered by Fr. Artur Ciepielski from Slovakia and Sr. M. Clareta Fečova, I.S.M.M., vice-director of the Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association, based on Scriptures and the Diary of St. Faustina. The retreat will be followed by a ceremony before the Eucharist to welcome new members to the Faustinum Association from Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
This Saturday, on September 9, a youth pilgrimage from the Diocese of Płock will proceed from Płońsk to Czerwińsk. It will be participated by Sisters Rachela and Helena from the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Płock. The pilgrimage will be a vocational activity, therefore it will be an opportunity to share the spiritual experience of St. Faustina and the Sisters’ own vocation with the young pilgrims.
On September 9, (Saturday), the 21th National Railway Workers’ Pilgrimage will arrive at the Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki. It will start at 10 AM with the devotion Way of the Cross. At noon, the central moment of the pilgrimage will take place: Holy Mass presided over by Bishop Robert Chrząszcz. The pilgrims will also visit the chapel with the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina, to whom they will entrust their personal intentions. The pilgrimage will end with prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3 pm) and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
On September 3 (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: “Spiritual life as a work of God’s mercy in us”.. It will begin at 2:15 p.m. with communal adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, to be continued with prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, followed by a conference and Holy Mass at 5 p.m. The meetings are hosted by Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and priests.
As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of St. Faustina’s stay in Łódź and the 600th anniversary of the city she patronizes, the archdiocesan pilgrimage to Głogowiec and the Shrine in Świnice Warckie will take place on September 2. The pilgrimage community will form in front of the family home of the Apostle of Divine Mercy in Głogowiec at 10 a.m. and proceed to her parish church, now the Baptismal Shrine of St. Faustina. At 12 pm, solemn Eucharist will be presided over by the Metropolitan Bishop of Łódź, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, who will renew the entrustment of the Church of Łódź to Divine Mercy. At 3 pm, the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed, which will conclude the event.
On August 25-27, the birth anniversary of St. Faustina will be celebrated by the Brazilian Canção Nova TV in São Paulo who will be broadcasting a special show titled The Last Call to Salvation. The featured guests will include Bp. Tiago, Stanisław Błaszczyk from the Diocese of São Sebastiãodo Rio de Janeiro, Bp. Robert Chrząszcz from Krakow, who has many years of experience serving in Brazil for many years, Ewa Czaczkowska, the author of St. Faustina’s biography and Sisters Solange Diniz Pereira and Christofora Jagła from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Rio de Janeiro.
Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy from several houses in Poland and Kazakhstan will also participate in World Youth Day in Lisbon, along with youth. The next meeting of young people from all over the world will be an excellent opportunity to share the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina, who was a Patron of these youth meetings in Australia in 2008 and in Krakow in 2016.
World Youth Day in Portugal will be held from August 1-6 under the motto “Mary got ready and hurried…” (Luke 1:39). Pope Francis will arrive in Lisbon on 2 August and will remain in Portugal until the last day of the event.
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.
