On November 20, the St. Faustina Youth Education Center in Krakow was honored with the Małopolska Voivodeship’s Veritatis Splendor award. This recognition highlighted the Center’s commitment to fostering cultural, social, and interfaith dialogue in line with the teachings and legacy of St. John Paul II. The award was presented during a gala at the Krakow Philharmonic.
The resolution awarding the honor states: “The St. Faustina Youth Educational Center provides a supportive and secure environment for young girls, many of whom come from challenging backgrounds and face serious emotional struggles. The Center’s approach is deeply personalized, focusing on each girl’s unique needs to help them rebuild confidence and self-worth. Educators prepare the girls for future roles as wives and mothers and equip them with professional skills. The Center’s success is evident in the many alumnae who, upon leaving, have returned to healthy educational and social paths and become involved in helping others. Educators place a strong emphasis on cultivating values championed by the Patron of Małopolska, St. John Paul II, including love for others, empathy, solidarity, responsibility, and mercy.”
The award was first presented in 2016. Each year, recipients are chosen by the Board of Directors of the Małopolska Region based on recommendations from the Veritatis Splendor Chapter, which includes representatives from intellectual, social, and cultural spheres.
On November 22 this year, the traditional „Evening with Merciful Jesus” will take place at the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in Washington, USA. It will be led by the sisters from the Washington community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The program includes: the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, adoration with praise of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and intercessory prayer, the sacrament of confession, and a conference by Sister Faustia Szaboóvá on how to overcome obstacles on the path to holiness, based on the words of Jesus recorded in St. Faustina’s Diary and her spiritual experiences. The evening will conclude with a fraternal agape.
“Evenings with Merciful Jesus” are organized for young people who want to follow in the footsteps of St. Faustina and St. John Paul II and discover a new quality of life in friendship with Merciful Jesus.
From November 18 to 22, 2024, a retreat for priests will be held at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki under the theme: “The Merciful Gaze That Saves.” It will be led by Fr. Piotr Wieczorek, a pastor, retreat leader, spiritual director, and diocesan moderator of the evangelization community “Mamre.” In the Gospels, we often encounter Jesus, whose merciful gaze calls, forgives, sees people and their deepest needs, and restores their dignity as children of God. This retreat, experienced in silence, will be an opportunity for a personal encounter with the gaze of the Merciful Jesus, to once again accept His love so that He can transform and heal our hearts.
The retreat is organized by the sisters of the retreat community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. More information is available at: www.faustinum.pl
The traditional three-day retreat for devotees of Divine Mercy will take place on November 22–24 in Dolný Smokovec in the Slovak Tatras. The retreat, under the theme: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (cf. 2 Cor 12:9), will be led by Fr. Miroslav Liška and Sr. M. Clareta Fečová ISMM from the Hrušov community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The program includes: Eucharist, conferences, prayer during the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, communal adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and veneration of the relics of St. Faustina.
Exactly 10 years ago, the first youth gathering “Łagiewnicka 22” took place at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki. On this special anniversary, the sisters of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Kraków are returning to the original program of these meetings, summarized in three words: Word, Prayer, Community. We invite you to the chapel with the renowned image of Merciful Jesus this coming Friday (November 22) at 7:00 PM. Sister Gaudia Skass will deliver the Word, followed by a time of silent prayer and adoration of Divine Mercy during the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Afterwards, there will be a gathering with some tasty refreshments and a Q&A session with Sister Gaudia.
On November 23, the next meeting of the Apostles of Divine Mercy “Faustinum” community will take place at the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia in Rome. The meeting will focus on trust in the Bible and in the Diary of St. Faustina. The event will be led by the sisters from the Roman community of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and Fr. Alberto Donai, Vice-Rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Rome, who will deliver a lecture on the topic: “The Faith of Abraham.” The program includes: prayer at the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to open the meeting, Holy Mass, lectures, and a fraternal gathering.
