Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy Revelation

Helena Kowalska was born on August 25, 1905, in the village of Głogowiec near the central Polish town of Łódź.

Responding to an interior calling apparent since her youth, in 1926, Helena became a nun in the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Warsaw, taking the religious name Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament.

On February 22, 1931, she received a vision of Jesus, which she describes in her diary:

In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world.

I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory.

When I told this to my confessor,[29] I received this for a reply: "That refers to your soul." He told me, "Certainly, paint God's image in your soul." When I came out of the confessional, I again heard words such as these: My image already is in your soul. I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.

I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me - clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls. Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 47-49

Other visionary experiences followed, including instructions for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and a request for the institution of a feast of Divine Mercy to be celebrated world-wide on the first Sunday after Easter.

St. Faustina died of tuberculosis at the age of 33, on October 5, 1938, in Kraków, Poland. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 18, 1993, and was canonized by him on April 30, 2000; both these dates fell on the first Sunday after Easter. At her canonization in 2000, in fulfillment of Our Lord's request, Pope John Paul II surprised the world by unexpectedly declaring the first Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church, promulgating a plenary indulgence for those who receive Holy Communion on that day and who fulfill other requirements.

Journey to America

After St. Faustina's death in 1938, her confessor, Fr. Michał Sopoćko, preserved her diary and other papers related to her visions. He also kept his own records of St. Faustina's conversations with him during their long association in Lithuania and Poland.

The following year saw the Nazi and Soviet invasions of Poland and the subsequent start of World War II. Faced with the turmoil of war and the open hostility against the Catholic faith from both invading powers, Fr. Sopoćko feared for the safety of these precious documents. As the Marian.org website explains:

     With the Nazis advancing from the west and the Soviets advancing from the east, Fr. Sopoćko made one of the most consequential hand-offs in Catholic history – giving key materials concerning St. Faustina's revelations to a Marian priest who was trying to get out of Europe.

     That priest, Fr. Józef Jarzębowski, vowed that if he made it to America, he would promote Divine Mercy for the rest of his life.

     In 1940, Fr. Jarzębowski embarked on a perilous journey from Poland to the United States. The fate of the Divine Mercy message in America was in his hands.

     In the fall of 1940, Fr. Jarzębowski tried unsuccessfully to get his American visa renewed. By this time he had a Novena to the Divine Mercy and a copy of the image of Divine Mercy with him. Despite the fact that his visa to America had expired, he went ahead and tried to get an exit permit from the Soviets. Miraculously, he received the permit. Travel across Siberia to Japan was arranged....

     He journeyed to Kaunas, in Lithuania, overnight and was able to leave on a train on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26, 1941, at 3 p.m. – the Hour of Great Mercy. Every coach had two members of the NKVD (the old KGB), and they bothered Fr. Jarzębowski about not having a Japanese transit visa. He told them it was waiting for him in Vladivostok. He continued on.

     In Vladivostok, there was still the need to get a Japanese visa, and he would have to show them his expired American visa. Although the Japanese Consulate closed at 3 p.m., and they arrived after 3, a Jewish lawyer named Białogórski argued for them to stay open. Father Jarzębowski prayed to the Merciful Jesus. The consulate decided to give the visa. They inspected his expired visa (he didn't give them the part with the expiration date), and found it in order. The stamp was pressed for the Japanese visa.

     When he was boarding the ship, he heard that customs was confiscating crosses and books. He prayed to Jesus to save his Divine Mercy materials. It was yet another tense moment. The officer took Father's breviary out of a bag and looked through it. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but found the prayercards charming and decided to let it all go. He marked that bag with chalk, and then marked a second bag containing Divine Mercy materials. He did not even bother to look inside.

     The ship to Japan was greatly overcrowded. There were 500 people onboard and accommodations for only 80. It took two days and two nights to reach Japan....He arrived in Seattle in May 1941, seven months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and from there made his way to Washington, D.C, firmly convinced that the Merciful Savior had brought him safely across the thousands of miles to his brothers in the U.S.

The Marian Fathers in Washington welcomed Fr. Jarzębowski and the documents he carried revealing the devotion to Divine Mercy. After much prayer and deliberation, they undertook the propagation of her message to the nation, and then to the world.

Fr. Jarzębowski proved true to his promise to spend his life spreading the message of Divine Mercy. He assisted in founding the Association of Marian Helpers at Eden Hill, and then ministered among displaced persons in Mexico and England. In 1953 he established Divine Mercy College in England for displaced Polish boys. Although Fr. Jarzębowski left this world in 1964, the Directors of the Association of Marian Helpers since the 1950s have recognized his contributions to the devotion by traditionally using the honorary title "Fr. Joseph, MIC" in his honor.

Founding of Eden Hill

Founding of Eden Hill

     In the early 1940s, the Marians were planning on building a new Novitiate somewhere in rural New England. They entrusted the task of finding a suitable location to Fr. Walter Pelczynski, a newly-ordained member of their order and a native of Adams and St. Stanislaus Kostka parish.

     In 1943, Fr. Pelczynski returned to his home town of Adams to enlist the aid of Fr. Edmund Kempinski, the pastor of St. Stan's. Together the two priests located a promising property with a large mansion atop a 200-foot hill, about 30 miles south of Adams in Stockbridge MA. The estate had once been a mission known as Eden Park, then a private residence known as Eden Hall, and then an Episcopalian preparatory school for boys known as St. Edmund's School.

     The asking price for the estate was $22,500, equivalent to about $395,000 today. With crucial financial assistance from the congregation of St. Stansilaus Kostka parish (parishioners recall family stories of Fr. Pelczynski urgently soliciting donations door to door), the Marian Fathers were able to quickly assemble the needed funds. On November 24, 1943, they purchased the property, christening it Eden Hill. St. Stan's parishioners went on to help clean and repair the mansion and supply the empty rooms with spare furniture donated from their living rooms, bedrooms, attics, and cellars. Their generous efforts were rewarded by the Novitiate's formal opening in September of 1944, less than a year after its purchase by the Marians.

