On May 25th (Saturday), after a communal prayer in the Basilica of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki at 7:30 am, the 17th Pilgrimage to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska will begin. The pilgrims will make the distance of 33 km on foot. They will visit the churches of Mary Queen of Poland in Krakow’s Nowy Ruczaj and in Rzozów, and the church of the Most Holy Trinity in Przytkowice as they go. The arrival to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is planned at 6:45 pm. After a Holy Mass, they will return to Krakow by buses.
When the Congregation chose Mary for the Heavenly Superior General, St. Faustina had a vision where she saw all the sisters covered under Mary’s coat and heard the words of a great promise: “Everyone who perseveres zealously till death in My Congregation will be spared the fire of purgatory, and I desire that each one distinguish herself by the following virtues: humility and meekness; chastity and love of God and neighbor; compassion and mercy”. After these words, the whole Congregation disappeared from my sight, and I remained alone with the Most Holy Mother who instructed me about the will of God and how to apply it to my life, submitting completely to His most holy decrees. It is impossible for one to please God without obeying His holy will. “My daughter, I strongly recommend that you faithfully fulfill all God’s wishes, for that is most pleasing in His holy eyes. I very much desire that you distinguish yourself in this faithfulness in accomplishing God’s will. Put the will of God before all sacrifices and holocausts” (Diary, 1244).
On May 10th (Friday), the Church is making a novena before the feast of the Holy Spirit. In the chapels of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, including the one with the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina at the Shrine of Divine Mercy, this novena is combined with the May devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. You can participate in it on-line and ask for the light and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit for you, the Church, our country and the world, so that the Spirit lead us to full familiarity with Jesus, reveal to us the depth of His merciful love and teach us to perceive His presence and action in our daily lives. At the end of the novena in the Łagiewniki Shrine, a prayer vigil will be held.
On May 18th at 9 pm a prayerful vigil before the feast of the Pentecost will begin at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. We will gather in the chapel of the miracle-famous image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina, which will become the Cenacle. Together with Mary, the Mother of Mercy, we shall be asking the Holy Spirit for the Light, Power and Graces for us, the Holy Church, our Country and the entire World. The vigil will end with the Eucharist celebrated at 10 p.m. You can join in this prayer online at www.saint-faustina.org where it will be broadcast.
On Saturday, May 18st, there will be a spring pilgrimage to the Rock Shrine of Divine Mercy on Mount Butkov in Slovakia. Celebrations will start with communal prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy led by the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy from from Slovakia. Solemn Mass in honor of St. John Paul II at 3.30 p.m. The site devoted to the worship of Divine Mercy located at Mount Butkov (11th floor of a stone quarry), where a large illuminated cross, in addition to statues of St. Faustina and St. John Paul II have been placed, is part of the Rock Shrine of Divine Mercy with a church in Ladce.
On May 18th, faithful across Australia and Oceania will join in prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 pm for the 7 time. The action is the fruit of the Congress of Divine Mercy held in Melbourne in 2018 and involves joining in prayer twice a year: on May 18, which is the anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II, and on September 13—the anniversary of the revelation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, above all, by the faithful of Australia and Oceania. Also Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy have joined in this prayerful action. Also Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy have joined in this prayerful action. On May 18th, all those participating will pray for the following intentions: More information and how to join: www.worldchaplet.org
On May 15th, in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Prešov, Slovakia, a “Day of Divine Mercy” will be held. Sister from both communities of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Slovakia will take part, the ones from the Košice and Nižny Hrušov, together with members and volunteers of the “Faustinum” Association. The program includes: Holy Mass, sisters’ conference on “Mercy – God’s limit for the evil of the whole world”, adoration and prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
In Krakow, on May 12th (Sunday), an annual procession in honor of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr will walk from the Wawel Hill to the monastery of Skałka (the place of his martyrdom). This beautiful procession dating back to the thirteenth century, is attended by bishops, priests, various male and female religious congregations, parish delegations from the entire archdiocese of Krakow, including some wearing regional costumes, and many other faithful. Traditionally, in the sign of their relics, patrons of Poland are also following: St. Stanislaus, St. Adalbert and other Polish saints, among them St. Faustina, who has participated in this national procession for many years.
