APPARITIONS
OF JESUS AND MARY
DEVOTION TO THE DIVINE MERCY
CRAKOW, POLAND
1931 to 1938

HOMEPAGE

from Elizabeth Stevens in APAR-L ARCHIVES
and THE DIVINE MERCY MESSAGE AND DEVOTION
See also the Divine Mercy sites by
Nelson Pacheco and
the Congregation of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception
THE HUMBLE INSTRUMENT
On October 5, 1938, a young religious by the name of Sister Faustina
(Helen Kowalska) died in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our
Lady of Mercy in Cracow, Poland. She came from a very poor family that
had struggled hard on their little farm during the terrible years of
WWI. Sister had had only three years of very simple education. Hers
were the humblest of tasks in the convent, usually in the kitchen or
the vegetable garden, or as a porter.

THE IMAGE
On February 22, 1931, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appeared to
this simple nun, bringing with Him a wonderful message of Mercy for
all mankind. Sister Faustina tells us in her diary under this date:
"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord
Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the
other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of
the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red
and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul
was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while
Jesus said to me,
'paint an image according to the pattern you see,
with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'"
Some time later, Our Lord again spoke to her:
"The pale ray stands for
the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the
Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from
the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart
was opened by a lance on the Cross....Fortunate is the one who will
dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold
of him."

THE FEAST
As a further sign of His forgiving love, Jesus called for a Feast of
the Divine Mercy to be celebrated in the whole Church. He said to
Sister Faustina:
" I want this image to be solemnly blessed on the
first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.
On that day, the depths of My Mercy will be open to all. Whoever will
go to confession and Holy Communion on that day will receive complete
forgiveness of sin and punishment. Mankind will not enjoy peace unti
it returns to My Mercy."

THE CHAPLET
In 1933, God gave Sister Faustina a striking vision of His Mercy,
Sister tells us:
"I saw a great light, with God the Father in the
midst of it. Between this light and the earth I saw Jesus nailed to
the Cross and in such a way that God, wanting to look upon the earth,
had to look through Our Lord's wounds. And I understood that God
blessed the earth for the sake of Jesus."
Of another vision on Sept.
13, 1935, she writes:
I saw an Angel, the executor of God's wrath...
about to strike the earth...I began to beg God earnestly for the
world with words which I heard interiorly. As I prayed in this way,
I saw the Angel's helplessness, and he could not carry out the just
punishment....
The following day an inner voice taught her to say this prayer on
ordinary rosary beads:
"First say one 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary', and 'I believe'.
Then on the large beads say the following words:
'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity
of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for
our sins and those of the whole world.'
On the smaller beads you are to say the following words:
'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the
whole world.'
In conclusion you are to say these words three times:
'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and
on the whole world'.
'Jesus said later to Sister Faustina:
"Say unceasingly this chaplet
that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy
at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last
hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even
once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole
world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to
those who trust in My Mercy...."
"....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will
stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just
judge but as the Merciful Savior".