On November 24, at the invitation of Fr. Bartosz Adamczewski, pastor of St. Faustina Parish in Warsaw’s Bródno district, Sr. Diana Kuczek from the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki, along with members of the “Faustinum” association from the community on Żytnia Street, will share the message of Divine Mercy during Sunday Masses. Before the evening Eucharist at 5:00 PM, there will also be an inaugural meeting to establish the “Faustinum” community in this parish, a heartfelt desire of those who gather in this church.
This coming Sunday (November 24th), the Parish of St. John Paul II in Podsarnie (Archdiocese of Kraków) will celebrate the solemn introduction of the relics of St. Sister Faustina. The event will be attended by Sr. Norberta and Sr. Agnes from the convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Łagiewniki Sanctuary. On this occasion, the sisters will share with the faithful of Podsarnie and Harkabuz the prophetic mission of the Apostle of Divine Mercy and her spiritual legacy.
Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, Metropolitan of Krakow, after consulting the Polish Bishops’ Conference and receiving the consent of the Holy See, issued an edict on November 12, 2024, to begin the beatification and canonization process of the Servant of God, Fr. Józef Andrasz SJ, a Krakow-based confessor and spiritual director of St. Faustina Kowalska. In this document, he calls on all who possess any documents, writings, or information about the Servant of God, whether positive or negative, to submit them to the Metropolitan Curia in Krakow by December 30, 2024.
The vice-postulator of the process is Fr. Mariusz Balcerak SJ, while the general postulator for the entire Jesuit order is Fr. Pascual Cebollada SJ, who oversees all processes of Jesuit candidates for sainthood on behalf of the General Curia in Rome.
The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy expresses gratitude to all Benefactors and Donors for supporting the apostolic works that are used by thousands of Internet users and dying people in need of prayerful support. Thank you for the gifts sent to support the work of “Chaplet for the Dying,” on-line broadcast from the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki and the website: www.faustyna.pl and its versions in foreign languages. In these gifts of the heart, the mercy of God is visible, which is poured out on the world through human hearts and hands. In their daily prayers, the sisters respond with prayer, commending all the Donors and Benefactors to God’s mercy and asking for God’s blessing and needed favors for them. Let God’s Mercy be glorified in all this!
The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy is collecting information on churches and chapels dedicated to St. Faustina. New submissions should be sent by filling out a form with contact information (full name of the church, mailing address, email, and phone) and a horizontal photo in .jpg format at www.saint-faustina.org in the Sister Faustina – Churches tab. Check beforehand if a particular church or chapel is not already listed on the website.
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 November: for the necessary graces for the sick, the dying as well as for the joy of heaven for the deceased.
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.
Sister Faustina is the patron saint of many schools, works of mercy, and other entities in Poland and around the world, as can already be seen at Faustyna.pl. The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy is collecting this information. Entities under the patronage of St. Faustina should be submitted by filling out a form with contact information (full name of the entity, mailing address, email address, and telephone) and a horizontal photo in .jpg format at www.sister-faustina.org, in the Sister Faustina tab. Make sure beforehand that the entity in question is not already listed on the website.
St. Faustina’s prophetic mission of recalling the biblical truth of God’s mercy resulted, among other things, in churches and parishes being dedicated to Jesus the Merciful or Divine Mercy. Many Shrines of Divine Mercy have also been established in Poland and around the world. Some of them can be found in the list at Faustyna.pl. It is worth mentioning that during St. Faustina’s lifetime, there was not a single parish or shrine under this name. The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy is collecting this information. Shrines of Divine Mercy can be submitted by filling out a form with contact information (full name of the entity, mailing address, email address, and telephone) and a horizontal photo in .jpg format at www.saint-faustina.org in the Shrines tab. Make sure beforehand that the shrine in question is not already listed on the website.
Every day at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy gather at the Image of Divine Mercy and the tomb of St. Faustina to pray the Rosary for families and married couples experiencing difficulties and crises. Also at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock, Holy Mass is celebrated on every 22nd day of a month at 5pm with this intention. To join this prayer in the Łagiewniki Shrine, also in the intention of your family or loved ones, you can access the live video broadcasting at www.saint-faustina.org.
The Chaplet for the Dying project supports a daily average of 125 moribund, whose names have been reported to us by SMS or e-mail. The moribund are spiritually supported not only by people from Poland, but also from other countries worldwide, who have declared their willingness to hold vigil on a selected day and time to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the intention of the person whose name they have received by text message or e-mail. We still need more people who will take up this ministry of mercy, so that help will quickly reach those who are the weakest, but are making the most important decisions and fighting the most difficult fights of their lives. Information about the project and applications are accessible via www.saint-faustina.org. The work is carried out by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy’s Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki at: www.faustyna.pl.
On every Thursday at 5 pm, at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, a Divine Mercy Holy Mass is celebrated for the intercession of St. Faustina in the intention of requests and thanks to the faithful offered in the chapel with the image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of the Apostle of Divine Mercy. You can add an intention right before the Mass and those who cannot physically be present at it can join us in prayer thanks to the online broadcast at www.faustyna.pl.
The Lord Jesus, in the devotion to Divine Mercy, gives us a special time of grace at three o’clock in the afternoon. It is the moment of His dying on the cross, of which he said to Sister Faustina: “This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. … In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion…” (Diary, 1320). In order to take advantage of these promises of Jesus, one must pray with confidence and add deeds of mercy towards others to the trustful prayer. Jesus proposes three ways of experiencing the prayer at the Hour of Mercy: celebrating the Way of the Cross, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, and if it is impossible, connecting with Him, dying on the cross, wherever 3 pm finds us. In this prayer, we turn directly to Jesus, and in our pleading, we appeal to the merits of His painful Passion. It is a privileged time in the Divine Mercy devotion, which is why the Hour of Mercy and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy are practiced every day in all convents of the Congregation. You can join in this prayer through an on-line transmission from the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki at faustyna.pl and via the Faustyna.pl application.
The Diary of St. Faustina, which enjoys immense popularity, is sought after in foreign languages in Poland, too. The convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Łagiewniki Shrine often receives inquiries about the possibility of purchasing its translations, as well as reproductions of the Divine Mercy image with inscriptions in other languages. In response to the needs of pilgrims and online inquirers, the Misericordia publishing company ensures that foreign language versions of the Diary and images of Merciful Jesus with inscriptions in other languages than Polish are available in the Łagiewniki bookstore. These can also be ordered in various formats, on different materials, and in different languages by writing to: zamówienia@misericordia.faustyna.net.
The Misericordia publishing company serves the mission of proclaiming the message of Mercy, so in the company bookstore at the Łagiewniki Shrine (next to the basilica), you can also purchase other books related to the life, mission, and spirituality of St. Faustina, as well as devotional items and souvenirs. The online store operates at www.misericordia.faustyna.pl
Responding to the needs of individual pilgrims from all over the world who come to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki, the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy has prepared a very functional guide to this holy place using QR codes. It contains not only information about the individual locations, but above all the message of the treasure of this place, the spiritual heritage of St. Faustina, especially given by Jesus and recorded in her Diary. From now on, each pilgrim, scanning a QR code on a smartphone, will be guided by the sisters to a particular site, learn what meetings and conversations with the Inhabitants of Heaven St. Faustina had there. With the help of a 3D map one can see the entire Shrine and move on to the next object. The guide has already been made available not only in Polish, but also in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Slovak, German and Russian. For other language areas, a scanned QR code automatically selects English.
Spring is a time of awakening of nature, but also of our hearts and desires. This time can be experienced in Kiekrz on rest and walks or on individual retreats with the Bible and the Diary of St. Faustina. The retreats are held according to the program proposed by the spiritual director (a Sister from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy) in complete silence, excluding cell phones and other electronic devices. The chapel shrine, accommodation, meals (according to your needs) beautiful surroundings with a small Kierskie lake (place of the revelation of Lord Jesus to St. Faustina). These retreats can be used by all who wish to do so. Please send your applications to email: domkiekrz@faustyna.pl.
The past year brought further progress in the development of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock. The stonework on the foundations, exterior stairs and handicapped persons’ exit has been completed. Sanitary installations and electrical fixtures, in addition to interior carpentry in the church and pilgrim house took place successively.
Plans for 2024 include installing ironwork, completing the aluminum and wood joinery throughout the newly built facility, and finishing works. In addition, sanitary and electrical works will continue in white assembly, installation of electrical, and tele-technical equipment. A task for the current year is also to complete all the adaptation work in the temporary chapel and connect the newly built facilities to the existing ones into a functional whole. As funds are raised, the plan also includes landscaping work for parking lots, fencing, an entrance gate and green areas.
The Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Plock is being erected by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy thanks to the donations made for this purpose by devotees of Divine Mercy and people of good will. Sisters thank you for every gift of heart that makes the place of the first revelation of Merciful Jesus to St. Faustina come to life. Thanks to these gifts, the church is growing and therefore the Sisters would like to ask for further support. Holy Mass is celebrated on the 22nd day of each month and the Sisters pray daily together with the faithful at the Hour of Mercy and with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the intention of everyone who support the construction of the Shrine spiritually and physically.
Donations for the expansion of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Płock can be deposited into the account:
Zgromadzenie Sióstr Matki Bożej Miłosierdzia
Stary Rynek 14/18
09-404 Płock
Bank PEKAO SA
I O w Płocku
ul. Kolegialna 14a
SWIFT CODE: PKOPPLPW
PLN IBAN: 72 1240 3174 1111 0000 2890 0836
USD IBAN: 56 1240 3174 1787 0010 1057 7746
EUR IBAN: 28 1240 3174 1978 0010 1057 7818
The Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy and apostles of Divine Mercy following in the footsteps of St. Faustina and participating in her mission to proclaim the message of Mercy to the world with their witness of life, deeds, words and prayers will remember and celebrate the following anniversaries in 2024:
January 2 – the 90th anniversary of the start of work on painting the first image of the Merciful Jesus in the studio of painter Eugeniusz Kazimirowski under the guidance of St. Faustina.
February – 95th anniversary of St. Faustina’s first arrival in Vilnius.
17 March – 120 years of the Congregation’s ministry in Częstochowa.
16 April – the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the most famous Divine Mercy Image of Jesus at the Shrine of Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow-Łagiewniki, where His words to Sister Faustina were fulfilled: I want this picture venerated first in your chapel, and in the whole world (Diary, 47).
June – the 95th anniversary of Sister Faustina’s arrival to minister at the Congregation’s home in Warsaw’s Grochów district.
June/July – the 90th anniversary of the completion of the painting of the first picture of Merciful Jesus in the studio of Eugeniusz Kazimirowski. Sister Faustina lamented that the Jesus in this painting was not as beautiful as she saw Him.
July – 95th anniversary of Sister Faustina’s stay at the Congregation’s house in Kiekrz.
22 August – 30 years of the Congregation’s ministry in the Czech Republic, first in Ronov; then the community of Sisters moved to Dvůr Králové nad Labem.
31 August – 95th years of the Congregation’s ministry in Biała near Płock.
22 November – 10th anniversary of the evenings of worship at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Łagiewniki: The Łagiewniki 22.
Sanktuarium (The Shrine) is the title of the latest film about the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, a place chosen by God, where, as St. Faustina died, a great treasure was laid – the message of Divine Mercy. It is a place of many a revelation, miracle and pilgrimage from all over the world. The documentary tells about this special site on the religious map of the world, which TV, radio and online broadcasts have allowed millions of pilgrims weekly to come to visit. The narrative of the film includes the theme of the national TV broadcasting that is the mission of TVP, that has accompanied the Shrine for 30 years, including the three years of daily broadcasting. The documentary, directed by Grzegorz Styła, contains fascinating testimonies of people from all over the world. It is available on TVP VOD.
A video titled Divine Mercy in daily life has been made recently for the Maria Vision TV, featuring Sr. Gaudia Skass from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, who speaks about the Łagiewniki Shrine as a sacred site, where St. Faustina lived and where she passed to the house of the Heavenly Father. Any place where we are, if we are experiencing our lives with Jesus, can be such a holy place. The beautifully shot film is available in English.
