Sister Faustina wrote in her Diary: My beloved native land, Poland, if you only knew how many sacrifices and prayers I offer to God for you! (Diary, 1038) and There is no day in which I do not pray for you (Diary, 1188). And when she begged Jesus for a blessing for Poland, He said to her: For your sake I bless the entire country (Diary, 39) and For your sake I am blessing the earth (Diary, 980, 1078). Another time, He said: For your sake I bless the world (Diary, 1061). Now, when she has a greater ability to act, she has not ceased her intercession in Heaven. May she today, in the light of the mystery of God’s Mercy, show the modern generations the treasure which is our Homeland with all its heritage, and may she support all our people in their efforts for the common good and moral rebirth of Poles, so that they confidently turn to God in Whom the world finds peace and human beings find happiness.
On November 5 (Sunday) at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Plock at the Old Market Square, another formative meeting of the Faustinum Divine Mercy Apostles Association community will be held. The topic of the meeting is: “Spiritual life as a work of God’s mercy in us”.. It will begin at 2:15 p.m. with communal adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, to be continued with prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. At 3.20 p.m. Eucharist, followed by agape, conference and sharing of thoughts and experiences on this topic. The meetings are hosted by Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and priests.
On Sunday, October 29, there will be a ceremonial introduction of the relics of Saint Sister Faustina to the church dedicated to Saint Adalbert the Bishop and Martyr in Momoty Górne. The relics will be handed over and the spiritual heritage of Saint Faustina will be shared by Sister Terezjana Klepacka from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in the Sanctuary in Kraków-Łagiewniki.
October 23 marks the beginning of a novena to be celebrated before the 161th anniversary of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, which was founded in Warsaw on the feast of All Saints, November 1, 1862, by Mother Teresa Ewa Countess Potocka of the Sułowski Dukes. God called St. Faustina Kowalska (spiritual co-founder) to this Congregation, to whom He gave the message of Mercy and sent her on a prophetic mission to proclaim it to the world. In this novena, Sisters in all the Congregation’s convents in Poland and around the world will give thanks for the graces received throughout the history of the Religious Community, ask for the grace to make God’s mercy present today and trust in the mercy of the Holy Trinity for the coming years of witnessing and apostolic service.
At the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, this novena will be celebrated on weekdays at 7 p.m. and on Sundays at 6:20 p.m., followed by an October rosary service.
The first day of November is celebrated in the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy as the day when the Church pays homage to all the Saints and, additionally, as the anniversary of the establishment of the Congregation in Poland. On this day, in 1862, Archbishop Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński consecrated the first chapel and House of Mercy in Warsaw at ul. Żytnia. On this day, the sisters refer especially to the early history of their Congregation. They commemorate its founder, Countess Teresa Ewa Potocka nee Sułkowska, who accepted the invitation of Archbishop Szczęsny Feliński and came to Warsaw to aid “fallen” women in returning to a life of dignity, and to establish a house for them inspired by the House of Mercy in Laval (France), which became the model for their apostolic work and religious life. Together with the Church, the sisters also revere all those who have achieved the goal of their lives: eternal union with God. These saints also include the Divine Mercy apostle, Sr. Faustina Kowalska, raised to the altars as a saint and known all over the world. Saint Faustina was the spiritual co-founder of the Congregation, along with St. Archbishop Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński and the deceased sisters, pupils and Divine Mercy apostles who were members of the association “Faustinum” and who participated in the mission of the Congregation by making the merciful love of God present in the world through their lives, deeds, words and prayers. The sisters in all the convents their gratitude for the Congregation’s past, entrusting its present and future to God’s mercy, so that all Divine plans for it are fulfilled.
