Along with great physical and spiritual suffering there were also vast graces, which Sister Faustina did not divulge to anyone except her confessors. This period, which Sister Faustina had foretold, contributed to the theological analysis of her writings and the making of the right foundations for the practise of the devotion. Things turned out in such a way, Mother General Michaela Moraczewska explained Sister Faustinas frequent moves, that she had to be transferred fairly often to new places, so that she worked in almost all of the Congregations houses. Not only the sisters but also their charges and even the farm hands came down to pray in the crypt where Sister Faustinas coffin stood. In a response she heard: It is not the beauty of the paint nor of the brush, but My grace that makes this painting great(Diary 313). This is why Vilnius has become known as the "City of Divine Mercy." It was where all of our Lord's demands of St. Faustina in His message of Divine Mercy were finally realised. In November 1932 Sister Faustina left Pock and returned to Warsaw for the third probation and to prepare for her perpetual vows. In the Lipszyc household Helenka was treated like a member of the family, they all loved and respected her for her hard work and cheerfulness, she had a way with children, in short she had all it takes to be a good wife and mother. The Divine presence flooded my soul; I know I am under the glance of the Mighty One. Sister Faustina was born on 25 August 1905 in Gogowiec, Poland to Marianna and Stanisaw Kowalski as the third of ten children. When I went indoors, and thought about what had happened at the gate I heard these words in my soul, My daughter, the blessings uttered by the poor as they leave your gate have reached My ears; they are thankful to Me, your mercy within the bounds of obedience pleased Me, so I descended from My throne to taste the fruit of your mercy. (Diary 1312). He said, I protect souls that spread the worship of My Mercy throughout their lives, as a loving mother protects her baby; and at the hour of their death I shall not be a Judge unto them, but their merciful Saviour (Diary 1075). She firmly believed all He said would happen, though sometimes she had no idea as to how it would come about. However, she knew that the convent chapel at agiewniki in Krakw would become the shri- ne for the worship of the Divine Mercy. I didnt understand any of the things my confessor said to me. Then she whispered, Jesus wants to elevate me and make me a saint. At three oclock, beg for My mercy, especially for sinners, and immerse yourself, even for a short moment, in [contemplation on] My Passion, particularly when I was left forsaken at the moment of death. First, say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Apostles Creed; next, on the Our Father beads you will say 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; and on the Hail Mary beads you will say these words, For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. At the end, you will say these words three times, Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world (Diary 476). Source: Wikipedia and Catholic Online In the first years of her juniorate, that is after making her first religious profession, Sister Faustina worked in many of the Congregations houses. One big prayer of thanksgiving sprang up from my heart (Diary 17). Finally she came to the house of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. I put all my trust in God and His holy will. One day I went to Prdnik to visit her Sister Kajetana Bartkowiak recollected I knocked on the door. The Sisters took turns in keeping a vigil by her bedside. If You are my God, please bless me. Her awareness of the presence of God in her soul could be observed already in childhood, and grew throughout her life, just as did her responsiveness to the needs of others. Introduction to the Chaplet of Mercy. Faustina was beatified on April 18, 1993 and canonized on April 30, 2000. After just a few weeks in the convent Mother Superior sent the postulant Helenka along with two other sisters to Skolimw, in the suburbs, for reasons of health, which had deteriorated due to the fairly strict fasts practised in the house and in service, and also due to the spiritual experience of a new life in the convent. The background to and instrument whereby God effected this in Sister Faustinas soul was the work for the implementation of the concept of a new congregation. Faustyna, popularly spelled "Faustina", had apparitions of Jesus Christ which inspired the Roman Catholic devotion to the . Known as the apostle of divine mercy, St. Faustina Kowalska brought the message of God's . After examining by the Holy See the next miracle of healing Father Ronald Pytel of Baltimore, MD, from incurable disease of the heart, the Holy Father John Paul II numbered her to the group of saints of the Catholic Church. People of faith feel this perfectly well!. Yet, I decided to bear it all quietly, and not to answer questions. Sister Faustina Kowalska is one of the Church's most popular and widely known saints and the greatest mystics in the history of . She thought it must be a fire and she started shouting just when the bakers were putting the loaves into the oven. Quotations of St. As the devotion became more and more widely known the opinion of Sister Faustinas sainthood grew as well. This scrawny young man, in dreadfully tattered clothes, barefoot and without a hat as Sister Faustina described the incident was freezing, as it was a cold and wet day. The Bishop bestowed on her a ring with the name Jesus engraved on it as the sign of eternal nuptial. Her repeated protests that she felt unable to meet such a demand were of no avail. I do not fear death, my soul abound in great peace. It was during Vespers in simple words straight from my heart I made a vow of perpetual chastity to God. These words filled her soul with a terrible awe. The sister who had come to wake up Sister Amelia had gone to the wrong cell and woken me instead. For 18 years she directed the spiritual and apostolic life of the entire Congregation which, following Sister Faustinas visions, she entrusted to the care of Mary, Mother of Mercy, the Congregations heavenly Superior General. When once instead of praying she started reading a religious book, she heard an inner voice, You shall prepare the world for My final coming(Diary 429). Like the biblical prophets, she started enumerating her inadequacies and excusing herself that she was not capable of accomplishing this work. From henceforth Sister Faustina knew that she was supported in the carrying out of the mission not only by the Blessed Virgin but also St. Joseph. Her Cracovian spiritual director observed that since