DIVINE MERCY GUILD 
Patroness of Divine Mercy
Join a Community United in Prayer
Enroll yourself or a loved one in Divine Mercy Guild, Dedicated to all in need of the Mercy of God.
When you join a Mass Guild, you become part of a sacred community. Each month, your intentions are offered at Holy Mass along with the intentions of fellow guild members. Together we seek Saint Faustina Kowalska’s intercession for purity, youth, and forgiveness. In prayer, we can accomplish what none of us can do on our own.
The Divine Mercy Guild is one of seven Mass Guilds at the Shrine. Through this Guild, your intentions unite with the Shrine’s ceaseless prayer and are held at the altar during Holy Mass, which is offered every first Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. Enrollment may be made for yourself or for a loved one, living or deceased.
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
Choose Your Enrollment
Your gift sustains the monthly Mass intentions and supports the Shrine’s sacred mission of drawing souls to Christ through Mary’s intercession. Choose the guild enrollment that speaks to your heart, for yourself, a loved one, or in memory of someone dear to you.
What It Means to Be a Guild Member
Monthly Remembrance
Your intentions will be remembered at Holy Mass on every first Wednesday of each month.
Personal Intercession
Receive prayerful intercession from Saint Faustina Kowalska
Prayer Card Gift
Receive a beautiful prayer card to keep or share, by request.
Prayer Community
Find strength and support in a compassionate community.
About Saint Faustina Kowalska
Born Helena Kowalska in 1905 in Poland, Faustina was the third of ten children in a humble family of deep faith. 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, which would later bear fruit for the Church Universal.
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 a 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.
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
Become Part of This Community
Join the Saint Faustina Kowalska Guild and unite your intentions with the Shrine’s ceaseless prayer. Each month, you or your loved one will be held in prayer at the altar. Choose the enrollment that speaks to your heart.
