About St. Faustina
St. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish nun to whom Jesus appeared repeatedly in the 1930s, entrusting her with the message and mission of Divine Mercy. Born Helena Kowalska to a poor family in 1905, she entered the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy despite initial rejections and her own limited education. Through a series of visions of Jesus, she was given the mission to spread devotion to Divine Mercy, including the Divine Mercy image (showing Jesus with red and pale rays emanating from his heart), the Divine Mercy chaplet, and the Divine Mercy Sunday feast. She recorded her spiritual experiences in her diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul,” which initially faced skepticism but later became a spiritual classic. Despite suffering from tuberculosis and numerous spiritual trials, including periods of darkness and doubts about her experiences, she maintained her trust in God’s mercy until her death in 1938 at age 33. Though her Divine Mercy devotion was temporarily suppressed by the Vatican, it was later approved and promoted by Pope John Paul II, who canonized her in 2000 and established Divine Mercy Sunday as a feast for the universal Church. Her message of God’s unfathomable mercy continues to inspire millions worldwide.
Prayers & Devotions
