Helena Kowalska was born into a poor religious family on 25 August 1905 in Głogowiec, near Łódź in Poland. In spite of her parents’ opposition and a number of rejections, on 1 August 1925 Helena was finally accepted into the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Here she took the name Sister Mary Faustina. From 1931, Sister Faustina started having visions where Jesus instructed her “Today I am sending you with my mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my merciful heart.” God had chosen a poor, weak humble woman through whom to transmit his word. An image of the Divine Mercy was painted at her instruction and the devotion to the Divine Mercy started. She also wrote instructions for a Novena of the Divine Mercy which was published a year before her death which occurred on 5 October 1938. Devotion to the Divine Mercy spread during the Second World War, the image was blessed in 1956 by Pope Pius XII. In 1978 Sr Faustina’s writings were released. She was beatified on 18 April 1993 and canonised on 30 April 2000. The second Sunday of Easter is officially designated as the Sunday of the Divine Mercy.
Prayer St Faustina
Almighty God,
We thank you for the influence of
St Faustina’s life and the work
she carried out for the Church.
We pray that by her devotion to Christ,
we too may ask for mercy in our difficult moments,
but with great confidence submit ourselves to your will.
We make this prayer through Christ,
Your Son, Our Lord.
Amen.
St Faustina. Pray for us.