On the Feast of All Saints, the Church honors those raised to the altars, known by name and biography, but also all the priests, other consecrated persons and lay faithful who have reached the goal of human life that is eternal union with God in love. There are more saints who live among us than there may seem to be. One piece of evidence for this is the history of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, which has been intertwined with the lives of many unusual people, in addition to St. Faustina Kowalska. Throughout the over 160-year-long existence and activity of the Congregation, some of these individuals were raised to the glory of the altars by the Church. They include Archbishop Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński, who was a co-founder of the Congregation; Pope St. John Paul II, who visited Łagiewniki so often and has done so much for the mission of Mercy; Bl. Julian Nowowiejski, the Bishop who invited the sisters to Płock and who wrote the first history of the Congregation; Bl. Jan Balicki, who initiated the Congregation’s works in Przemyśl and served the sisters and their pupils for three years; Bl. Maria Karwowska, who spent her formation period in the Łagiewniki convent and Bl. Michael Sopoćko, the Vilnius confessor of the convent on the Antokol and spiritual director of St. Faustina. The following are included as candidates for sainthood: the fathers who served as confessors to the convent in Krakow-Łagiewniki: the servant of God Fr. Wojciech Baudiss, S.J.; Fr. Bernard Łubieński (Redemptorist); Fr. Stanisław Bednarski, S.J.; Fr. Stanisław Podoleński, S.J.; Fr. Marian Morawski, S.J.; Fr. Józef Cyrek, S.J.; or the servant of God Fr. Jacek Woroniecki, O.P., the author of The Mystery of Divine Mercy, which was copied from the original manuscript by the sisters in Łagiewniki. This list of saints, blessed and servants of the Lord is much longer, particularly because it can include individuals who did not cooperate with the Congregation permanently, but had a different type of relationship with it. Today, too, saints are among us. They are the people fascinated by the merciful love of Jesus, who participate in His life and His mission to reveal the mystery of Divine Mercy to the world.
The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy expresses gratitude to all Benefactors and Donors for supporting the apostolic works that are used by thousands of Internet users and dying people in need of prayerful support. Thank you for the gifts sent to support the work of “Chaplet for the Dying,” on-line broadcast from the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki and the website: www.faustyna.pl and its versions in foreign languages. In these gifts of the heart, the mercy of God is visible, which is poured out on the world through human hearts and hands. In their daily prayers, the sisters respond with prayer, commending all the Donors and Benefactors to God’s mercy and asking for God’s blessing and needed favors for them. Let God’s Mercy be glorified in all this!
The October formation meetings of members and volunteers of the “Faustínum” association in Borši (Streda nad Bodrogom parish) in Slovakia will be held on Monday, October 23 at 5 p.m. for the Hungarian-speaking community and on Tuesday, October 24, at the same time for the Slovak-speaking community. Both meetings, the topic of which will be God’s mercy in the Holy Scriptures and in the “Diary” of St. Faustina, will be led by Sister M. Hedvig Uličná from the community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Nižný Hrušov.
On October 25-28, the annual meeting of superiors and formators from Poland and abroad will be held in the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki. The meeting will be of an informational and formative nature and will be led by Mother Miriam Janiec, Superior General of the Congregation. The meeting will end with a night vigil before the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel with the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of Saint. Faustina, during which sisters from many communities of the Congregation will also ask God to kindle the charism of mercy in their hearts.
On October 22, the next meeting of this formation year held by the community of Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association will take place at the Santo Spirito in Sassia Church in Rome. The theme will be : “Getting to know God in the mystery of his mercy”. The meetings are hosted by sisters from the Roman community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and Priest Łukasz Brus, spiritual guardian of the Roman “Faustinum” community. The meeting agenda includes prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Divine Mercy Chaplet to begin the meeting, Mass, conferences and a fraternal agape.
As part of the Samaritan project, a women’s retreat will be held at the Shchuchinsk retreat house from October 20-22 with the theme If you knew the gift of God (John 4:1-42). It will be delivered by Sr. Anastasis Omelchenko from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Petropavlovsk, Sr. Madlen Hofmann, and Fr. Hans Reiner. The retreat will include meditations on the word of God, conferences, prayer, and workshops.
On October 21-22 this year. Sister Vianneya Dąbrowska from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki will share the message of Mercy and the spiritual heritage of Saint. Sister Faustina with the faithful in the parish of St. Wojciech Bishop and Martyr in Momota Górne and the branch church, Sandomierz diocese. These meetings are organized as part of the preparation for the reception of the relics of the Apostle of Divine Mercy, which will be ceremonially introduced on October 29 this year.
The “Garden of Mary” Community, operating at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki, would like to invite women to a 9-month women’s hearts renewal experience titled, Pneumatophora. The invitation is for any woman who seeks deep formation and wants to revive her relationship with Jesus. The topic of this year’s conferences is Bride of the Risen One. The meetings are open, require no prior sign-ups, and are held every third Tuesday of the month at the Chapel of St. Faustina (lower part of the basilica).
Meeting agenda on October 17:
6 pm – Holy Mass with sermon, presided over by Fr. Dr. Mirosław Smyrak.
7 pm – worship led by the Garden of Mary team or Michał Niemiec.
8 pm – conference in the “Faustinum” room (in the complex of monastery facilities).
8:30 pm – group discussions.
9 pm – self-entrustment to Mary, the Jasna Góra Appeal prayer.
On Sunday, October 15, Bishop Ireneusz Pękalski will solemnly introduce the relics of St. Faustina to the parish of St. Luke the Evangelist and St. Florian in Łódź before Mass at 6 pm. The spiritual preparation for this event will be the novena to St. Faustina, which will be celebrated after the evening Mass. The novena prayers will be combined with a catechesis on the spiritual heritage of the Apostle of Divine Mercy, which will be delivered by Sr. Ignacja Bazan from the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Mother of Divine Mercy on Krośnieńska street in Łódź.
On October15th in the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Zakopane, a ceremony of admission to postulate will be held for candidates. After the religious ceremonies, Holy Mass will in the chapel of the convent in the intention of the postulants.
The period of postulancy is the first trial in religious life. It is intended, first of all, to gradually introduce new sisters into the life of the Congregation, and also to complement and extend their religious knowledge, to shape the culture of coexistence with others according to the etiquette, to develop the practice of natural virtues and to facilitate a closer familiarization with the life and apostolic mission of the Congregation. This is achieved through attending lectures and study, but also through prayer and work in the community of sisters.
On October 14, the participants of the “Margaret” apostolate from all over Poland will meet at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. The pilgrimage will begin in the Shrine of Saint John Paul II at 9:00 am with greeting the pilgrims and a rosary prayer for priests. About 11.00 am – conference. Solemn Eucharist at 12.00 an will be presided by Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz. The pilgrims will also visit the chapel with the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina. The pilgrimage will end with prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3 pm) and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
On October 11, at 5 p.m., Mass will be celebrated in the intention of all those who have become involved in the work on the Chaplet for the Dying and the Perpetual Chaplet at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. At the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina, we will implore that more people join in these works, bringing mercy to those most in need. This Holy Mass is an expression of gratitude to the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy for jointly bringing the message of God’s merciful love for man to the world. May it bring great glory to Divine Mercy in human souls.
On October 8, at the Shrine of Sister Faustina in Kiekrz, a pilgrimage ceremony will take place. Mass at noon on the Małe Kierskie Lake, in the place of the revelation of Jesus to St. Faustina, will be presided by Bishop Jan Glapiak. It will be preceded by a procession with relics of St. Faustina, which will depart from the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy to the altar over a Małe Kierskie Lake. The preparation for this event will be the triduum from 5 to 7 of October. The Masses during the triduum will be celebrated at 6 pm.
This Sunday, October 8, there will be a solemn introduction of the relics of St. Faustina to the Church of St. John the Baptist in Hruštín, Slovakia’ Orava region. Relics of the Apostle of Divine Mercy will be handed over by Sr. Clareta Fečova from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. On this occasion, she will share the spiritual legacy of St. Faustina, especially the message of Mercy with which Jesus sent her to the whole world.
