On Sunday, December 10, the last formation meeting of this year for members and volunteers of the Faustinum Association will be held in Koprivnica (northern Slovakia). The group operates at the parish of St. Andrew the Apostle. The meeting will begin with a communal prayer at the Hour of Mercy. The program includes conferences on the theme of God’s mercy in the Bible and St. Faustina’s Diary, which will be delivered by the provost, Fr. Milan Slupek and Sr. Blanka Krajčíková of the community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Slovakia.
Sister Faustina would begin every Advent with Virgin Mary. Before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, she would practice a novena with the whole Congregation, and in addition to that, she would always try to offer something more to the Mother of God (e.g. a novena of a thousand Hail Marys). She considered mercy that Mary experienced as a gift of her immaculate conception and the fullness of grace guaranteed to her by Archangel Gabriel, and the gift of Divine motherhood. The one who was chosen to become the Mother of the Son of God knows best how to experience the period of awaiting the coming of Jesus. She advised Sister Faustina: “try to make yourself meek and humble, so that Jesus, Who dwells perpetually in your heart, may rest. Adore Him in your heart, do not leave your interior” (Diary, 785). This may also be our decision for this Advent week to prepare our hearts for God’s ever more complete presence therein.
On December 9, a day retreat will take place at the St. Faustina Retreat House in Rio de Janeiro with the motto For you I came down to Earth from Heaven. The retreat, which is organized as part of the Advent preparation for the coming of the Infant Jesus, Mercy Incarnate, will be delivered by Fr. Antônio José and Ss. Solange and Christofora of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. This will be the first retreat held at the St. Faustina Retreat House in Rio, which the Sisters have been preparing since 2022.
On November 29, spiritual preparations for the celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary will begin in all the houses of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. There is to be a communal novena consisting of antiphons and the Litany of Loreto. In addition the sisters will be marking the Holy Day with an annual gift to the Mother of Mercy. Over and above the obligatory prayer in the convents’ chapels and her spiritual exercise, Saint Faustina used to make a novena which consisted in saying 1,000 „Hail Marys” each day. She admitted: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Apart from recreation, I have only prayed and worked. I have not said a single unnecessary word during these days. Although I must admit that such a matter requires a good deal of attention and effort, nothing is too much when it comes to honoring the Immaculate Virgin (Diary, 1413). You yourselves can also take part in the prayer online, thanks to our live transmissions from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki.
On December 5th, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Mass will be celebrated at 5 pm in the intentions of all the sponsors, donors and contributors of the media works carried out by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, and especially those who support the Chaplet for the Dying at www.faustyna.pl and its language versions. Thanks to this support each year we are helping about 40 thousand dying people. Hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world can make a virtual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Łagiewniki and connect in prayer next to the miracle-famous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina. Sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy pray daily for the donors and benefactors who support the work, but this particular Eucharist will be a special gift of gratitude. You can join this celebration via the live video broadcast at www.saint-faustina.org and in the Faustyna.pl application.
On December 1-3, in the town of Konayev (Almaty diocese), the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary will hold a retreat for women under the theme If you knew the gift of God. It will be led by Sister Anastasis Omelchenko and Sister Angelina Stolareuskaja from the Petropavlovsk community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, and Nazareth Sister Kazimiera Wanat. The retreat will include meditations on the word of God, workshops and conferences. Each day, the sisters will also visit orphanages in the parish to acquaint children and teens with the message of Mercy as recorded in the Diary of St. Faustina. The parishioners will hear about this message during Sunday Mass.
A spiritual retreat will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on December 1-3. The participants will be looking for an answer to the question that touches every human being: how to find joy in the midst of suffering, based on the Scripture and the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina. The motto will be the words of the Apostle of Divine Mercy: “With You, O Jesus, I am making my way through life, come rain or shine, with a cry of joy and singing the hymn of Your mercy” (Diary, 761). The retreat will be delivered by Fr. Przemysław Sawa, Doctor in dogmatic theology, employee of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Silesia in Katowice, founder of the Cyril and Methodius School of Evangelization, retreatist and missionary of mercy, and Sr. Maria Faustyna Ciborowska from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Doctor in biblical studies, involved in preaching the message of Mercy and leading retreats. The retreat is organized by the Faustinum Association of Apostles of Divine Mercy. For more information, go to www.faustinum.pl.
