Starting on January 24, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Holy Mass will be celebrated in the chapel of the Image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina every Sunday at 11 am in the Slovak language. In this way, we would like to make it possible for the Divine Mercy venerators from Slovakia to participate in the service, especially since pandemic restrictions in that country do not permit church attendance. The broadcasting of Sunday Mass in the Slovak language at 11 am and in English at noon are available at www.faustyna.pl, our YouTube channel, Faustyna.pl, as well as in the Faustyna.pl application.
For the period of Lent, we usually make resolutions, which usually involves doing the deeds that Jesus asked us to do: almsgiving, prayer and fasting, performed secretly with the pure intention of love for God and for people, not for applause or recognition. Saint Faustina also practiced them. In her religious life, however, she made one specific resolution, which she realized not only during Lent, but always, namely, she joined Merciful Jesus living in her soul, through an aspiration. When she wanted to change this decision, Jesus would not let her, because this daily practice leads to the development of a deep relationship with Him, to living our daily lives with Him.
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 and the start of the Archdiocese of Krakow Year of the Family. Solemn Eucharist at 6 pm in the Basilica will be presided over by Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, the Meropolitan Bishop of Krakow. Representatives of families will receive the Amoris laetitia Exhortation from Pope Francis, which is the topic for reflection in the Year of the Family.
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.
Before the Sanctity of Human Life Day, on 21-24 March, a retreat for women will take place at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. It will be held in the Basilica and led by Fr. Mirosław Smyrak. Holy Mass will be at 6 pm, and will be followed by a lecture. The retreat will also be available live at the website of the Rectory: www.milosierdzie.pl.
On 22-24 March in the town of Kokshetau, a diocesan youth meeting dedicated to St. Joseph will be held. During this meeting, Sr. Anastasis Omelchenko from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Petropavlovsk and Anastasia Kochelabova from Shchuchinsk will deliver a workshop for girls on the Appointment of women to motherhood.
On March 22th, at the John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., a virtual Evening with Merciful Jesus will be organized, due to the Shrine being still closed to the public due to the pandemic. Sisters from the Washington community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will host the event. The evening will be devoted to Saint Joseph. A conference on this topic will be delivered by Sr. Donata Farbaniec. The meeting will start at 7 pm EST at the image of the Merciful Jesus with prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. You Tube live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4deSWNfrY1k&feature=youtu.be . F acebook: https://www.facebook.com/JP2Shrine
The nearest “Łagiewniki 22”, which is a monthly meeting of young people at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, will be held on March 22nd. In this year of formation, the young will meet at 7 pm for an evening of Divine Mercy veneration in front of the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina. Those who cannot physically come to Łagiewniki, can connect to the on-line broadcast at www.saint-faustina.org.
This is the title of a series of videos recorded in the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan. Sister Anastasis shares the spiritual riches of St. Faustina and her mission of proclaiming the message of Mercy to the world, which Jesus provided her with. She recalls the biblical truth of God’s merciful love, most fully revealed in the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus, and calls us to bring it to the world with the witness of life, deed, word and prayer. The videos prepared by the Catholic Information Service are successively made available on its You Tube titled “Католики Казахстана”.
On March 21, in the parish of Our Lady of Consolation in Krzemienica, Przemysl Diocese, will see the official introduction of the relics of St. Faustina. On this occasion, the message of Mercy and the spiritual heritage of the Saint recorded in her Diary will be introduced to the faithful of this parish by Sr. Norberta Ruchała and Sr. Clareta Fečova from the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki.
Concern for the conversion of sinners. This is the greatest act of mercy, which has us keep in mind the eternal wellbeing of another human being. Sister Faustina, following Jesus’ example, even made the sacrifice of her life with this intention. The mystical experiences she met heaven, purgatory and hell, because she said that no sacrifice is too great to save a man for eternity. Jesus invited her – and through it well and us – to cooperate in the work of saving sinners, even those for which humanly speaking, there is no hope. Many times He asked: I thirst. I thirst for the salvation of souls. Help Me, My daughter, to save souls. Join your sufferings to My Passion; and offer them to the heavenly Father for sinners (Diary, 1032). The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me; is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered (Diary, 1397).
At the invitation of Jesus, Sister Faustina responded generously: O Jesus, I want to bring souls to the fount of Your mercy to draw the reviving water of life with the vessel of trust. The soul desirous of more of God’s mercy should approach God with greater trust; and if her trust in God is unlimited, then the mercy of God toward it will be likewise limitless. O my God, Who know every beat of my heart, You know how eagerly I desire that all hearts would beat for You alone, that every soul glorify the greatness of Your mercy (Diary, 1489).
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. From March 16th to 18th it is traditional to celebrate a “Forty Hours Devotion” on the feast of St. Joseph, March 19th. Holy Masses will take place at 6.30 am and 5.00 pm.
Before the Feast of St. Joseph, a traditional novena will be celebrated in all convents of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, and in the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, there will be a 40-hour service with full exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. In connection with the Year of St. Joseph which is celebrated by the Church in Poland, a special Triduum will be celebrated. On March 16-18, at 5 pm, in the chapel of the grace-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina, which originally had been dedicated to St. Joseph, Fr. Mateusz Wyrobkiewicz, Vice Rector of the Shrine of Łagiewniki, will deliver the services and sermons on this occasion.
The film entitled Święta Faustyna w blasku Miłosierdzia (Saint Faustina in the glow of Mercy) by Piotr Weychert is now available on You Tube. The film is a fictionalized document that tells about the life of St. Faustina and the power of Divine Mercy. The film is built around the idea of St. Faustina’s impact on the modern world and is an attempt to answer the question why her mission meets the needs of people living in the twenty-first century so aptly. The film features archival materials intertwined with scenes played out by actors, and is supplemented by computer animations and other visual effects. The film was co-produced by Grupa Filmowa and the National Cultural Center. It was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The sponsors of the film are also: PKN ORLEN, Energa Group and publisher of the monthly “Poznaj Świat”.
On March 15, another Monday’s meeting will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, dedicated to contemplating the Catechism of the Catholic Church and prayer at the miracle-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina for the recovery of faith in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus, and for priests. At 6.45 pm, Fr. Janusz Kościelniak will lead a short meditation based on the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (128-133). The focal point of the program will be the encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with individual blessing. Those who cannot physically come to Łagiewniki, can connect to the on-line broadcast at www.saint-faustina.org
This is the title the album published by the Kwadrat book company dedicated to Adolf Hyła, known as the Painter of Mercy, and John Paul II, the Pope of Mercy. The artist was the author of the most famous image of Merciful Jesus of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, and hundreds of other paintings made for many churches in Poland and worldwide. Saint John Paul II has revealed the message of Mercy as recorded in the Diary of St. Faustina to the Church and the world for the third millennium, and he entrusted the world to Divine Mercy. In the album, among others, you will find homilies of St. John Paul II and his successors delivered in the Łagiewniki Shrine, sermons and writings by priests of the Archdiocese of Krakow and Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy from the Łagiewniki convent, in addition to accounts about the life and work of Adolf Hyła. This is accompanied by many unique photos from the history of the Divine Mercy Image veneration from its beginning until modern times, on top of St. John Paul II and Adolf Hyła. The book is available from the Misericordia stationary store at the Łagiewniki Shrine and its online shop at www.misericordia.faustyna.pl.
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 Saturday, March 13, the Diocese of Arlington invites women to an annual meeting with prayer and conferences prepared specifically for them. The topic of this year’s meeting is Chosen From All Eternity For This Moment In Time. One of the conferences will be delivered by Sr. Gaudia Skass, and another one by the Bible scholar Dr. Mary Healy. Holy Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Michael Burbidge. The event will be held in Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia. It will be attended by 250 women, twice fewer participants than in previous years due to restrictions caused by the pandemic. In order to reach as many women as possible, the conferences will be recorded and sent to all parishes in the diocese for formation purposes.
Sisters from the Washington community will lead a three-day Lenten retreat entitled “Trust in the storm”. Amidst the limitations, isolation and incertitude of the situation we are in, this Lent gives us an opportunity to stop and allow God to speak to our hearts and renew our hope. The retreat will offer Silence, Holy Mass, Conferences, Adoration, Confession, Spiritual Conversation and abundant graces from our merciful Savior. March 5-7, 2021 at the Washington Retreat House located next to the beautiful Saint John Paul II National Shrine, where also some of the activities will take place. Registration and information: stfaustinasisters@gmail.com
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Faustinum Divine Mercy Apostles’ Association, until 6 March, on all language versions of their website, www.faustinum.pl, memories of volunteers and members will be published. The secretariat is accepting testimonies from those willing to share. It is part of the jubilee celebrations and a sign of the spiritual unity of the Apostles of Divine Mercy from many countries of the world who, together with the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, participate in the mission of St. Faustina to bring the message of Mercy to the world.
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).
On Saturday, March 6, the 25th anniversary of the founding of the “Faustinum” Association of the Apostles of Divine Mercy will be celebrated with thanksgiving for the years of its ministry of formation and proclamation of the message of Mercy to the world. In the basilica, the solemn Eucharist will be presided over by Bishop Jan Zając, after praying at the Hour of Mercy and with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. After Mass, there will be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with a prayer of praise for God’s mercy. Online broadcasting will be available at the Shrine’s Rectorate website, www.milosierdzie.pl.