The liturgical feast of St. Faustina, October 5th, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in the chapel with the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina, Holy Mass will be celebrated at 6.30 am, 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm. Prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be recited at 3pm, as on all days. From 8.30 pm, Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament will be led by Sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. The evening of grace and praise will end at 10.45 pm, i.e., at the hour when St. Faustina departed to the House of the Lord. In the Basilica, Holy Mass will be celebrated in the Sunday order.
On October 5, which is the anniversary of St. Faustina’s birth in Heaven, the site where the Apostle of Divine Mercy left the earth to go to the Heavenly Father’s house, will be opened to visitors. Usually, it is unavailable for pilgrims, because it is inside the religious cloister. Entering the Shrine, you can only see a plaque and the window of the old infirmary decorated with flowers. On October 5, however, the oratory, in which the relics of St. Faustina body are deposited, along with more than a hundred relics of other saints and blessed, will be made available to pilgrims from 10.00 am to 6.30 pm.
On the feast of St. Faustina in Płock, on October 5th, a solemn service will be celebrated in the Shrine of Divine Mercy at the Old Market. Holy Mass will take place on that day at the following times: 6.30 am, 12 pm and solemn summa at 5 pm, celebrated by Bp. Piotr Libera. As every day, at 3 p.m. – prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and at 4 p.m. – prayer of the rosary and the Litany of Saint Faustina.
Before the feast of St. Faustina, a triduum of Holy Masses will be celebrated from October 2nd to 4th at 5 pm. The main celebrant will be Fr. Jarosław Kwiatkowski.
The feast of St. Faustina Kowalska, the patroness of the city of Lodz, will take place on October 5th at the parish church consecrated in her honor as the Parish of St. Faustina at Plac Niepodległości. Holy Mass at 6 pm. After Mass, a procession with relics of St. Faustina will pass down the Piotrkowska Street to the Archicathedral Basilica, where the Act of Entrusting the Archdiocese to Divine Mercy will be renewed.
October 5 marks the 85th anniversary of St. Faustina’s, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, birth for heaven. On this day her liturgical memory is celebrated as is a feast in all convents of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. St. Faustina is a great mystic of the Church and a prophet whom Jesus sent to the whole world with the message of Mercy. Her school of spirituality recorded in the Diary serves millions of people around the world. Saint John Paul II said of her simply that “she is a gift of God for our time, a gift of Poland to the entire Church.”
Her influence on the life of the Church is expressed, for example, in the widespread practice of the Divine Mercy devotion in the forms she provided. Today, there is probably no country without a Divine Mercy Image; the Feast of Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter was included in liturgical calendar of the entire Church in 2000; the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is recited even in tribal languages, although it was dictated in Polish, as is the entire message of Mercy; the practice of praying at the moment of Jesus’ agony on the Cross, the Hour of Mercy, is gaining popularity, along with the entire Mercy devotion. The Apostolic Divine Mercy Movement, a “congregation” that Jesus demanded to be founded, is one of the largest movements in the modern Church.
The influence of her life and mission to proclaim the message of Mercy to the world is also evident in the patronages given to churches. Saint Faustina is the patron saint of Łódź and other places, schools, works of mercy, various associations and communities. Her name is given to girls at baptism and chosen by young persons at the sacrament of confirmation. She was the Patroness of the World Youth Days in Sydney and Krakow. She inspires scientists, theologians, people of culture, art and media, and is one of the Catholic Church’s best-known and best-loved saints. Her relics are in nearly 130 countries around the world, including an Orthodox church in Bucharest and the Anglican Shrine of Divine Mercy in the United Kingdom. All over the world, theological symposiums, diocesan, national, continental and world congresses are held, which draw their dynamism precisely from the life and mission of Faustina. The radiation of this “gift of God” embraces the entire Church and the world, but it is meant to reach every person and prepare the world for the second coming of Christ.
On October 2-4 the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock at the Old Market Square will hold a three-day retreat to prepare the liturgical feast of St. Faustina. Based on the Gospel and the spiritual legacy of the Apostle of Divine Mercy, the retreat will be delivered by Fr. Jarosław Kwiatkowski, Rector of the Shrine. Services and conferences will take place at 5 pm.