A parish retreat on Divine Mercy will be held at the Vasil Hopek Greek Catholic parish in Stropkove, Slovakia, on December 1-3. At the invitation of Fr. Slavomír Tarasovič, V.F., it will be led by Sr. M. Benediktína Fečová from the Košice community of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. The program includes conferences (on Saturday especially for women and mothers), Adoration, praying the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet to Divine Mercy, and veneration of the relics of St. Faustina.
On December 3, the first Sunday of the Advent, Sr. Ignacja Bazan from the convent of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Łódź will share the message of Mercy and the spiritual legacy of St. Faustina as recorded in her Diary, with the faithful in the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Horyniec Zdrój (Diocese of Zamość-Lubaczów). At 7 p.m. there will be Adoration and meeting with Jesus the Merciful under the theme: Kindle the Spark of Mercy.
On November 26-29, the parish of St. Florian the Martyr in Mogielnica, the Diocese of Warsaw, will host a Divine and human mercy parish retreat. Based on the Bible and the heritage of St. Faustina, it will be delivered by Sr. Maria Vianneya and Sr. Tobiana from the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki and Sr. Mariam from the convent in Warsaw. Conferences for adults, teens and kids are on the agenda, as is the practice of the new forms of Divine Mercy devotion which Jesus Himself entrusted St. Faustina with.
Advent is approaching, Sister Faustina wrote in her Diary. I want to prepare my heart for the coming of the Lord Jesus by silence and recollection of spirit, uniting myself with the Most Holy Mother and faithfully imitating Her virtue of silence, by which She found pleasure in the eyes of God Himself. I trust that, by Her side, I will persevere in this resolution (Diary, 1398). This year, the first Sunday of Advent falls on 3th of December. Liturgically, Advent and the new year in the liturgy of the Church begins with vespers on December 2th. It constitutes a time of joyful anticipation of Christmas, spiritual preparation for this holiday and for the second coming of Christ on Earth, in addition to building our sensitivity to His everyday coming to us here and now, as St. Faustina did, through exercise in silence and recollection of spirit. The joy of experiencing the mystery of faith which tells us of the birth of the Son of God in human flesh, Mercy Incarnate, depends on this expectation and spiritual preparation.
Starting on November 20, the Apostles of Divine Mercy Faustinum Association will be accepting applications for retreats with the Bible and the Diary of St. Faustina, to be organized in the first half of 2024. Registration for the retreat can be done only through the registration form at www.faustinum.pl or sent in paper form to the address of the secretariat of Faustinum at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki. Only receipt of confirmation from the secretariat of the Faustinum is tantamount to enrollment in the selected retreat.
The Retreat with the Bible and the Diary of St. Faustina is a time to explore the mystery of God’s mercy revealed in the Bible with Sister Faustina, as well as a time of personal encounter with God in seclusion and in complete silence. The retreats are conducted by priests in cooperation with sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy. All members and volunteers of the Faustinum and those who wish to learn more deeply and experience the mystery of God’s mercy are invited to attend.
Program and application form and more information at: www.faustinum.pl.
On 18-23 November, Sister Faustia and Sister Grace from the D.C. Community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy will deliver a retreat at the parish of St. Anne in Georgia, Diocese of Savannah. The conferences will focus on God’s mercy in the holy sacraments and in daily life. During the first few of the retreat the target participants will be adults, while just before November 20, the retreat program includes meetings with young people about God’s mercy in the family and mutual relationships.
This is the theme of a retreat devoted to vocation discernment which will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on November 24-26, 2023. It will be delivered by Sr. M. Evangelista Sobkowicz, I.S.M.M., and Dr. Monika Guzewicz. Participants of this retreat will discover what the true happiness of God and man is, and will explore it in the perspective of earthly and eternal life.
A spiritual retreat for priests will be held at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki on November 13-17. The theme of the event is By the merciful heart of Jesus with the beloved disciple. It will be delivered by Fr. Piotr Kwiecień, C.M., Vincent à Paulo missionary, spiritual director and retreat giver. Retreats experienced in silence at the merciful heart of Jesus can become an opportunity to renew and deepen one’s relationship with Him and to draw strength for the hardships of priestly ministry. Jesus said to St. Faustina: During this retreat, I will keep you close to My Heart all the time, so that you may obtain a better understanding of the mercy I have for humans, especially for poor sinners (Diary, 730). The organizers of the retreat, the Faustinum Association, also apply these words to the priests who will participate.
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.
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.
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 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.
