The Chaplet for the Dying project supports a daily average of 125 moribund, whose names have been reported to us by SMS or e-mail. The moribund are spiritually supported not only by people from Poland, but also from other countries worldwide, who have declared their willingness to hold vigil on a selected day and time to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the intention of the person whose name they have received by text message or e-mail. We still need more people who will take up this ministry of mercy, so that help will quickly reach those who are the weakest, but are making the most important decisions and fighting the most difficult fights of their lives. Information about the project and applications are accessible via www.saint-faustina.org. The work is carried out by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy’s Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki at: www.faustyna.pl.
Under this title, from September 20th to 22nd, a retreat on the dignity of women will be held at St. Joseph Parish in Makinsk, Kazakhstan. It will be led by Sr. Anastasis Omelchenko from the Petropavlovsk community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Sr. Kazimiera Wanat, and Fr. Hans Reiner. The program includes reflections on the Word of God, lectures, and workshops, as well as the message of Divine Mercy that Jesus conveyed to St. Faustina.
On September 20, following the initiative of Fr. Tomasz Flak, S.C.J., the provost at the Parish of the Elevation of the Holy Cross in Sosnowiec at ul. Bohaterów Getta 31, the first formation meeting of the Faustinum Association of the Apostles of Divine Mercy will be held. It will be hosted by Sr. Clareta Fečova, vice-President of the Association, and Sr. Maria Faustyna Ciborowska from the Krakow convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The meeting agenda includes Holy Mass, communal prayer, a presentation about God revealing Himself, and integration.
On September 21-22 of this year, Sister Faustyna Olszewska from the Kiekrz community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy will share the message and spiritual heritage of Saint Faustyna with the faithful at the Parish of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Poniec, Archdiocese of Poznań.
On September 22, the Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association will hold the first gathering of its fourth formation year at the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, Rome. The meeting’s theme will be trust as reflected in the Bible and the Diary of St. Faustina. The event is hosted by the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy’s Roman community, along with Fr. Paolo Martinelli, the rector of the Santo Spirito Church. The agenda includes prayer during the Hour of Mercy, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Holy Mass, and presentations exploring trust as the fundamental response to God’s merciful love. The day will also provide an opportunity for Faustinum members to meet and connect.
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 for September: mercy and peace for the whole world, and especially for those nations that suffer persecution, lack of freedom, freedom to profess their faith and respect for their human rights.
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.
From September 1st, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy, in all the chapels of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, and in some parishes, special evening devotions will begin in honor of Divine Mercy, with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. This form of devotion was introduced in 1993 (after the beatification of Sister Faustina), to follow the monthly forms of worship practiced in May, June or October. The celebrations in September will include the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, recited or sung for the intention of mercy for our homeland and the world. September is the month of the revelation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy by the Lord Jesus and the outbreak of World War II a few years afterwards. These circumstances, as well as the situation in the modern world, are especially urging us to cry for the mercy of God for us and the whole world.
Every day at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy gather at the Image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina to pray the Rosary for families and married couples experiencing difficulties and crises. Also at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock, Holy Mass is celebrated on every 22nd day of a month at 5pm with this intention. To join this prayer in the Łagiewniki Shrine, also in the intention of your family or loved ones, you can access the live video broadcasting at www.saint-faustina.org.
On every Thursday at 5 pm, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, a Divine Mercy Holy Mass is celebrated for the intercession of St. Faustina in the intention of requests and thanks to the faithful offered in the chapel with the image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of the Apostle of Divine Mercy. You can add an intention right before the Mass and those who cannot physically be present at it can join us in prayer thanks to the online broadcast at www.faustyna.pl.
The Lord Jesus, in the devotion to Divine Mercy, gives us a special time of grace at three o’clock in the afternoon. It is the moment of His dying on the cross, of which he said to Sister Faustina: “This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. … In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion…” (Diary, 1320). In order to take advantage of these promises of Jesus, one must pray with confidence and add deeds of mercy towards others to the trustful prayer. Jesus proposes three ways of experiencing the prayer at the Hour of Mercy: celebrating the Way of the Cross, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, and if it is impossible, connecting with Him, dying on the cross, wherever 3 pm finds us. In this prayer, we turn directly to Jesus, and in our pleading, we appeal to the merits of His painful Passion. It is a privileged time in the Divine Mercy devotion, which is why the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy are practiced every day in all convents of the Congregation. You can join in this prayer through an on-line transmission from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki at faustyna.pl and via the Faustyna.pl application.
The Diary of St. Faustina, which enjoys immense popularity, is sought after in foreign languages in Poland, too. The convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Łagiewniki Shrine often receives inquiries about the possibility of purchasing its translations, as well as reproductions of the Divine Mercy image with inscriptions in other languages. In response to the needs of pilgrims and online inquirers, the Misericordia publishing company ensures that foreign language versions of the Diary and images of Merciful Jesus with inscriptions in other languages than Polish are available in the Łagiewniki bookstore. These can also be ordered in various formats, on different materials, and in different languages by writing to: zamówienia@misericordia.faustyna.net.
The Misericordia publishing company serves the mission of proclaiming the message of Mercy, so in the company bookstore at the Łagiewniki Shrine (next to the basilica), you can also purchase other books related to the life, mission, and spirituality of St. Faustina, as well as devotional items and souvenirs. The online store operates at www.misericordia.faustyna.pl
Responding to the needs of individual pilgrims from all over the world who come to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy has prepared a very functional guide to this holy place using QR codes. It contains not only information about the individual locations, but above all the message of the treasure of this place, the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina, especially given by Jesus and recorded in her Diary. From now on, each pilgrim, scanning a QR code on a smartphone, will be guided by the sisters to a particular site, learn what meetings and conversations with the Inhabitants of Heaven St. Faustina had there. With the help of a 3D map one can see the entire Shrine and move on to the next object. The guide has already been made available not only in Polish, but also in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Slovak, German and Russian. For other language areas, a scanned QR code automatically selects English.
Spring is a time of awakening of nature, but also of our hearts and desires. This time can be experienced in Kiekrz on rest and walks or on individual retreats with the Bible and the Diary of St. Faustina. The retreats are held according to the program proposed by the spiritual director (a Sister from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy) in complete silence, excluding cell phones and other electronic devices. The chapel shrine, accommodation, meals (according to your needs) beautiful surroundings with a small Kierskie lake (place of the revelation of Lord Jesus to St. Faustina). These retreats can be used by all who wish to do so. Please send your applications to email: domkiekrz@faustyna.pl.
The past year brought further progress in the development of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock. The stonework on the foundations, exterior stairs and handicapped persons’ exit has been completed. Sanitary installations and electrical fixtures, in addition to interior carpentry in the church and pilgrim house took place successively.
Plans for 2024 include installing ironwork, completing the aluminum and wood joinery throughout the newly built facility, and finishing works. In addition, sanitary and electrical works will continue in white assembly, installation of electrical, and tele-technical equipment. A task for the current year is also to complete all the adaptation work in the temporary chapel and connect the newly built facilities to the existing ones into a functional whole. As funds are raised, the plan also includes landscaping work for parking lots, fencing, an entrance gate and green areas.
The Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Plock is being erected by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy thanks to the donations made for this purpose by devotees of Divine Mercy and people of good will. Sisters thank you for every gift of heart that makes the place of the first revelation of Merciful Jesus to St. Faustina come to life. Thanks to these gifts, the church is growing and therefore the Sisters would like to ask for further support. Holy Mass is celebrated on the 22nd day of each month and the Sisters pray daily together with the faithful at the Hour of Mercy and with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the intention of everyone who support the construction of the Shrine spiritually and physically.
Donations for the expansion of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock can be deposited into the account:
Zgromadzenie Sióstr Matki Bożej Miłosierdzia
Stary Rynek 14/18
09-404 Płock
Bank PEKAO SA
I O w Płocku
ul. Kolegialna 14a
SWIFT CODE: PKOPPLPW
PLN IBAN: 72 1240 3174 1111 0000 2890 0836
USD IBAN: 56 1240 3174 1787 0010 1057 7746
EUR IBAN: 28 1240 3174 1978 0010 1057 7818
The Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and apostles of Divine Mercy following in the footsteps of St. Faustina and participating in her mission to proclaim the message of Mercy to the world with their witness of life, deeds, words and prayers will remember and celebrate the following anniversaries in 2024:
January 2 – the 90th anniversary of the start of work on painting the first image of the Merciful Jesus in the studio of painter Eugeniusz Kazimirowski under the guidance of St. Faustina.
February – 95th anniversary of St. Faustina’s first arrival in Vilnius.
17 March – 120 years of the Congregation’s ministry in Częstochowa.
16 April – the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the most famous Divine Mercy Image of Jesus at the Shrine of Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki, where His words to Sister Faustina were fulfilled: I want this picture venerated first in your chapel, and in the whole world (Diary, 47).
June – the 95th anniversary of Sister Faustina’s arrival to minister at the Congregation’s home in Warsaw’s Grochów district.
June/July – the 90th anniversary of the completion of the painting of the first picture of Merciful Jesus in the studio of Eugeniusz Kazimirowski. Sister Faustina lamented that the Jesus in this painting was not as beautiful as she saw Him.
July – 95th anniversary of Sister Faustina’s stay at the Congregation’s house in Kiekrz.
22 August – 30 years of the Congregation’s ministry in the Czech Republic, first in Ronov; then the community of Sisters moved to Dvůr Králové nad Labem.
31 August – 95th years of the Congregation’s ministry in Biała near Płock.
22 November – 10th anniversary of the evenings of worship at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki: The Łagiewniki 22.
Sanktuarium (The Shrine) is the title of the latest film about the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, a place chosen by God, where, as St. Faustina died, a great treasure was laid – the message of Divine Mercy. It is a place of many a revelation, miracle and pilgrimage from all over the world. The documentary tells about this special site on the religious map of the world, which TV, radio and online broadcasts have allowed millions of pilgrims weekly to come to visit. The narrative of the film includes the theme of the national TV broadcasting that is the mission of TVP, that has accompanied the Shrine for 30 years, including the three years of daily broadcasting. The documentary, directed by Grzegorz Styła, contains fascinating testimonies of people from all over the world. It is available on TVP VOD.
A video titled Divine Mercy in daily life has been made recently for the Maria Vision TV, featuring Sr. Gaudia Skass from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, who speaks about the Łagiewniki Shrine as a sacred site, where St. Faustina lived and where she passed to the house of the Heavenly Father. Any place where we are, if we are experiencing our lives with Jesus, can be such a holy place. The beautifully shot film is available in English.
