Faustina Kowalska

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Lore & Background

Helena Kowalska was born on 25 August 1905 in Głogowiec, Poland, the third of ten children of Stanisław and Marianna Kowalska. Her father was a carpenter and peasant, and the family was poor and religious. At age seven, she first felt a calling to religious life during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, but her parents refused permission. She worked as a housekeeper from age 16, first in Aleksandrów Łódzki, where she received Confirmation, then in Łódź. At 18 and a half, in 1924, she went to a dance in Łódź and had a vision of a suffering Jesus who asked: 'How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting Me off?' She then went to Łódź Cathedral, where Jesus instructed her to depart for Warsaw immediately and enter a convent. She took a train for Warsaw, some 85 miles away, without asking her parents' permission and knowing nobody there. In 1925 she worked as a housemaid to save money, making deposits at the convent, and was finally accepted. On 30 April 1926, at age 20, she was clothed in the habit and received the religious name Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament. She took her first religious vows in April 1928, with her parents attending. On the night of Sunday, 22 February 1931, while in her cell in Płock, Kowalska wrote that Jesus appeared wearing a white garment with red and pale rays emanating from his heart. He told her: 'Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: "Jesus, I trust in You." I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.' Not knowing how to paint, she approached other nuns but received no assistance. In Vilnius, she met Father Michał Sopoćko, who became her confessor and spiritual director. After a psychiatric evaluation in 1933 by Helena Maciejewska, Kowalska was declared of sound mind. With Sopoćko's help, artist Eugene Kazimierowski painted the first Divine Mercy image by June 1934. On 28 April 1935, the first Mass with the image displayed occurred, the second Sunday of Easter. On 13 and 14 September 1935, Kowalska wrote of two visions dictating the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. She died on 5 October 1938.

Reader's Guide

Faustina Kowalska's significance lies in her reported visions of Jesus Christ, which directly led to the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy, including the Divine Mercy image, the Feast of Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday), and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Her diary, published as *The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul*, records these conversations and serves as the foundation for the devotion. The Catholic Church canonized her on 30 April 2000, and she is venerated as the 'Apostle of Divine Mercy.' Her tomb is in the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Kraków, where she spent the end of her life and met confessor Józef Andrasz, who also supported the message of mercy. The devotion she inspired has spread worldwide, with Divine Mercy Sunday established by Pope John Paul II. Her legacy is that of a mystic whose experiences shaped a major modern Catholic practice, though her claims were initially met with scrutiny, including a psychiatric evaluation that declared her of sound mind.

Did You Know?

• Kowalska was the third of ten children of a poor carpenter and peasant family.
• At age seven, she first felt a calling to religious life during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
• She traveled 85 miles to Warsaw without her parents' permission, knowing nobody there, to enter a convent.
• Her first religious vows were taken on 1 May 1933 in Łagiewniki.
• The first Divine Mercy image was painted by Eugene Kazimierowski in June 1934, based on her direction.