The Humble Instrument


On October 5, 1938, a young religious by
the name of Sister Faustina (Helen Kowalska)
died in a convent of the Congregation of
Sisters of our Lady of Mercy in Cracow, Poland.
She came from a very poor family that had
struggled hard on their little farm during
the terrible years of World War 1. Sister had
had only three years of very simple education.
Hers were the humblest tasks in the convent,
usually in the kitchen or the vegetable
garden, or as a porter.


The Image


On February 22, 1931, Our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ appeared to this simple
nun bringing with Him a wonderful message
of Mercy for all mankind. Sister Faustina
tells using her diary under this date:
"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I
became aware of the Lord Jesus clothe 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.'"
Some time later, Our Lord spoke again to
to her: "The pale ray stands for the Water
which makes souls righteous; the red stands
for the Blood which is the life of souls.
These two rays issued forth from the depths
of My most tender Mercy at that time when
My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance
on the Cross...Fortunate is the one who
will dwell in their shelter, for the just
hand of God shall not lay hold of him.


The Feast


As a further sign of His forgiving love,
Jesus called for a Feast of the Divine Mercy
to be celebrated inthe whole Church.
He said to Sister Faustina: "I want this
image to be solemnly blessed on the first
Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be
the Feast of Mercy. On that day, the
depths of My Mercy will be open to all.
Whoever will go to confession and Holy
Communion on that day will receive
complete forgiveness of sin and punishment.
Mankind will not enjoy peace until it
turns with confidence of My Mercy.


The Novena


Jesus further asked that this feast of the
Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to
the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good
Friday. He gave her an intension of all,
the lukewarm and indifferent of whom
He said: "These souls cause Me more
suffering than any others; it was from
such souls that My soul felt the most
revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was
on their account that I says:
'My Father. If it is possible, let this
cup pass by Me.' The last hope of
salvation to them is to flee to My Mercy."


The Chaplet


In 1933, God gave Sister Faustina a
striking vision of His Mercy. Sister
tells us: "I saw a great light, with God
the Father in the midst of it. Between
this light and the earth I saw Jesus
nailed to the Cross and I such a way
that God, wanting to look upon the earth,
had to look through Our Lord's wounds.
And I understood that God blessed the
earth for the sake of Jesus." Of another
vision of September 13, 1935, she writes:
I saw an Angel, the executor of God's
wrath...about to strike the earth...
I began to beg God earnestly for the
world with words which I heard
interiorly. As I prayed in this way, I
saw the Angel's helplessness, and he
could not carry out the just punishment...

The following day an inner voice taught
her to say this prayer on ordinary
rosary beads:

"First say one 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary'
and 'I Believe'.

Then on the large beads say the
following words:

'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.'

On the smaller beads you are to say the
following words:

'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion
have mercy on us and on the whole world.'

In conclusion you are to say these words
three times:

'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal
One, have mercy on us and on the whole
world.'"

'Jesus said later to Sister Faustina:
"Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have
taught you. Anyone who says it will
receive great Mercy at the hour of death.
Priests will recommend it to sinners as
the last hope. Even the most hardened
sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even
once, will receive grace from My
infinite Mercy. I want the whole world
to know My infinite Mercy. I want to
give unimaginable graces to those who
trust in My Mercy."


Subsequent History


One day in the same year, 1935, Sister
Faustina wrote for her Spiritual Director:
"The time will come when his work, which
God so commends, [will be] as though in
complete ruin, and suddenly the action
of God will come upon the scene with
great power which will bear witness to
the truth. It will be as a new splendor
for the church, though it has been
dormant in it for long ago."

This indeed came to pass. On the 6th of
March, 1959, the Holy See, acting on
information that was inaccurately
presented, prohibited "the spreading of
images and Mercy in the form proposed
by Sister Faustina." As a result, there
followed almost twenty years of total
silence. Then, on the 15th of April,
1978, The Holy See, after a thorough
examination of original documents
previously unavailable to it, completely
reversed its decision and again
permitted the devotion. The one man
primarily responsible for this reversal
of decision was Karol Cardinal Wojtyla,
the Archbishop of Cracow. On October 16,
1978 he was elevated to the See of Peter
as Pope John Paul II. On March 7, 1992,
Sr. Faustina's virtues were declared
heroic; on December 21, 1992, a healing
through Sr. Faustina's intrcession was
declared a miracle; and on April 18, 1993,
Pope John Paul II had the honor to
declare the Venerable Servant of God
Sister Faustina Blessed.
(With Ecclesiastical Approval)


A Novena To Obtain Graces
Through The Intercession Of
Blessed Faustina Kowalska


O Jesus, who filled your handmaid
Blessed Faustina with profound veneration
for Your boundless Mercy, deign if it be
Your holy will, to grant me, through her
intercession, the grace for which I
fervently pray...

My sins render me unworthy of your Mercy,
but be mindfull of Blessed Faustina's
spirit of sacrfice and self-denial, and
reward her virtue by granting the
petition which, with childlike confidence,
I present to You through her intercession.


BLESSED FAUSTINA, pray for us.



The Apostle Of Divine Mercy
BLESSED FAUSTINA KOWALSKA
Of The
Congregation Of Sisters
Of Our Lady Of Mercy
(1905 - 1938)