Elena Kowalska was born to a deeply religious family in Poland in 1905. When she was seven she felt her first calling to religious life during Eucharistic adoration but she was deterred by her parents. Then at 18, she was at a dance when she had a vision of Jesus who said to her, “How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting Me off?” After immediately praying in the cathedral nearby, she hastily got on a train and left. A year later she was accepted into the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, taking the name Sr. Mary Faustina. Her mystical visions continued and she began a diary where she revealed the rich spiritual life she hid from the world. This Doctor of the Church died of tuberculosis at the age of only 33.
CHALLENGE
St. Faustina’s diary contains graphic descriptions of visions of hell that she had been shown, but perhaps her most important contribution is the devotion of Divine Mercy, which Jesus gave her as a remedy for a hurting world. Jesus described the image, the painting was commissioned, and around the world the Divine Mercy Chaplet is said at 3pm every day. Today, at 3pm, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Go to www.thedivinemercy.org for more information.