This is the motto of a retreat dedicated to listening to the voice of God in the whirlwind of daily activities, joys and worries, to be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on May 10-12. The participants will learn this art from St. Faustina, who wrote: “I’m striving for interior silence, so as to hear His voice…” (Diary, 1828). The retreat will be delivered by Fr. Robert Więcek, S.J., retreatist, director of the National Secretariat of the Pontifical World Prayer Network, and Sr. M. Emanuela Gemza, I.S.M.M., president of the “Faustinum” Association of Apostles of Divine Mercy, author of “Faustinum” books and formation notebooks. For more information, go to www.faustinum.pl.
On May 8 we will be celebrating the 156th anniversary of the establishment, by Mother Teresa Ewa Countess Potocki nee Sułkowski, of the first house of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow. The sisters became involved in the education of girls and women in need of deep moral renewal, first in the “House of Mercy” at the Church of Divine Mercy at Smoleńsk street, and then in the convent at the crossroads of Zwierzyniecka and Straszewskiego (now occupied by Hotel Radisson). Since 1891, the convent’s house has been in Krakow-Łagiewniki. Today, the sisters are performing more than their original work, being also involved in the mission of St. Faustina to proclaim the message of Mercy to the world. They do this not only at the Shrine of Divine Mercy among the pilgrims from around the world, but also through many new works: the Association of Divine Mercy Apostles “Faustinum”, the publishing company “Misericordia”, the quarterly magazine “Orędzie Miłosierdzia”, the website available in 8 languages, the online broadcasts from the chapel of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy image and the tomb of St. Faustina, the perpetual Chaplet, the Chaplet for the dying, presence in the media, social networking, visits to parishes in Poland and abroad, participation in symposia and conferences devoted to the Mercy of God and the heritage of St. Faustina, etc. Their ministry, even the most implicit, includes the proclamation of the message of the merciful Love of God to man.
Such is the theme of the retreat for women of the Kostanay deanery in Kazakhstan to be held on May 3-5 at the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Lisakovsk. The topic of the meeting will be woman’s dignity. It will be delivered by Sr. Anastasis Omelchenko of the Petropavlovsk community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, Sr. Madlen Hofmann. The retreat will feature Bible meditations, lectures and workshops.
On Saturday, May 4th, 17th annual pilgrimage of Catholics from Slovakia organized by Radio Lumen will arrive at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. About 10,000 pilgrims from all over Slovakia will participate in solemn Mass at 10:30 am, presided by Bishop František Trstenský from Spiš and concelebrated by many priests who will arrive with the pilgrims. At 14.00 pm, Sr. M. Clareta Fečova from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy will give a conference. The pilgrimage will conclude with prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3:00 pm), the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and pastorial blessings. The events will traditionally be broadcast by the Catholic Radio Lumen, which will allow those unable to participate in person and come to Łagiewniki in a spiritual manner.
April 30th is the 24th anniversary of the canonization of Sr. Faustina Kowalska from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, an apostle of Divine Mercy. Her canonization took place at St. Peter’s Square in Rome and at the Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki in the year 2000. Saint Faustina described the event with details more than 60 years earlier, at the end of March 1937 (Diary, 1044-1048). Whoever participated in these events knows that her vision was fulfilled accurately. On that day, the Holy Father John Paul II introduced the Feast of Divine Mercy for the whole Church and provided it with the message of Mercy as articulated by St. Faustina for the third millennium of our faith. You can find out more the testimony of miraculous healing which was tested for the canonization, a description of the event and the canonization homily of the Holy Father at faustyna.pl. We give daily thanks for this “gift of God our time”, as St. Faustina and the message of Mercy which she provided us with were called by St. John Paul II. Millions of people around the world are joining in St. Faustina’s prophetic mission of proclaiming the biblical truth about the merciful Love of God to the world through the witness of life, deeds, words and prayer, creating the Apostolic Movement of the Divine Mercy, which is the “new congregation” as demanded by Jesus. May the anniversary of the Apostle of Divine Mercy’s canonization be an opportunity for us not only to give thanks, but also to explore the abundant heritage of the Saint.
Saint Faustina is commonly associated with her revelations of Merciful Jesus and not so much with ones of the Virgin Mary. However, she experienced tens of such revelations. While She conversed with Sister Faustina, Mary revealed to her the mystery of Divine Mercy in her own life. She also instructed, reassured and accompanied the Saint in her prophetic mission of Mercy. She told her: Out of the depths of God’s Mercy, I am your Mother (Diary, 449) and I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of Mercy, and your Mother (Diary, 330).
The Blessed Virgin was, for Sister Faustina, primarily the Mother of the Son of God – the Embodiment of Mercy – and thanks to the Divine Mercy, also the mother of every human being. As the caring best Mother of all and a Mistress of spiritual life, she instructed her regarding the contemplation of God in her soul, regarding obedience to the will of God, the art of lovingly accepting one’s own cross and concern for the virtues that condition the attitude of trust in God and mercy towards our fellow human beings. I saw the Mother of God, Sister Faustina noted, who said to me, “Oh, how pleasing to God is the soul that follows faithfully the inspirations of His grace! I gave the Savior to the world; as for you, you have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the end. I sympathize with you” (Diary 635).
The 2nd National Faustinum Convention will be held in San Giovanni Rotondo from April 26-28 under the theme United with Merciful Jesus. It will be attended by sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy from Krakow and Rome: Sisters Emanuela Gemza, president of the Faustinum Association of Apostles of Divine Mercy, and Sr. Wincenta Mąka, who will deliver presenations, and Sisters Eliana Chmielewska and Tymoteusza Kmiotek, who will share their testimonies.
Earlier, the sisters from the Krakow community will meet with the faithful at St. Dominic’s Church in Bari and Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Taviano to introduce them to the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina,
People from many countries of the world participating in the work of the Perpetual Chaplet of Divine Mercy are praying not only in their own intentions, but also asking for “mercy on us and the whole world”. A detailed intention for April is prayer for the spiritual rebirth of mankind and its confident turn towards God’s Mercy.
The work of Perpetual Chaplet is a response to the request of Jesus to constantly implore for mercy “for us and the whole world”. The work has been operated by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at: www.faustyna.pl since 2011. Anyone can participate in it by filling out a short form and declare to say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which Jesus dictated to St. Faustina—at least once.
In April in all the chapels of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, including the one of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy Image and the tomb of St. Faustina at the Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki, evening devotions in honor of Divine Mercy will take place, during which the Litany of Divine Mercy will be recited. The words of the litany were written down by St. Faustina in her Diary and her Vilnius confessor, Bl. Fr. Michael Sopocko, composed the prayer on this basis. Praying with her words, we not only praise God’s Mercy, but also get to know the mystery of God’s merciful Love more, which accompanies man in all the dimensions of his earthly life, accompanying him always and everywhere.
Under this motto, a day of recollection for women will be held at the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Gdańsk on April 27th. On the schedule: entering into silence, meditating on the Word of God and selected texts from the Diary of St. Faustina, conferences from Fr. Andrzej Bulczak and Sr. Gracjana Szewc, optional Holy Confession or just having a conversation, adoration of Jesus in the Holy Sacrament, Mass, lunch, tea and snacks.
