Rule

7. The fundamental task of the members of the Faustinum Association consists in continually coming to know the mystery of God’s mercy in the order of creation, salvation, and glory.

8. The main sources for coming to know the mystery of God’s mercy, which was revealed most fully in the life, death and resurrection of Christ, are:

1. Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church, particularly that of pope John Paul II.
2. St. Faustina’s Diary.
3. Sacramental life, personal prayer and reflection which enable one to better perceive the signs of God’s mercy in one’s life.
4. Literature concerning the mystery of God’s mercy as well the life and mission of St. Faustina; the above literature should have the imprimatur of the Church and be recommended for the Faustinum formation.

9. Knowledge of the mystery of God’s mercy is facilitated by a specially designed formation program prepared for the apostles of Divine Mercy grouped in the Faustinum Association; this course of study, followed either individually or in a community, is mandatory for all members.

10. As far as possible, members of the Faustinum Association shall participate in formation meetings and take advantage of the specially organized days of recollection and retreats.

11. Systematic penetration into the mystery of God’s mercy should lead members to its contemplation in everyday life and to the discovery of the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Trinity in the souls of the just (those who are in a state of grace). Among others, St. Faustina’s practice serves this purpose. This practice consists in uniting oneself frequently with the Merciful Jesus, who is present within the soul, through an exclamatory prayer selected for a given month.

12. Coming to know the mystery of God’s mercy creates and develops the attitude of trust in the Lord God as well as an attitude of mercy towards neighbor. The witness of life in this spirit is the first and most fundamental form of proclaiming Mercy to the world.

13. Aware of the fact that the grace of God’s mercy is drawn with the vessel of trust, the members of the Faustinum Association shall strive to acquire this attitude and they should encourage others to place their trust in God’s mercy.

14. The attitude of childlike trust is not limited solely to pious feelings or to the intellectual acceptance of the truths of faith; rather, it extends to a life-long attitude towards the Lord God which is expressed in fulfilling His will contained in the commandments, obligations of state, or recognized inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

15. Following the example of St. Faustina, the members of the Faustinum Association should strive to transform their lives in the spirit of mercy, which assumes the attitude of continual conversion as well as a readiness to be a person of forgiveness and reconciliation. In coming to know the beauty and value of mercy shown toward one’s neighbor, out of love for the Lord Jesus, they shall strive every day to allow God’s mercy to pour itself out onto the world through them. In the course of every day, they should perform at least one act of mercy towards neighbor through deed, word or prayer.

16. In showing mercy towards others, they shall take notice of their neighbor’s bodily as well as spiritual needs, desiring their greatest good, which is salvation. Shaping the “new creativity in mercy” will allow the members of the Faustinum Association not only to notice the many and varied needs of people, but also use proper ways and means of coming to their aid.

17. Insofar as possible, members of the Faustinum Association should become involved in various works of mercy which are undertaken in the Church and the world; they shall support particularly those initiatives whose objective is to rescue lost souls.

18. Members of the Faustinum Association shall be convinced that showing mercy toward neighbor is the most fundamental and an extremely effective means of proclaiming the message of Mercy; besides, in the secularized world, it is also a very clear sign of proclaiming the Good News about God’s merciful love for each and every person.

19. Responding to the wish of the Lord Jesus, the members of the Faustinum Association shall proclaim God’s mercy not only by the witness of life (deed), but also by word.

20. The fundamental plane for proclaiming Mercy by word are everyday contacts with one’s neighbor, in which members of the Faustinum Association are to do the utmost to interpret various daily events in the spirit of faith and perceive in them the loving hand of God.

21. In proclaiming the message of Mercy passed on by St. Faustina, the members of the Faustinum Association are obliged to communicate its content correctly, in accordance with the teaching of the Church and in the spirit of the charism of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.

22. Proclaiming Mercy by word may take on various forms, depending on the possibilities and the degree of involvement of the members, e.g., by disseminating the literature of the Misericordia Publication of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, the periodical Orędzie Miłosierdzia [The Message of Mercy] and other good literature bearing the imprimatur of the Church; by editing parish papers, using both the church and secular mass media within the family and professional environment and within various other communities.

23. Members of the Faustinum Association should fulfill the task of proclaiming Mercy by word in the spirit of Christ, that is, they should act with culture and tact, showing respect for the freedom of convictions of other people.

24. In spreading the message of Mercy, Faustinum members act as private people and not in the name of the Faustinum Association, unless they are delegated to do so by the Executive Board of the Association.

25. Proclaiming Mercy by prayer is a form accessible to every member of the Faustinum Association; it consists in imploring graces which are necessary to come to know and accept the gifts of God’s mercy, and also in supporting those who proclaim the message of Mercy by deed and word. For sick people this is a particularly fruitful type of apostolate, as they are able to support their prayer with suffering.

26. Members of the Faustinum Association take advantage of the Church’s wealth of prayer, her liturgy and para-liturgical services, so as to worship God in His mercy, thank Him for His graces and entreat Him for mercy for the world. In a particular way, they will profit well by the sacrament of reconciliation (at least once a month) and the frequent reception of the Eucharist in order to implore the necessary graces for themselves and others.

27. Members of the Faustinum Association especially practice the devotion to the Divine Mercy in the forms which were passed on to us by St. Faustina.

