St. Faustina
"When some suffering afflicts me, it no longer causes me any bitterness, nor do great consolations carry me away. I am filled with the peace and equanimity that flow from the knowledge of the truth. How can living surrounded by unfriendly hearts do me any harm when I enjoy full happiness within my soul? Or, how can having kind hearts around me help me when I do not have God within me? When God dwells within me, who can harm me?"
Feast Day
October 5
At a Glance
Patronage
Mercy
Locality
Poland
Period
1905 - 1938
Known For
"Divine Mercy in My Soul", divine mercy, mysticism, apparitions of Jesus
Her Story
Humble Beginnings and Early Call
Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, born Helena Kowalska on August 25, 1905, in Głogowiec, Poland, was the third of ten children in a poor but devout family. From an early age, she displayed a deep love for prayer and compassion for the poor. By age seven, she felt a clear call to religious life. Though eager to enter a convent after school, her parents’ refusal led her to work as a housekeeper to support herself and her family.
A Divine Encounter and Religious Life
At sixteen, Faustina experienced her first vision of Jesus, who instructed her to leave for Warsaw and enter religious life. Rejected by several communities due to her poverty and appearance, she was eventually accepted by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy on the condition she pay for her own habit. She entered in 1925 and took her religious vows on April 30, 1926, receiving the name Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.
Visions of Mercy and a Sacred Mission
Throughout her religious life, Faustina was graced with numerous mystical experiences and personal conversations with Jesus. These revelations, recorded in her diary Divine Mercy in My Soul, formed the foundation of the Divine Mercy devotion. Her visions included the now-iconic Divine Mercy image—Jesus with rays of red and white shining from His heart—and the message of God’s infinite mercy for all.
A Voice for the World
Encouraged by her spiritual director, Blessed Fr. Michael Sopoćko, Faustina promoted the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Divine Mercy Novena, and the institution of Divine Mercy Sunday. Despite her limited formal education and declining health, she continued to write, pray, and suffer silently for the salvation of souls.
A Saint of Our Time
Sister Faustina died in 1938 at the age of 33, her life marked by simplicity, suffering, and unwavering devotion. She was beatified in 1993 and canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II, who also established Divine Mercy Sunday for the universal Church. Today, she is honored as the patron saint of Mercy, with her feast day celebrated on October 5. Her legacy continues to inspire a global movement centered on the boundless mercy of God.