It is a tradition in Poland that Catholics gather in every church and even at small roadside shrines in May to celebrate “Majówki” – a special kind of devotion to the Virgin Mary, during which the Litany of Loreto is sung. At the Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki, the May devotions are celebrated in the chapel of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy Image and the tomb of St. Faustina every day at 7:00 pm and on Sundays and other holidays at 6:30 pm. You can also join in the prayer online, at /www.saint-faustina.org
On the channel: Faustyna.pl you can listen to Sunday homilies by Fr. Józef Pochwat MS, chaplain of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki, lecturer, patrolologist, author of many publications related to the life and spiritual heritage of Saint Sister Faustina. His homilies are highly appreciated by the faithful because, embedded in the Word of God, they very vividly and accurately show the help, threats and obstacles in the development of the spiritual life of people living today.
Broadcast of Holy Mass live on weekdays at 6.30, on Sundays and holidays at 8.30: You Tube, website faustyna.pl and all its language versions, Faustyna.pl application and Radio Doxa from Opole and Radio Droga from Vienna.
The archive of the daily broadcast of prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet from the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki is available on YouTube in the channel: Faustyna.pl. The prayer is led by the sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in the chapel with the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of Saint Faustina.
Live broadcast every day at 3 p.m.: You Tube, the website faustyna.pl and all its language versions, the Faustyna.pl application and several TV stations from Poland and abroad and a dozen or so radio stations.
A retreat on God’s mercy “With the Diary of St. Faustina” will be held at Pustelnia (a diocesan retreat center in a former Camaldolese monastery, Świętokrzyskie Province) from April 19-21. It will be led by Sr. Anna Maria Trzcińska from the Łagiewniki convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. It can be attended by anyone who, through prayer with the word of God and reflection on texts from the Diary of St. Faustina, wants to meet with Jesus to imitate Him in an attitude of trust in the Father and mercy toward neighbors, and to participate in His saving and enlightening mission.
April 18 is the 31th anniversary of the beatification of Sister Faustina. Therefore, it is an excellent opportunity to thank God for her life, her school of spirituality, her prophetic mission to remind the world of the biblical truth about God’s merciful love for man and to proclaim it with a new strength through the witness of life in a spirit of trust in God and mercy towards others, word and prayer. Today, there is no country left in the world without an image of Merciful Jesus painted according to the vision she had in Płock. The Feast of Mercy has been inscribed in the liturgical calendar of the universal Church, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, dictated by the Lord Jesus in Vilnius, is recited even in tribal languages on tiny islands in the oceans, and prayer is increasingly practiced at the moment when Jesus died on the cross, called the Hour Mercy as more and more people join in spreading the message of Mercy, creating today a multi-million movement of the Apostles of Divine Mercy.
People from many countries of the world participating in the work of the Perpetual Chaplet of Divine Mercy are praying not only in their own intentions, but also asking for “mercy on us and the whole world”. Specific intention for May: For children and youth so that they nurture the spirit of faith, hope and love and for new vocations to God’s service in the Church.
The work of Perpetual Chaplet is a response to the request of Jesus to constantly implore for mercy “for us and the whole world”. The work has been operated by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at: www.faustyna.pl since 2011. Anyone can participate in it by filling out a short form and declare to say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which Jesus dictated to St. Faustina—at least once.
A parish retreat will be held at Holy Trinity Parish in Slovenska Ľupča, Slovakia, on April 12-14, prior to the solemn reception of the relics of St. John Paul II, the Apostle of Mercy. At the invitation of Fr. Dean Patr Ivanič, it will be led by Sr. M. Antoniana Štullerová from the Košice community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. The retreat will conclude with a solemn Mass on Sunday at 10:30 am, presided over by Bishop Jozef Haľko, auxiliary bishop of Bratislava.
A spiritual retreat will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on April 12-14. The theme of the event is Indifferent or merciful. The motto is the words of Jesus recorded in the Diary of St. Faustina. “Always be merciful, just as I am merciful. Love everyone out of love for Me, even your greatest enemies, so that the full extent of My mercy may be fully reflected in your heart” (Diary, 1695).
We live in a world full of haste, competition and increasing indifference, where selflessness and mercy are often considered weak and naive. Called to love our neighbor as ourselves, we want to see ourselves in the light of the parable of the merciful Samaritan, the state of our heart to love more.
