St. Faustina Kowalska
1905 - 1938
Beatified By: Pope John Paul II
Canonized By: Pope John Paul II
Saint Faustina was born Helena Kowalska in a small village west of Lodz, Poland on August 25, 1905. She was the third of ten children. When she was almost twenty, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, whose members devote themselves to the care and education of troubled young women. The following year she received her religious habit and was given the name Sister Maria Faustina, to which she added, "of the Most Blessed Sacrament", as was permitted by her congregation's custom. In the 1930's, Sister Faustina received from the Lord a message of mercy that she was told to spread throughout the world. She was asked to become the apostle and secretary of God's mercy, a model of how to be merciful to others, and an instrument for reemphasizing God's plan of mercy for the world. It was not a glamorous prospect.
Her entire life, in imitation of Christ's, was to be a sacrifice - a life lived for others. At the Divine Lord's request, she willingly offered her personal sufferings in union with Him to atone for the sins of others; in her daily life she was to become a doer of mercy, bringing joy and peace to others, and by writing about God's mercy, she was to encourage others to trust in Him and thus prepare the world for His coming again. Her special devotion to Mary Immaculate and to the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation gave her the strength to bear all her sufferings as an offering to God on behalf of the Church and those in special need, especially great sinners and the dying.
She wrote and suffered in secret, with only her spiritual director and some of her superiors aware that anything special was taking place in her life. After her death from tuberculosis in 1938, even her closest associates were amazed as they began to discover what great sufferings and deep mystical experiences had been given to this Sister of theirs, who had always been so cheerful and humble. She had taken deeply into her heart, God's gospel command to "be merciful even as your heavenly Father is merciful" as well as her confessor's directive that she should act in such a way that everyone who came in contact with her would go away joyful. The message of mercy that Sister Faustina received is now being spread throughout the world; her diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul, has become the handbook for devotion to the Divine Mercy.
Previous Saint
< St. Faustinian
Next Saint
St. Fausta and Evilasius >
Rate This Saint
1 - 20 of 100 Comments
Leave a Comment
Previous Saint
< St. Faustinian
Next Saint
St. Fausta and Evilasius >
Find Saints
Catholic Online offers the largest searchable database of Catholic Saints on the internet.
| Browse Saints by Alphabet |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
| Patron Saints by Alphabet |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Videos
St. Francis of Assisi 78,693 views View Video
Padre Pio 47,161 views View Video
Black Saints Vol I 30,440 views View Video
Black Saints Vol II 27,018 views View Video
Most Popular
There's the problem! Americans are out of touch with scientific consensus on climate change Read More
Editorial: Is the Scandal Ridden Obama Administration Becoming a House of Cards? Read More
Sex In Uniform: Why the Increase in Sexual Assaults in the Military? Read More
Bill Donohue, Catholic League, Disclose Fight with the IRS, Demonstrate Courage Read More
Has the Internal Revenue Service become 'Domestic Terrorists'? Read More
Daily Readings
Reading 1, Sirach 2:1-11
My child, if you aspire to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for ... Read More
Psalm, Psalms 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
Put your trust in Yahweh and do right, make your home in the ... Read More
Gospel, Mark 9:30-37
After leaving that place they made their way through Galilee; ... Read More
Saint of the Day
St. Eugene de Mazenod
May 21: Eugene de Mazenod was born on August 1, 1782, at Aix-en-Provence ... Read More
Latest Videos
Catholic Mass from the Church of Ste. Genevieve (5/19/13) View Video
'Salve Virginale'- Gregorian Chant;'Fontgombault Abbey' HD View Video
'Salve Virginale'- Gregorian Chant;'Fontgombault Abbey' HD View Video
'Beata viscera Mariae'- Byrd-polyphony (HD) View Video
Learning about Gregorian Chant~ Solesmes View Video
Marketplace
Volume Three
Volume 3: Part 1: God the Father Speaks to his Children, Part ... Read More
St Benedict Protective Necklace. Seaglass Jewelry. Catholic Necklace. Read More
thank you
I love St. Faustina, but I do not agree somebody took her describe life from Internet, why?
ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA, THANK YOU FOR YOUR POWERFUL INTERCESSION IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME SPREAD THE DEVOTION OF THE DIVINE MERCY WITH FRIENDS, RELATIVES, DIFFERENT MINISTRY, PEOPLE I MET AND ALSO TO PEOPLE THAT YOU WANT ME MET IN THIS LIFE HERE AND IN THE NEXT; THANK YOU FOR BLESSING US ALL.THANK YOU IN JESUS NAME,THRU HIS HOLY BLOOD, AND BODY, SOUL AND DIVINITY. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! ST. FAUSTINA, THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR US ALWAYS. LOVE AND MERCY:NERILYN D HINAUTAN(HOPING)
Oh Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in you!
Saint Maria Faustina, I have chosen you as my Confirmation name. Please intercede for me through the process of Confirmation. Please help me to become more merciful and help others. Through Christ our Lord, Amen!
I will be making my confirmation soon, and it has been sort of difficult to find a Saint that I feel suits that purpose-there are so very many to choose from! My fiancee recommended that I choose Saint Faustina because of some of the things that she has done to help others throughout her short life are some of the things he thinks identify with, though I wasn't sure. I did more research on her, and really think that her devotion to being merciful is wonderful. I am trying to be a more forgiving person myself, and though I have a lot to work on, I know that with the guidance of Saint Faustina I with be able to. I also was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of Divine Mercy In My Soul, so I believe it will be a great place to start! Blessings to all and have a wonderful Easter holiday!!!
thank you for everything
St. Faustina you are worth to be called a SAINT! thanks for your intersession on to me ,my family and the entire world. We are very happy for you. Keep on praying for us. Amen.
I have been a catholic all my life. There is so much that we need to be educated about.
I actually step on the divine mercy leaflet. Pick it up , read it and started my research and devotion.I will spread the word. May God's mercy be on all of us sinners.
St. Faustina, I think you are meant to be my confirmation saint. :) please pray for me
My Lord Jesus have mercy on our body mind deeds soul which have offended, sinned against You Divine Mercy teach our heart to b merciful to others, trust hope n have faith in ur mercy. St Faustina pray for us.
this so interesting to mw and i really enjoyed reading it.
Dear St. Faustina, God has given you the gift of dispensing graces wherever and whenever you see fit. Please look after me when I have the tumour removed from my brain. I know everything will be ok if you look after me. Thanks be to God. Your loving Mark
Lord have Mercy on us...clean the wounds in the hearts and the tears that soak every immigrant who enters the US when running away from domestic violence,corruption,poverty and hunger in their Countries of origin...just to find more pain,lack of hope ,self worthiness and confusion when facing persecution without mercy from other Christians.
Dear St. Faustina, just at a moment, one hot and dry afternoon, when I was feeling lethargic, I looked up Catholic Online and read about Our beloved Lord Jesus' infinite mercy. I must tell you dear saint that I felt rejuvenated and happy to go on. Please give me great gifts of humility and patience. Help me to be prayerful. May I have a listening ear to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, given to me by those who are near. Amen
Dearest St. Faustina, thank you for your blessed intercession concerning my recent health crisis. St. Faustina, you said to Maureen Digan "If you ask for my help, I will give it to you." Once again, I ask you to ask the Divine Mercy to consider another special intention--if it is in accordance with His divine will. Thank you, sweet saint, on this your feast day!
god bless you
Happy Feast Day St. Faustina! Oh, blood and water which gushed forth as a font of Mercy for us, I trust in you!!!
Jesus, I trust in you!!!
St. Faustina, please help me and my kids with our needs which you know of, we ask you this, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen!
Saint Faustina, for those who are undeserving. For peace of mind and sense of genuine surrender. I pray to you humbly for my "impossible situation." Whatever the outcome, may I have the strength to carry on. If there is any chance...I pray for conflicts to be worked through if not, for hearts and minds to heal and move on serenely through the grace of God. For this I fervently pray, Amen.
happy feast day St. Faustina. thank you for being a faithful servant of Jesus
St. Faustina, please pray for us to show goodwill to those who trouble us and wound us.