St. Faustina Kowalska, Apostle and Secretary of Divine Mercy

“All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us.  Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a person’s sins were as dark as night, God’s mercy is stronger than our misery.  One thing alone is necessary; that the sinner set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of God’s merciful grace, and then God will do the rest.” (St. Faustina’s Diary 1507)

October 5th, was instituted as the feast of St. Faustina Kowalska on April 30th, 2000 by St. John Paul II. Only 20 years ago this Polish nun to who we attribute the devotion to The Divine Mercy, officially became a Saint. 

Her story

Helena Kowalska, was born in Glogowiec, Poland on August 25, 1905. She was the third of 10 children to a poor and religious family. Helena knew that she had a call to the religious life at an early age. Later in her life, she had a vision of the Lord where He instructed her to join a convent in Warsaw. This was not an easy invitation to accept, given that her parents were opposed to the idea, and she was rejected from several convents. St. Maria Faustina remained steadfast and focused on knocking on the right door. 

That right door opened up and she was finally able to join The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy On April 30, 1926, at 20-years-old and took the name of Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.  

The Blessed Sacrament, Divine Mercy, and Sr. Maria Faustina. 

St. Faustina had mystical encounters with Our Lord at the Blessed Sacrament. The Lord asked to record these revelations in a notebook.  These entries were compiled as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul

The Lord appeared to her as the King of Divine Mercy, the following is an excerpt from her diary describing her vision. 

"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast, there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence, I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'"

St. Maria Faustina followed the instructions of the Lord with the help of her confessor. Thanks to her pious heart and obedience we enjoy today the devotion of the Divine Mercy. This devotion invites us to ask for the merciful love of God for ourselves, the souls in purgatory, and the whole world.

To obtain God's mercy, Jesus revealed to her The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. This chaplet is prayed at 3:00 o clock, which is the time the Lord took his last breath at the cross on Good Friday. This chaplet helps the faithful to obtain mercy, trust in his mercy, and show mercy to others.

The feast of the Divine Mercy is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter Sunday. The Lord requested this day as a beautiful reminder that The Resurrection brought us salvation and God’s mercy poured out for the whole world. 

 On October 5, 1938, Faustina passed away. She was buried on October 7 and currently rests at the Basilica of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland.

May our lives become beacons of love and mercy as we pray for the conversion of sinners. Especially the conversion of our hearts so that we may trust in God’s love for us. 

Let us pray: 

“Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.  (St. Faustina’s Diary, 475)

St. Faustina, Pray for Us 🙏

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