SAINT FAUSTINA KOWALSKA MASS GUILD
Patroness of Divine Mercy
Ask for Saint Faustina’s intercession!
Members enrolled in the guild receive the benefit of being remembered in Shrine Masses invoking Divine Mercy and the intercession of Saint Faustina Kowalska. Divine Mercy Guild Masses take place every first Wednesday of each month at 12:15 p.m. CT.
The Saint Faustina Guild offers:
- Monthly remembrance in Holy Mass on the first Wednesday of each month
- Receive intercession from Saint Faustina, patroness of divine mercy
- A card can be sent to you upon request so that you may send it to the enrollee
- Find strength and support in a compassionate community
About Saint Faustina
Faustina was born Helena Kowalska in 1903 in Poland. Her family was a large one, she was the third of ten children, and her family was of modest means, but very strong devotion. After feeling the call to religious life while praying before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, she resolved to enter a convent of sisters in Warsaw. Soon after she was received there by the mother superior and was clothed with the habit in 1926.
In 1930 she began to show early signs of tuberculosis, but bore her suffering with love. The next year she received a vision of the Divine Mercy image, of two rays of light, one red and one white, coming from the Heart of Jesus. In the following years she would, under the guidance of her confessor, direct the production of an image according to the visions she had seen. The Divine Mercy Chaplet, and other spiritual messages were also the products of these spiritual experiences, recorded in her Spiritual Diary, that would later bear fruit for the Church Universal.
Painting: Saint Faustina & Divine Mercy
“Helen Kowalska was born in Poland in 1905. She would one day become ‘Saint Faustina’ when canonized in the year 2000, by Pope John Paul II.”
While alone in her cell, one February day in 1931, the apparition of Christ appeared to Sr. Faustina. Christ raised one hand in blessing while the other hand touched his chest where two rays of light shone forth; 1 red ray of light and the other a white ray of light. The light rays symbolized both blood and water: The Blood of Christ, which nourishes the soul, and the Water, which cleanses the soul.
At that moment, Jesus dictated a prayer for Sr. Faustina to record and recite, which became known as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The goal of the chaplet is to: obtain mercy, to trust in Christ’s mercy, and to show mercy to others. Additionally, Christ emphasized His love of mankind and His commitment to the forgiveness of the soul who has turned away from God, should they ask for His mercy.
Jesus implored Sr. Faustina to have the image of Divine Mercy painted, which she did, though she was never satisfied with the artist’s work.
Side-Aisle Painting in Shrine Church
“During her life, Sr. Faustina recorded in her journal that she received the Stigmata, though she never disclosed how or where she received the wound. Thus, St. Faustina is depicted with the Instruments of Passion: crown of thorns and nails to symbolize her stigmata.
In keeping with the tradition of Divine Mercy imagery, the phrase ‘Jesus, I Trust in You‘ is added to the painting. To honor St. Faustina’s Polish heritage, the phrase has been translated into Polish, ‘Jesu, Ufam Tobie‘.
For added poignance, included in this Divine Mercy image is the Trinity: The Father (the Hand of God), The Son (Christ) and the Holy Spirit (dove).
My depiction of Jesus in this work is that of the Resurrected Christ: He stands upon His burial shroud from the tomb, His wounds are clean and have ceased bleeding.
Divine Mercy has a strong connection with Easter, as Divine Mercy Sunday falls on the Sunday immediately after Easter Sunday. The Divine Mercy Novena is a special prayer which is recited during the 9 days between Good Friday and Divine Mercy Sunday.”
— Noah Buchanan, artist
“Jesus, I trust in You!” —St. Faustina
What Is a Mass Guild?
A Mass Guild is a sacred spiritual enrollment. Those who join are prayed for in monthly Masses offered by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. You may enroll yourself or a loved one, living or deceased.
The Guild of Saint Faustina and Divine Mercy is one of the seven current Mass Guilds at the Shrine. The guilds unite prayer intentions under a patron saint and your intentions are then offered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by one of the Shrine’s priests.
St. Faustina Relic
The relic of St Faustina at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe comes directly from the relics housed in this chapel in Poland. It is a point of connection between Krakow and LaCrosse, between the last century and the present, between this vale of tears and the beatific vision. For the Christian who is well-disposed and open to receive the grace that God wants to offer them, the relic can be an inflection point, a new beginning or conversion in the spiritual life. The Divine Mercy devotion offers much for contemplation in our spiritual life and what Christ offers His sheep.
Although it may be more difficult to visit the chapel in Krakow to leave our petition or offer our thanksgiving for favors received, we can visit the saint and venerate the image of the Merciful Jesus at this altar dedicated to them at the Shrine in LaCrosse, we can participate in this devotion and grow closer to the Merciful Heart of the Savior.
Enroll yourself or a loved one in this guild with the intention of invoking divine mercy.
