October 5
Saint Faustina Kowalska
Nun, Mystic, Virgin
“Apostle of Divine Mercy”
(1905 – 1938)
“There are souls who thwart My efforts, but I have not given up on them; as often as they turn to Me, I hurry to their aid, shielding them with My mercy, and I give them the first place in My compassionate Heart.”
Saint Faustina Kowalska – God speaking to St. Faustina Kowalska, The Divine Mercy in My Soul Diary, 1682 (59) May 1, 1938.
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Saint’s Life Story
Her Youth
Elana (Helena) Kowalska was born on August 25, 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland, a small village west of Lodz. She was the third of ten children of Stanisław Kowalski and Marianna Kowalska. Her father was a carpenter and a peasant. Her family was poor and religious.. When she was 15 years old, she quit school in order to work as a housekeeper to help support her family. By the time she was 18, she was sure that God was calling her to a religious life, but her parents objected. So, she tried to put it out of her mind.
Joined Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy
One night, while at a village dance, Helena saw Jesus, sad and suffering, who asked her, “How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting Me off?” The very next day, she packed a small bag and went to the capital city of Warsaw, Poland. There she joined the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, whose members devote themselves to the care and education of troubled young women. In April 1928, having completed the novitiate, Helena took her first religious vows as a nun and took the habit, with her parents attending the rite. She changed her name to Sister Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament. During her 13 years in various houses, she was a cook, gardener, and porter.
From February to April 1929, Faustina was posted to the convent in Wilno, then in Poland, now known as Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where she served as a cook. Although her first posting to Vilnius was short, she returned there later and met the priest Michael Sopoćko, who supported her mission. In May 1930, she was transferred to the convent in Płock, Poland, for almost two years.
Her Mystical Life
In the 1930’s, Faustina grew in holiness and developed a mystical life. Then, Faustina began to have visions, receive revelations, and experience a hidden stigmata.
Her Dairy – Divine Mercy in my Soul
She began recording these mystical experiences in a diary. However, due to her limited education, she was nearly illiterate and wrote phonetically, without quotation marks or punctuation. Her dairy was neraly 700 pages. A bad translation reached Rome in 1958, and was labelled heretical. However, when Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) became Archbishop of Krakow, he was besieged by requests for a reconsideration. He ordered a better translation made, and Vatican authorities realized that instead of heresy, the work proclaimed God‘s love. It was published as Divine Mercy in my Soul.
Her Dairy
In the 1930’s, Faustina received from the Lord a message of mercy that she was told to spread throughout the world. She was asked to become the apostle and secretary of God’s mercy, a model of how to be merciful to others, and an instrument for reemphasizing God’s plan of mercy for the world. Faustina wrote that on the night of Sunday, February 22, 1931, while she was in her cell in Płock, Jesus appeared wearing a white garment with red and pale rays emanating from his heart. Jesus asked that a picture be painted of him with the inscription: “Jesus, I Trust in You.” She commissioned this painting in 1935, showing a red and a white light shining from Christ’s Sacred Heart. On the same night that she received a message about the Divine Mercy image, Faustina also wrote in her diary (Notebook I, item 49), Jesus told her that he wanted the Divine Mercy image to be “solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter Sunday; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.”
Devoted
In November 1932, Faustina returned to Warsaw to prepare to take her final vows as a nun, by which she would become in perpetuity a sister of Our Lady of Mercy. At the Divine Lord’s request, Faustina willingly offered her personal sufferings in union with Him to atone for the sins of others. In her daily life, she was to become a doer of mercy, bringing joy and peace to others. By writing about God’s mercy, she was to encourage others to trust in Him and thus prepare the world for His coming again. Her special devotion to Mary Immaculate and to the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation gave her the strength to bear all her sufferings as an offering to God on behalf of the Church and those in special need, especially great sinners and the dying.
Her Death
At the age of 33, Faustina died of tuberculosis in Kraków, Poland on October 5, 1938. After her death, even her closest associates were amazed as they began to discover what great sufferings and deep mystical experiences had been given to this Sister of theirs, who had always been so cheerful and humble. Faustina had taken deeply into her heart, God’s gospel command to “be merciful even as your heavenly Father is merciful” as well as her confessor’s directive that she should act in such a way that everyone who came in contact with her would go away joyful. Faustina was canonized by the first Polish pope, Saint John Paul II, on April 30, 2000. The first Sunday after Easter was declared Divine Mercy Sunday. St. Faustina’s remains rest at the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy in Kraków-Lagiewniki.
Born: August 25, 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland
Died: October 5, 1938 in Kraków, Poland
Beatified: April 18, 1993 by Pope John Paul II
Canonized: April 30, 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Feast Day: October 5
Patron Saint: Divine Mercy
Source:
Reflection
At the heart of Saint Faustina Kowalska’s spirituality is the message of Divine Mercy. Through her visions, Jesus conveyed to her the depth of His love for all humanity, emphasizing that His mercy is greater than any sin and that no one is beyond the reach of His compassion. The Divine Mercy image, with the words “Jesus, I trust in You,” is a powerful symbol of this message, calling all to place their trust in God’s mercy. This message is particularly relevant in today’s world, where many struggle with feelings of guilt, shame, and unworthiness. Saint Faustina’s writings in her Diary reveal the tenderness of God’s heart and His desire for every soul to turn to Him in trust and repentance.
Approach God today with confidence, like Saint Faustina Kowalska did, knowing that He is always ready to forgive and to heal the wounds of our hearts.
Prayers
Saint Faustina Kowlalska,
Apostle of Divine Mercy, You who were chosen by God to spread the message of His boundless mercy, we humbly seek your intercession.
Help us to trust completely in God’s infinite mercy, as you did, even in the face of trials and sufferings.
May we embrace the message of Divine Mercy, trusting in Jesus, turning to Him in every need, knowing that His mercy is greater than our sins and weaknesses.
Guide us to show compassion, kindness, and forgiveness in our daily lives, reflecting the love of Christ to all we meet.
Through your prayers, may we come to know the peace and joy that come from living in the light of God’s mercy, and may we one day share with you, and all the saints, the eternal joy of heaven.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Saint Faustina Kowlalska, pray for me. Amen.
Saint Links
Aleteia – St. Faustina’s coffee cup and lessons for Divine Mercy Sunday by Fr. Patrick Briscoe, OP
All Saints & Martyrs – The Divine Mercy Novena
AnaStpaul – Saint of the Day – 5 October – Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) “Apostle of Divine Mercy”
Catholic Exchange – St. Faustina’s Eucharistic Wisdom: 10 Gems by Kathleen Beckman
Catholic Ireland – Oct 5 – St Faustina Kowalska (1905-38) Apostle of Divine Mercy
Catholic News Agency – 7 things you need to know about St. Faustina and her vision of Hell by Alejandro Bermudez
Catholic Online – St. Faustina Kowalska
Franciscan Media – Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska
Independent Catholic News – St Faustina
Loyola Press – Saint Faustina Kowalska Feast Day October 5
My Catholic Life – Saint Faustina Kowalska, Virgin
Saint for a Minute – Saint Faustina Kowalska
Saints for Sinners – Saint Maria Faustina
Saint Mary’s Press – Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
Saint of the Day – October 5 St. Faustina Kowalska
The Divine Mercy – Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska The Humble Instrument
uCatholic – Saint Faustina Kowalska
Vatican – Mary Faustina Kowalska