On March 6, 1996, at the request of Mother Superior General Paulina Słomka, the Association “Faustinum” Association was established by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow, Franciszek Cardinal Macharski. It brings together priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful from 90 countries, who, together with the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, are participating in the mission of Sister Faustina. The main goal of the Association is the spiritual and apostolic formation of Divine Mercy devotees and proclaiming the message of Mercy recorded in the Diary of St. Faustina to the world, which she provided by her witness of life, deeds, words and prayer. Testimonies of “Faustinum” volunteers and members are published on the occasion of the jubilee on the Association’s website: www.faustinum.pl . The website contains more information on the “Faustinum”, its activities, and the jubilee celebrations.
On 5 March at 5 p.m., a Holy Mass will be celebrated at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock, for all those who were involved in the preparation and celebration of the 90th anniversary of the revelation of the Merciful Jesus image. The solemn Mass on February 22 was presided over by Archbishop Jan Romeo Pawłowski with all the bishops of the Plock diocese, priests, and with the participation of the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and the Divine Mercy venerators, most of whom, due to sanitary rigors, enjoyed the broadcast of the Catholic Radio of the Płock Diocese. Pope Francis and President Andrzej Duda sent words to the participants on this occasion. “We are aware that if it were not for the favor, help and disinterested involvement of many people, including workers in the construction of the new temple, the entire year of preparations and the celebration itself could not have taken place in such a solemn atmosphere,” wrote the superior of the Plock convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, Sr. M. Diana Kuczek, in her letter of thanks.
On March 1, another Monday’s meeting will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, dedicated to contemplating the Catechism of the Catholic Church and prayer at the miracle-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina for the recovery of faith in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus, and for priests. At 6.45 pm, Fr. Janusz Kościelniak will lead a short meditation based on the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (124-125). The focal point of the program will be the encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with individual blessing. Those who cannot physically come to Łagiewniki, can connect to the on-line broadcast at www.saint-faustina.org
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 February 27, the Hrušov community of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Slovakia will lead an online day of recollection on ZOOM. The theme will be Wounded, but beloved. The meeting will feature a conference from Sr. Jana Mara, individual prayer and meditation and an opportunity to talk to the Sisters. At 3 p.m., prayer at the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy are planned, to be followed by a summary of the retreat and a surprise. To sign up, email sr.jana@milosrdenstvo.sk before February 26th.
Under this theme, a meeting for high school age girls will be held by the Diocese of Arlington on February 27. The meeting, to be held in Lake Ridge, Virginia, will be led by Sisters from the Washington community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. During the meeting, the girls will have the opportunity to participate in the Holy Mass, and to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament after listening to conferences given by the Sisters. Together they will reflect on the great dignity of the human person and how to live in order to reveal the likeness of God in oneself more and more clearly. There will also be time to ask the Sisters some questions, especially in the context of vocation to religious life.
The Funeral Mass for Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC will be on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, at 9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA, USA. It will be a private ceremony but it will be live-streamed: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/DailyMass
Fr. Seraphim used to say of himself: „Mercy is my life.” For 20 years he worked as a vice-postulator in the canonization process of St. Faustina for North America. He witnessed the first miracle, attributed to the intercession of Sister Faustina, which opened her path for beatification in 1993. He was also the coordinator of efforts to verify the second miracle before her canonization. He devoted his entire life in the congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception to spreading the Divine Mercy message and the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina. He was the rector of the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA and the director of the Institute of Divine Mercy, also in Stockbridge. He wrote a series of articles for the “Marian Helpers” magazine, supervised the publication of various books, brochures and audiovisual materials on the message and devotion to Divine Mercy, and the writings of Sister Faustina. As a promoter of the Divine Mercy and St. Faustina he was well known to EWTN viewers, for whom he hosted many programs devoted to this subject. He was also a consultant and a co-author of several films. He carried the message of Mercy to the world as a speaker on retreats, theological symposiums and congresses of Divine Mercy in many countries of the world. When he came to Poland, he always visited the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki to pray at the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and at the tomb of St. Faustina, to whom he personally owed, among others, healing from cancer disease. He returned to the home of Heavenly Father on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11, 2021. He was 90 years old.
During every evening Mass in February, the Litany of St. Faustina will be sung or recited in all chapels of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Consideration of the antiphons from this Litany is a way to better understand who the Apostle of Divine Mercy is for the Lord and for ourselves, along with her unusually rich spiritual heritage and her prophetic mission of proclaiming the message of Mercy to the world. At the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, the evening Mass will be celebrated in the chapel of the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina every day at 7:00 pm (except Thursdays).
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”. Specific intention: thanksgiving for the gift of the Divine Mercy image and all the graces obtained before it, asking that the world may find peace and man may find happiness in God’s merciful love, for the cessation of the coronavirus pandemic, and for all the sick and dying.
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.