1. Every day, they recite the chaplet of the Divine Mercy.
2. As far as is possible, they should practice prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3 p.m.) on a daily basis.
3. They venerate the image of Merciful Jesus, i.e., they pray before it with trust and combine their trustful prayer with acts of mercy.
4. They solemnly celebrate Mercy Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter), for which they prepare themselves by a good confession of sins and a novena of the chaplet of Divine Mercy.

28. Acting upon the advice of the Lord Jesus, members of the Faustinum Association shall join their prayers, works and sufferings with His prayer, work and suffering, so that they will have power before God and fruitfully contribute to the mission of revealing the merciful love of the heavenly Father towards people and to their salvation.

29. In a special way, members of the Faustinum Association shall implore mercy for sinners and the dying, so that they take advantage of the time of mercy and not perish forever; they shall also entreat mercy for priests and religious, so that they effectively lead the people of God along the paths of salvation. Their prayers should moreover embrace the apostles of Divine Mercy united in Faustinum, deceased and living, as well as the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and the priests involved in the work of Faustinum.

30. In their prayers, members of the Faustinum Association shall call upon the mighty intercession of Our Lady of Mercy and St. Faustina, by reciting, e.g., the rosary, the chaplet to Our Lady of Mercy, the litany of Loreto, the litany of Saint Faustina, and the prayer to obtain graces through the intercession of Saint Faustina.

31. The patronal feast of the Faustinum Association is the liturgical solemnity of St. Faustina – October 5. On this day, priests may offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass using the formula of the votive Mass for St. Faustina, while everyone may say the Liturgy of the Hours of Saint Faustina, virgin. By tradition, on this day take place the ceremonies of acceptance of members to Faustinum, the handing out of Association badges, and the making of promises of devotion and service to the Divine Mercy.

32. In accordance with § 12, point 4 of the statutes of the Faustinum Association, members may make promises of devotion to the Divine Mercy and service in the work of mercy, which the Lord Jesus initiated in the Church through St. Faustina.

33. By making promises, the members of the Faustinum Association express their wish to participate more fully in the life and mission of the Merciful Jesus and therefore, they oblige themselves to:

1. Continually strive for sanctity.
2. Fathom the mystery of God’s mercy.
3. In the course of the day unite themselves with the Merciful Jesus dwelling in their souls and experience with Him all daily events.
4. Give an ever more perfect witness of trust in the Lord God in all circumstances of life, particularly in the experience of the cross.
5. Proclaim the message of Mercy in all possible ways through deed, word and prayer.

34. Promises may be taken by those members of the Faustinum Association who meet the following conditions:

1. hey have completed a 4-year formation program and have obtained a positive grade from a sister responsible for the formation in a given language (have passed the so called "formation test").
2. They desire to dedicate themselves more fully to the Divine Mercy and serve the work of mercy, which they will express in a letter of application addressed to the Executive Board of the Faustinum Association.
3. They present a written certificate from the priest who leads a Faustinum community in their parish, or else a priest who acts as the spiritual director of the given person, expressing approval to make this act.

35. When taking the decision to make promises, the members of the Faustinum Association shall remember that it is better not to make promises but to live them than to make promises and not fulfill them (or: shall remember that they enter more deeply into the spiritual life and should strive for faithfulness in fulfilling the obligations).

36. Promises may be made for one year and may subsequently be renewed for 5 successive years. After this period, they may be taken for one’s entire life. In order to take temporary or perpetual promises, the Executive Board of the Association has to grant its approval with an absolute majority of votes (50% + 1), based on the application letter submitted by the Faustinum member which presents his motivation for the request and on the basis of the certificate of the priest who leads a given Faustinum community or the person requesting to make the promises.

37. The formula of the promises is the following:

Responding to the grace of the Holy Spirit, in union with the Merciful Jesus, I………………..dedicate myself to You, the Triune God, and promise for one year (my entire life) to proclaim Your mercy to the world with my life, word and prayer, so that through me the message of Mercy might reach many people and fill their hearts with hope. I desire to be an instrument in the hands of Your mercy which will fulfill Your holy will. May Mary, the Mother of Mercy, and Saint Faustina help me in this. Amen.

38. The office of the Faustinum Association keeps a book of members who have made promises. In it is recorded their personal data, the day the promises were made, and the period for which they were made. In the personal files are also kept copies of the formula of promises, signed by the person making and the person receiving the promises.

39. For serious reasons, a Faustinum member may be released from the promises by the Executive Board of the Association upon the member’s request or in the event of membership cessation.

40. Membership in the Faustinum Association terminates as a consequence of the following:

1. Acceptance by the Executive Board of a member’s written resignation.
2. Removal by the Executive Board of a member from the circle, after two prior reprimands due to neglect of the obligatory formation or failure to pass the formation test in the course of 8 years from the date of admittance into the circle of Faustinum members.
3. Removal by the Executive Board, after two prior reprimands due to reprehensible conduct, incompatible with the dignity of an apostle of the Divine Mercy, or due to disobedience to the authorities of the Association, which was
   declared at the time of applying for membership, and likewise because of neglect of other statutory obligations.

41. The present Rule has been approved by the Superior General of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, with the consent of her Council, and comes into force on October 16, 2003. Any changes to the above Rule may be introduced by the Superior General of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy with the consent of her Council and after prior consultation with the president of the Faustinum Association.

Sr. M. Elżbieta Siepak President Faustinum Association

Mother. M. Gracjana Szewc Superior General Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy