Then I saw her all different, changed, and levitating over the bed, gazing into the distance as if she were looking at something there. When I apologised to Jesus for asking that question, He replied that it had not offended Him at all. The Apostolic Movement of Divine Mercy, the congregation based on Sister Faustinas mystical experience and charism which Jesus asked her to found, today comprises a variety of congregations, associations, confraternities, apostolates and individuals joining in the accomplishment of her mission. Father Sopoko had preached a sermon on the Divine Mercy, during which Sister Faustina saw Jesus in the painting assume a living form, and His rays penetrate into the hearts of the people gathered for the ceremony, making them happy. 6,379 Likes, 75 Comments - EWTN (@ewtnmedia) on Instagram: "Today is St. Faustina's feast day. For Your Sons sake, You have to love me (Diary 240). For the spirit space does not exist. "After it will come the Day of Justice. She joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and experienced several visions of Jesus. I was extremely happy, as I desperately wanted to make my Confession. He asked for something hot to eat. In fact, being submerged in God will give me unlimited scope for action(Diary 1582). Soon afterwards I heard that this triduum was indeed to be celebrated Father Sopoko wrote and Canon Stanisaw Zawadzki, parish priest of Ostra Brama, invited me to deliver a sermon. In the same year she went to Kiekrz near Pozna, to take over in the kitchen for Sister Modesta Rzeczkowska, who was ill. Sister Faustina followed the novice mistress instructions attentively and fulfilled all the duties allotted her with exactitude. At Skolimw she asked Jesus whom she should pray for. On her return from hospital (17 September 1938) Sister Faustina waited in the convents infirmary for the moment of her passage from this world to the Fathers House. I suddenly saw Jesus, Who said these words to me, Now I know that it is neither for the graces nor the gifts that you love Me, but because My will is dearer to you than life; that is why I am uniting with you more closely than with any other creature. At that moment, Jesus vanished. What did Faustina see Saint Faustina saw visions of Heaven In . This was also when she underlined the words Jesus had said, as instructed by her Vilnian spiritual adviser. The Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart, who worked as nurses in the hospital, prepared a room for her, but in the evening one of them informed her that she would not have Holy Communion the next day because she was exhausted. Mother ran the house and brought the children up. As the devotion became more and more widely known the opinion of Sister Faustinas sainthood grew as well. After the retreat, she returned to Warsaw full of gratitude and spiritual joy to prepare during her third probation, along with two other sisters, under the direction of Mother Magorzata Gimbutt, for the making of her perpetual vows. Tell souls of His great mercy, while there is still time for mercy; if you should remain silent now, you shall be held responsible on that terrible day for a great number of souls. The first stage of her hospital treatment ended in March 1937. They were attended by crowds from the City of Krakw and its environs. But with Sister Faustina the girl changed and was never the same again. Stanisaw Kowalski and Marianna ne Babel after the wedding bought a few acres of farmland in the village of Gogowiec, far away from towns and busy thoroughfares. Others in her state would never rise, but he had seen her holding on to the wall as she walked to the chapel. Eugene Kazimierowski was the artist who painted the first Image of Divine Mercy which currently hangs in the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was a picture with a new content, he recalled, and that is why I could not display it in a church without permission from the Archbishop, whom I was embarrassed to ask or, even more, to explain its origins. But Sister Faustina, urged on by Jesus, demanded it be put up in church. Sister Faustina had achieved the fullness of union with God and sang a hymn in honour of His unfathomable Mercy. I felt wonderfully happy at having been able to confess everything. Firstly in Warsaw in the ytnia, in 1929 she went to Wilno to replace Sister Petronela Basiura, who was leaving for her third probation; then she returned to Warsaw and the house in the ytnia, only to be sent off to a new house on the Hetmaska in the Grochw district. Sister Faustinas mission certainly did not end at her death. Under such direction her mind had no problems with comprehending all the mysteries of faith, and her heart burned with the living flame of love. That was the family atmosphere of little Helenka, Gods chosen one to be the prophet of our times. Sister Maria Faustina (born Helena Kowalska in Glogowiec, Poland on August 25, 1905) was canonized on April 30, 2000 by Pope John Paul II thus becoming the first Catholic saint of the 21st century. At the age of nine, she made her first Holy Communion. The moment I took back the cup from him, he let me know that He was the Lord of Heaven and Earth. But there was something that set her apart from the rest of the children in the village. When she returned to the reception room she repeated these words to Mother Superior, who said, If the Lord has admitted you, then so do I (Diary 14). She waited for the priest He had promised and the chance to have the painting of the Merciful Jesus made according to Gods will. 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. Theologians say the message revealed to Saint Faustina "is a powerful reminder of who God is and has been from the very beginning. There Helenka found the refuge from which she set off in search of a convent, and once she had found it stayed for another year to save some money for a modest monastic trousseau. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. At one point, I got a strong feeling that I had been rejected by God. I observed a profound gravity in her, and had a strange feeling that Sister Faustina took this assurance as a gift from the Divine Mercy, without a trace of pride, Mother Irena recalled. He was born on November 11, 1873. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you) with a contrite heart. This required a great deal of courage, as ever since 1959 there had been a notification by the Holy See in force prohibiting the spread of the devotion to Divine Mercy in the forms prescribed by Sister Faustina. During the conversation she saw the candidate in a better light and wanted to admit her, so she advised the girl to ask the Master of the house whether he would accept her. She was kind, courteous, and hard-working. She would often tell the sisters and charges about Gods love of mankind and about the tremendous value of doing good to ones neighbour. At the age of seven she had her first undeniable experience of Gods love. My mission will not end at my death. 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. The Lord is with Thee. She memorised the stories of the hermits and missionaries, and the next day while out grazing the cattle would recite them word for word to us and others. Saint Faustina: Her Early Virtues Oct 03 2018 October 5 marks the 80th anniversary of the death of St. Faustina and her entrance into eternal life. Know that should you fail to have this picture painted and neglect all this work of mercy, on the Day of Judgement you shall be held to account for a great number of souls (Diary 154), He told her. But already after three weeks she observed that there was little time in the convent for prayer, and wanted to move to a stricter order. At night, when she prayed prostrating herself on the floor, she saw the tortured face of Jesus and asked, Who has hurt You so much, Jesus? Jesus replied, You will cause Me such pain if your leave this Order. I wanted to die but could not (Diary 23). But Sister Faustina was not pleased, although the artist and Father Sopoko did all they could to render as faithful an image of Jesus as possible. He said to her, You are the witness of My mercy; forever and ever you shall stand before My throne as a living witness to My mercy (Diary 417). In June 1937 she made a record in her diary of the final shape of the work which was one but had three hues. Finally, as he later disclosed, More out of curiosity rather than conviction as to the authenticity of Sister Faustinas visions, I decided to have the picture painted. Those who are strong devotees to Divine Mercy and St. Faustina, may know a lot already about her life. 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). Saint Faustina Kowalska, an apostle of the Divine Mercy, belongs today to the group of the most popular and well-known saints of the Church. Two days later she was baptized with the name Helena in the parish church of winice Warckie. He said that he wanted the message of Gods merciful love preached here thanks to the mediation of Sister Faustina to reach all the earths inhabitants and fill their hearts with hope. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept My mercy. However, she knew that the convent chapel at agiewniki in Krakw would become the shri- ne for the worship of the Divine Mercy. Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska was born on August 25, 1905 in central Poland, the third of the ten children of Stanisaw Kowalski and Marianna Kowalska. But already in April she suffered a relapse. One day I went to Prdnik to visit her Sister Kajetana Bartkowiak recollected I knocked on the door. The joy brought by the accomplishment of Jesus requests, the painting of the picture and its display for public veneration on the first Sunday after Easter, the envisaged Feast of Divine Mercy, did not last long because already in May 1935 Sister Faustina felt intuitively that there would be new tasks which she was very anxious about. Sister Faustina is one of the Church's most popular and widely known saints and the greatest mystics in the history of the Church. The pale ray stands for the water which justifies souls; and the red ray stands for the blood which is the life of souls Happy is he who shall live in their shadow, for the just hand of God shall not reach him (Diary 299). Saint Faustina Kowalska is known for her love and devotion to Jesus, especially His Divine Mercy. On that day are open all the Divine floodgates through which graces flow; let no soul fear to approach Me, even if its sins be as scarlet (Diary 699). Sister Faustina was born on 25 August 1905 in Gogowiec, Poland to Marianna and Stanisaw Kowalski as the third of ten children. Her eyes were fixed on an invisible object, and her pupils slightly dilated, for some time she did not take any notice of me, and I did not want to disturb her and was intending to leave, but soon she came round, noticed me and apologised for not hearing me knock or enter. She thanked me but did not take up my offer. Word went round in the Pock convent that Sister Faustina had had a vision. 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). He did his best to follow all her requirements.. She is so well known for her beautiful relationship with Jesus, but what is not known so well is that the goal of her existence and spirituality was to live in unity with Jesus as an offering to the Father. You didnt have to tell her twice, as often happens with other novices. The funeral took place on 7 October, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pilgrims started to come to her grave in the agiewniki Convent and pray for her intercession. Ive absolutely nothing to hold against her, she was just so good. I shall complete all that is wanting in you (Diary 435). She went to Aleksandrw dzki, a town where Kazimierz Bryszewski and his wife Leokadia had a bakery and shop at No. To find out more about St. Faustina, click here. On Sunday afternoons Father would take out the Lives of the Saints from the bookcase and read in the family circle. At first Mother General had not consented to her leaving the Congre- gation and had warned Sister Faustina to beware of delusions and imprudent moves, but now that she was travelling to Krakw for a visitation, on 4 May 1937, she said: Up to now, I have always held you back, but now I leave it entirely up to you; if you want to leave, you can do so; if you want to stay in the Congregation, you can stay(Diary 1115). In the Cracovian convent Sister Faustina received the rest of the prophetic mission. A sick man lived in a lumber room under the stairs in the house. She returned home aware of the Divine Visitor in her soul. Soon after that mysterious event she returned to Gogowiec to ask her parents permission to enter a convent. At first she was happy to be leaving, but on the next day was overwhelmed by darkness and felt she had lost Gods presence, so she decided to put off this move a little until her next meeting with her confessor. This argument and their childs happiness persuaded her parents and from then on they had no further objections to her life in the convent. That day at supper time a bell was heard. St. Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament was born in Poland as Helena Kowalska on Aug. 25, 1905. What can you do about it?, 'Well, said Sister Faustina, 'if you have a yard then what with walking across it all week itll get dirty, but come Saturday you sweep it and clean it up and its spotless. Any soul that makes its Confession and receives Holy Communion will have its sins and its punishment completely remitted. Whenever I left the house Mrs. Sadowska said of her maid years later I could rest assured. Anthony was not the first ascetic or hermit, but he may properly be called the "Father of Monasticism" in Christianity, as he organized his disciples into a community and later, following the spread of Athanasius's hagiography, was the inspiration for similar communities throughout Egypt and elsewhere. The painting of the vision Sister Faustina had had three years earlier at Pock gave rise to several fundamental questions which Father Sopoko put to Sister Faustina, and she in the simplicity of her heart passed them on to Jesus, who explained, My gaze from this picture is like My gaze from the cross (Diary 326), Jesus explained, The two rays stand for blood and water. I often visited her Sister Serafina Kukulska recalled and always found her cheerful, even happy, and sometimes as if radiant, but she never disclosed the secret of her happiness. You will prepare the world for My final coming. Saint Faustina is the ideal role model for Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy, especially in light of her love of the Eucharist, and her virtuous life as exemplified by doing spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Helenkas immediate entry was prevented by poverty, and Mother Superior advised her to continue for a time in service and save up for a small trousseau, testing the firmness of her vocation. She realised that she was responsible not only for her own salvation, but also other peoples, and so she resolved to do all in her power to fulfil His will or to make Him transfer these graces to someone else, since she was only wasting them. . He said, When they say this Chaplet, it will please Me to grant everything they shall ask for (Diary 1541). When he returned and opened the door to her room he found her levitating over the bed and absorbed in prayer. Her soul was being purified in the crucible of spiritual battle. That joy faded somewhat towards the end of her first year in the novitiate when she started to go through a period of extremely painful spiritual experiences known as the passive nights. Clear on the point that this situation was no obstacle to the initiating of a beatification process, Cardinal Karol Wojtya lost no time and completed the diocesan stage, sending the documentation up to the Rome, where the Congregation for the Causes of Saints continued to examine the heroic virtues of Sister Faustina, and later the miracle wrought at Sister Faustinas grave for Mrs. Maureen Digan from the USA. This is the prayer for the appeasing of Gods wrath. With her inborn gentleness, she trained them from their youngest years in jobs about the house and farm, and responsibility in carrying out their duties. that it is good for that person from the perspective of eternity. This religious fervor spread to Helena quickly, as she was known from an early age for her obedience, prayerfulness . 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). 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. It was during Vespers in simple words straight from my heart I made a vow of perpetual chastity to God. I put all my trust in God and His holy will. One of them was Janek, who was said to be lapsed. But her arguments always won. Some warned her of hallucinations, others declared she was hysterical and fantasising, and yet others acknowledged that she must be close to Jesus since she was bearing all this suffering with such calm. By William Nardi 10/5/2020 Sister Gaudia Skass of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy displays an image of the Divine Mercy. 30 on Parzczewska St. (now 1 Maja 7 St.) and they needed help with the housework and looking after their only son Zenek. On May 18, 2020, Pope Francis ordered the inscription of Saint Faustina Kowalska, Virgin, into the General Roman Calendar. Through her the Lord Jesus communicates to the world the great message of God's mercy and reveals the pattern of Christian perfection based on trust in God and on the attitude of mercy toward one's neighbors. 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. It was the first time she saw them since several years. This all Polish production was released in '95, five years before Sister Faustina's canonization and was most certainly intent on helping promote . St Mary Faustina Kowalska was born on 25 August 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland, to a poor, religious family of peasants, the third of 10 children. Suddenly someone woke me up. Sister Amelia, who had a very sensitive conscience, asked her, 'Sister, how come, when you try so hard but over the week you still commit such a lot of sins. The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy has fully adopted Sister Faustinas prophetic mission, and on 25 August 1995 recognised her as its Spiritual Foundress. I entered more deeply into myself and couldnt see anything but great misery. She instructed Sister Faustina to say the exclamatory prayers instead of long prayers which required a considerable amount of concentration, and thereby accept the will of God. 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