On October 2-4, the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki will host the traditionally celebrated triduum before the Feast of St. Faustina. Holy Masses at 5 p.m., Father Zbigniew Bielas, rector of the Łagiewniki Sanctuary, will officiate and give occasional sermons.You can participate in the triduum through the online broadcast at www.faustyna.pl, on the Faustyna.pl YouTube channel and the mobile application with the same name.
October 5 marks the 85th anniversary of the Apostle of Divine Mercy’s death. The day was recalled by the late Sister Eufemia Traczyńska as follows: On October 5, at dinner time, there was a bell. It was known that Sr. Faustina was dying. We dropped whatever we were doing and as we were, we went to see her. The chaplain was already in the infirmary with a few of the sisters. We prayed together. We prayed for a long time: the prayers for the dying, litanies and other prayers. We prayed for so long that even the evening Mass was held a little later than usual. At some point, Sr. Faustina gave a sign for Mother Superior to lean toward her, and she said that she would not die yet, and that she would let us know when she would. The sisters left. … When I returned to my cell, I entered the chapel and prayed for the souls in purgatory, asking that they awaken me when Sr. Faustina was dying, because I really wanted to be with her at the moment of her death. I was afraid to ask Mother Superior outright, for we young novices were not allowed to go in there, in case we should be infected with tuberculosis. Sister Amelia was allowed in, because she was already sick. I went to bed at the usual time and immediately fell asleep. Suddenly, someone wakes me up: “Sister, if you want to be present at the death of Sr. Faustina, get up now.” I immediately realized that a mistake had been made… The one who came to wake Sr. Amelia, got into the wrong cell and came to me instead. As soon as I could, I woke Sr. Amelia, I put on my smock and cap, and quickly ran to the infirmary. Sister Amelia followed. It was around eleven at night. When we came there, Sr. Faustina seemed to slightly open her eyes and she smiled a little, and then bowed her head and that was it… Sister Amelia said she probably just died. I looked at Sr. Amelia, but I did not say anything. We prayed on. The candle was burning all the time.
It was the day that Sister Faustina waited longingly for, as she awaited her full union with Jesus to dwell forever in the Father’s house, the heavenly homeland, as she used to say. She promised: I shall not forget you, O poor Earth, thought I feel I shall immediately sink completely in God, as in an ocean of bliss; but it will not prevent me from coming back to Earth and fortifying and encouraging souls to trust in Divine mercy. In fact, being submerged in God will give me unlimited scope for action (Diary, 1582). She faithfully keeps her word, interceding for many graces and earthly blessings to all who confidently turn to her for help. After all, Jesus said to her: “Do whatever you wish; distribute graces as you wish, to whomever and whenever you wish” (Diary, 31).
A spiritual retreat of members and volunteers of the Faustinum Apostles of Divine Mercy Association will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on September 29. The theme of the meeting will be Saint Faustina – a Witness of Freeing Confidence. The motto for the conferences and prayers will be the mystic’s and modern prophetess’ words: “I have put my trust in God and am not afraid of anything” (Diary, 589). The retreat will be delivered by Sr. M. Gaudia Skass ISMM, the spokeswoman of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, involved for many years in the proclamation of the Message of Mercy in Poland and abroad, and Sr. Maria Faustyna Ciborowska ISMM, a Bible scholar and Doctor of Theology.
On September 30, at 6.30 am, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Holy Mass will be celebrated at the Image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina in the intentions of IT specialists, donors, translators and other individuals contributing to www.saint-faustina.org. The Eucharist is an expression of gratitude from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy for bringing the message of the merciful love of God towards man to the world together. Let it bring great glory to the Divine Mercy in human souls.
On Saturday, 30th of September, 14th Living Rosary Pilgrimage will come to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. The program for the meeting includes a 10 am prayer and welcoming of the pilgrims at the Basilica, a special sermon, rosary, and a solemn Mass. The pilgrims will also visit the chapel with the grace-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina.