The retreat will be delivered by Fr. Michał Legan, OSPPE, a Pauline, PhD in pastoral theology, missionary of Mercy, journalist, publicist, vlogger, head of the Department of Media Theology at the Faculty of Social Sciences at UPJPII, head of the Editorial Board of Catholic TV broadcasts, and Sr. Maria Faustyna Ciborowska, ISMM, PhD in biblical studies, committed to spreading the message of Mercy.
On Sunday, April 14, the 8th National Bible Reading will take place, this time his main idea will be the words from the Acts of the Apostles: “They persevered in the teaching of the Apostles and in the community”. Ceremonial celebration led by Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Metropolitan of Krakow will take place at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki at 7.00 a.m and will be broadcasted together with the Eucharist by TVP1 and on the website: www.saint-faustina.org, You Tube and on mobile applications: faustyna.pl.
From Sunday, April 14-20, 2024, the Church will be experiencing the 15th Biblical Week under the motto: “Called to Community – Communion with God and neighbors in the Church.”
On the octave of the Resurrection, the greatest feast of the Catholic Church, ends on the Feast of Divine Mercy, widely called the Mercy Sunday. Jesus demanded the establishment of the feast when He revealed Himself to St. Faustina, repeatedly expressing His desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy: He said: I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. (Diary, 699). On this day, we can receive the grace of washing of regeneration (one of the graces of baptism), but also obtain many other graces and earthly blessings, if they are in accordance with the will of God. The condition is a pure heart without attachment to sin and the attitude of trust in God, which is the desire to do His will and active love of one’s neighbors. The only vessel for drawing the graces is trust, as Jesus taught St. Faustina, because God’s Mercy has no limits and the joy of God is to give much – very much. Such is the Merciful Love we can get to know better and venerate as we celebrate the holiday. Click here to learn more about the Feast and its history in the Church.
The Feast of Mercy, in accordance with the wishes of Jesus expressed to St. Faustina and the decisions of the Holy Father John Paul II, is celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter (this year it is April 7). The central ceremony held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. They will be preceded by a novena of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy made on Good Friday, and a night vigil which starts in the Basilica on Saturday at 9:00 pm. Sunday Masses at the Shrine of Divine Mercy will be the celebrated according to the following program:
12:00 am (midnight) – Holy Mass, Bp Janusz Mastalski (basilica)
6:00 am – Holy Mass, Father Michał Kania (basilica)
8:00 am – Holy Mass, Bishop Damian Muskus (basilica)
10:00 am – Holy Mass, Bishop Marek Jędraszewski, Archbishop of Krakow – field altar in front of the basilica – transmission in TVP1.
10.30 am – Holy Mass in English.
12:30 pm – Holy Mass, Father Tomasz Szopa (basilica)
3:00 pm – Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Father Zbigniew Bielas, Rector of the Shrine and the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy (basilica). Broadcast: TVP, TVTrwam, EWTN, TV Republika and several radio stations.
4:00 pm – Holy Mass, Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz (basilica)
6:00 pm – Holy Mass, Bishop Grzegorz Suchodolski (basilica)
7:00 pm – Holy Mass, Father Robert Głodowski, M.S. (chapel of the miracle-famous Divine Mercy Image and the tomb of St. Faustina)
Masses from the basilica, the Hour of Mercy prayer (3:00 pm), and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be broadcast by TV Milosierdzie at the website of our Rectory, www.milosierdzie.pl, whereas Holy Mass at 7:00 pm and visitation of the Divine Mercy Image and the tomb of St. Faustina by pilgrims will be live streamed at www.saint-faustina.en .
At the Shrine of Divine Mercy at the Old Market Square in Płock, the site of St. Faustina’s revelation of the Divine Mercy image and the Feast of Mercy, Mercy Sunday (16 April) services will be celebrated at the following times: 8:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. (High Mass presided over by Bishop Szymon Stułkowski, pastor of the Płock diocese), and 5:00 p.m. At 3 pm, the Hour of Mercy and Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed.