THE NOVENA OF DIVINE MERCY
Jesus further asked that this Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by
a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave
her an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for
the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and
indifferent of whom He said:
"These souls cause Me more suffering
than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most
revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said:
'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last
hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."
In her diary, Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
"On each day of
the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls
and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day
you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the
graces for these souls."
The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are:
- All mankind, especially sinners;
The souls of priests and religious;
All devout and faithful souls;
Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know
Him;
The souls of separated brethen;
The meek and humble souls and the souls of children;
The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy;
The souls who are detained in purgatory; and
The souls who have become lukewarm.
This is prayed along with the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
First Day
- Today bring Me all mankind, especially all sinners.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and
to forgive us, do not look upon our sins, but upon our trust which we place in
Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most
Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by
Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially
upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For
the sake of His Sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the
omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.
Second Day
- The Souls of Priests and Religious.
Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace
in us, that we may perform worthy works of mercy, and that all who see us may
glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company [of chosen souls]
in Your vineyard - upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with
the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which
they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able
to guide others in the way of salvation, and with one voice sing praise to Your
boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.
Third Day
- Today Bring Me All Devout and Faithful Souls.
Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your
graces in the great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of
Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this of
You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart
burns so fiercely.
Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the
inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, grant them
Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they
never fail in love or lost the treasure of the holy faith, but rather , with
all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for
endless ages. Amen.
Fourth Day
- Today Bring Me The Pagans and Those Who Do Not Know Me
Most Compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive
into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of pagans who as yet
do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too,
together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape
from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gave upon the souls of pagans and of
those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most
Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These
souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they,
too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Fifth Day
- Today Bring to Me the Souls of Heretics and Schismatics
Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who
seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the
souls of heretics and schismatics. Draw them by Your light into the unity of
the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most
Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the
generosity of Your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of heretics, and
schismatics, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces
obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but
upon the love of Your Own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent
for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart
of Jesus. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for
endless ages. Amen.
Sixth Day
- Today Bring Me The Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek
and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart
all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send
all heaven into ecstacy, and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They
are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes
delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most
Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and
mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek and humble souls, and
upon the souls of little children, who are enfolded in the abode of the Most
Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your
Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne.
Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls
and by the delight you take in them: bless the whole world, that all souls
together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Seventh Day
- Today Bring Me The Souls Who Especially Venerate and Glorify My
Mercy
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of
Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and
venerate the greatness of Your Mercy. These souls are mighty with the very
power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go
forward, confident in Your Mercy. These souls are united to Jesus and carry
all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but
Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and
venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are
enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living
Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their spirit, overflowing
with joy, sings a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show
them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let
there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them, "I
Myself will defend as My own glory, during their lifetime, and especially at
the hour of their death, those souls who will venerate My fathomless mercy."
Eighth Day
- Today Bring Me The Souls Who Are In the Prison Of Purgatory
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I
bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory,
souls who are very dear to You, and yet who must make retribution to Your
justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart
put out the flames of purifying fire, that in that place, too, the power of
Your mercy may be praised.
Eternal Father, turn Your most merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in
Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg
You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness
with which His most sacred Soul was flooded, manifest Your mercy to the souls
who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way than through
the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there
is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Ninth Day
- Today Bring Me The Souls Who Have Become Lukewarm
Most Compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm
souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your
pure love let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled You with such deep
loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the
omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love; and
bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are
nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of
Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony
on the Cross: let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen

SUBSEQUENT HISTORY
One day that same year, 1935, Sr. Faustina wrote for her spiritual
director:
"The time will come when this work, which God so commends,
[will be] as though in complete ruin, and suddenly the action of God
will come upon the scene with great power which will bear witness
to the truth. It will be as a new splendor for the church, though it
has been dormant in it from long ago."
This indeed came to pass. On the 6th of March, 1959, the Holy See,
acting on information that was inaccurately presented, prohibited
"the spreading of images and writings advocating devotion to the
Divine Mercy in the form proposed by Sister Faustina." As a result,
there followed almost twenty years of total silence.
Then, on the
15th of April, 1978, the Holy See, after a thorough examination of
original documents previously unavailable to it, completely reversed
its decision and again permitted the devotion. The one man primarily
responsible for this reversal of decision was Karol Cardinal Wojtyla,
the Archbishop of Sr. Faustina's home diocese of Cracow. On October 16,
1978, he was elevated to the See of Peter as Pope John Paul II. God
is indeed mysterious and wondrous in His ways!
Sr Faustina was
beatified on April 18, 1993, Mercy Sunday. She is now Blessed
Faustina, and will hopefully one day become St. Faustina.

"Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you
will go away joyful. Sow happiness about you because you have
received much from God; give, then generously to others. They
should take leave of you with their hearts filled with joy, even
if they have no more than touched the hem of your garment.
Keep well in mind the words I am telling you right now."
-Excerp from "Divine Mercy in my Soul"(#55), the Diary of Blessed Faustina)

APPARITIONS LIST ARCHIVES
- Apparitions List (Apar-l)is an internet mailing list dedicated to sharing
information of all approved apparitions by the Catholic Church, and all
reputable on-going apparitions, that are not contrary to the teachings of
the Catholic Church.
Apar-l(listserv@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu)
Apar-l Owner:Jim Drzymala
(drzymala@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu)
THE DIVINE MERCY MESSAGE AND DEVOTION
- This booklet presents the message of The Divine Mercy and the special forms of devotion to The Divine Mercy that are outlined in the Diary of Blessed Faustina Kowalska.
Marian Helpers
Stockbridge, MA 01263
1-800-462-7426
"DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL"
- The diary of Blessed
Faustina
Marian Helpers
Stockbridge, MA 01263
1-800-462-7426

mbd@piedre.frontier.net