she had taken the decision she would be taking the full responsibility on herself. We were sitting on a bench and she came up from behind, put her arms around our shoulders and put her head between our heads. She is known for her diary and for promoting devotion to Jesus as the King of Mercy which is particularly done by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Right at that moment, I was transfixed by the Divine light, and I felt I belonged solely to God; and I experienced supreme spiritual freedom, such as I had never had any idea of before (Diary 1681). The sisters in the refectory got up from table and went upstairs, where Sister Faustina was lying in her room. The Feast of the Divine Mercy has entered the universal Churchs liturgical calendar for good. But this wasnt her biggest worry. Faustina's message reverberated in St. John Paul II's heart. We were together in the novitiate for a year, recalled Sister Krescencja Bogdanik, who was a year ahead of her in her vocation. At the age of sixteen Helenka bade farewell to her parents, brothers and sisters and left home. The same ceremony was being held in Rome in a beautiful church, and the Holy Father and all the clergy were celebrating it; and suddenly I saw St. Peter standing between the altar and the Holy Father. The crowds were so huge that I couldnt see an end to them. FAQ: Who Is The Patron Saint Of Football? Sister Faustina continued to keep her diary in Krakw, recording not only Jesus words and her extraordinary mystical experiences, but also deeply moving contemplation on the mystery of Divine Mercy. Sister Faustinas mission continues and is bringing wondrous fruit. At Skolimw she asked Jesus whom she should pray for. She fetched her rosary, knelt by the dying persons bedside and started saying the Chaplet with all the powers of her spirit, asking Jesus to fulfil the promise He had made regarding the Chaplet. From a very tender age she stood out . He called her Diary a Gospel of Mercy written from a 20th-century perspective, which has helped people to survive the extremely painful experiences of these times. Sister Faustina experienced visions of Jesus and Mary, during one of which Our Lord revealed that she was to . Sister Faustinas principal task was to pass on to the Church and world the Message of Mercy, a recapitulation of the Biblical truth of Gods Merciful Love for every human being, and a calling to each of us to entrust our lives to Him and to actively love our neighbour. After his ordination on the third Sunday of each month he celebrated Divine Mercy services in this chapel. She was very happy in Prdnik and never complained that she was suffering. She commuted into Warsaw from Ostrwek looking for a convent which would take her but she was turned down wherever she knocked to the gate. They were all taking part in the ceremony with great joy, and many received what they had asked for. In fact, being submerged in God will give me unlimited scope for action(Diary 1582). To find out more about St. Faustina, click here. On the Feast of Pentecost she renewed her religious vows. Why is St Faustina important? She would notice the poor people and those in need around her, who came into the village for a piece of bread and a donation of any kind. I couldnt grasp the meaning of whatever I read; I couldnt meditate. She also hoped that coming to that house would mean the final accomplishing of Gods plans concerning the foundation of a new congregation. Sister Klemensa Buczek, who helped her take off her white dress and veil and put on the habit, thought it must have been due to the emotions associated with abandoning the world. The doctor, the nurses, the patients they were all very good to her. Sister Felicja akowiecka visited Sister Faustina twice a week. Mother Michaela Moraczewska, superior of the Warsaw house, who was present during the conversation, offered to speak to the candidate herself. This religious fervor spread to Helena quickly, as she was known from an early age for her obedience, prayerfulness . Here are some more interesting facts: My soul started to die from the suffering. But in her soul she felt the power of Jesus grace and started to entreat God in the words which she heard in her heart and which later became part of the Chaplet to the Divine Mercy. Macarius the Great was a disciple of Anthony. She told her that God was still her Father although he was testing her, and that these trials were to prepare her soul for a fuller union with Him. One day she held a lottery, another time she put on her mothers old clothes and as a beggar went from house to house and the collected money gave to the parish priest for the poor. I thought God was not pleased with my prayers. Saint Faustina describes God's love as a "Fountain of Mercy." 6. The lack of a permanent spiritual director and the inability to fulfil the tasks ascribed her made Sister Faustina want to back out of these supernatural inspirations, but Jesus patiently kept on explaining to her the magnitude of the work He had chosen her for. See, Father, she said to her father, who had been so staunchly against her entry into the convent. Nonetheless, the suffering was becoming more and more intense. I could also clearly see the great holiness of God, I did not dare raise up my eyes to Him but cast myself into the dust at His feet, begging for mercy. Tuberculosis, which had not been diagnosed until her stay in Vilnius, was ravaging Sister Faustinas body. Sister Faustina fulfilled this mission not only by the witness of her own life and the writing of her diary, in which she revealed Gods extraordinary merciful love for each human being, but also through her everyday relations with her neighbours. Born into an impoverished Polish family living in what was then the Russian Empire, Helena Kowalska heeded God's call to join the convent, where she was initiated in 1926 as Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus not only revealed the depth of His Mercy to St. Faustina, but also gave her new forms of worship: the picture inscribed Jesus, I trust in You, the Feast of Divine Mercy, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the Prayer in the Hour of His Death on the Cross, the Hour of Mercy. He was born on November 11, 1873. I Myself shall protect it as My glory (Diary 47-48). There was also Jadzia, a blind charge, who told of her unusual experiences. On Divine Mercy Sunday, 18 April 1993, the Holy Father John Paul II raised Sister Faustina to the glory of the altars. He couldnt quite believe it all and make up his mind; he prayed and while keeping the particulars of the visions and penitent fully confidential sought the advice of knowledgeable priests. 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