     As the chapel in the Novitiate soon proved to be too small to accommodate the seminarians along with the ever-increasing numbers of visitors, designs for a separate, larger church were drawn up. Once again, St. Stan's congregation eagerly pitched in, playing a substantial role in its construction during the 1950s. Older parishioners can recall their parents or grandparents traveling to Stockbridge to lay floors or set walls. The church was completed and dedicated in 1960, and was granted the title of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in 1996.

The Image at St. Stan's

The Image at St. Stan's

    During Fr. Pelczynski's 1943 stay in Adams, he introduced Fr. Kempinski, the pastor of St. Stan's, to the revelations of Divine Mercy granted to St. Faustina. Fr. Kempinski took the message to heart, and began promoting it to his congregation. Fr. Jarzębowski, who brought the Divine Mercy materials to the USA, also traveled to St. Stan's and spoke to the parish priests about St. Faustina and the devotion.

     In the mid-1940s, Fr. Kempinski commissioned two large paintings of the Divine Mercy image, based on the image on a holy card that Fr. Jarzębowski brought. One painting was placed in the parish rectory; unfortunately its whereabouts today are unknown. The second painting was enshrined for public veneration in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, the first image of Divine Mercy to be publicly displayed in the Western Hemisphere. The painting has remained in its place of honor in St. Stan's from that day to this.

     Currently (2023) St. Stan's prays the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Rosary in front of the painting from 3pm to 3:30pm, Monday through Friday. The Novena to Divine Mercy is prayed each year at 3pm from Good Friday through the Saturday after Easter, concluding with the Divine Mercy Chaplet sung on Divine Mercy Sunday at 3pm.

     Today the Divine Mercy image is honored in churches, religious institutions, and private homes throughout the world, in fulfillment of Our Lord's request to St. Faustina, and trusting in His promise of mercy for all who venerate the image. Various versions of the image have been created over the years, and there is no one "correct" version.

     The St. Stan's painting follows the original by Eugeniusz Kazimierowski (also spelled Kazimirowski), painted in 1934 under the supervision of St. Faustina. Although she approved the painting, St. Faustina reportedly wept when it was completed, as she found it failed to capture the true beauty of the Risen Lord she had seen. It also differed in small details from some elements of her vision as recorded in her diary and in the writings of Fr. Sopoćko, her confessor. Later artists produced other variations of the picture, attempting to better capture St. Faustina's vision. Today there are four variants of the image that have found widespread popularity:

Rev. Walter Pelczynski, M.I.C.

Rev. Walter Pelczynski, M.I.C.

     Władysław (Walter, Ladislaus) Pelczynski was born on August 7, 1916, in Adams. The son of Polish immigrants, he was a member of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish, and received his primary education at St. Stan's parochial school.   After graduating from Adams public high school, he undertook graduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

     While in college, he entered the Congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception to study for the priesthood. He completed his studies and received priestly ordination on May 28, 1942.

     In 1943, charged by his superiors with finding a suitable location for a new Novitiate in rural New England, he traveled to his home parish in Adams, bringing with him the news of St. Faustina and her revelations on Divine Mercy.   The message was received warmly in the parish. The pastor worked with Fr. Pelczynski in locating and then raising the funds to purchase the Eden Hill property for the Marians' Novitiate.

     Soon after, In 1944, Fr. Pelczynski established the Mercy of God apostolate at Eden Hill, which later became the Association of Marian Helpers, with Fr. Pelczynski serving periodically as its Director for almost 40 years. A spiritual benefit society that supports the work of the Marian Fathers through prayer and financial support, the Association today enjoys global renown, numbering over 1.5 million members.

     Fr. Pelczynski travelled the world promoting devotion to Divine Mercy. Known for his deep humility and religious zeal, he possessed a charismatic personality that warmed the hearts of all he met. At home, he spent countless hours in correspondence with associates, writing personal letters of thanks for even small donations to the Association. His work with the publishing arm of the Marians produced a steady stream of magazines, prayer cards, leaflets, novenas, and devotional materials.

     Fr. Pelczynski had always prayed for a holy death. It seems heaven heard his prayers: he died at the age of 84 on December 8, 2000, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
         Click to watch a 1993 video interview with Fr. Pelczynski

Rev. Seraphim Michalenko, M.I.C.

Rev. Seraphim Michalenko, M.I.C.

Stanley (Stanislaus) Michalenko was born in Adams on August 30, 1930. While his mother was a Pole and a Roman Catholic, his father was a Carpatho-Rusyn from eastern Slovakia. The Carpatho-Rusyn people are closely related to Ukrainians and worship in the Byzantine Catholic rite. Under canon law, the rite of children normally follows the rite of their father; so Stanley, like his other siblings, was officially a Byzantine Catholic. As there was no parish of the Byzantine rite in the area, the family worshipped in the Roman Catholic rite of his Polish mother at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.

Stanley attended the parish school, and served as an altar boy for services at St. Stan's during his younger years. By high school he recognized his calling to join the Congregation of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. The Marians serve both Byzantine and Roman Catholic rites, and Stanley entered the congregation to study for ordination as a Byzantine Catholic priest. In that rite, priests take a new name upon ordination, typically beginning with the same letter as their baptismal name. On Pentecost Sunday, May 20, 1956, when Stanley professed his vows, he took the name of Father Seraphim. He had ecclesiastical permission to act as a priest in not only the Byzantine rite, but in the Melkite, and Latin (Roman Catholic) rites as well.

Fr. Seraphim entered into pastoral ministry for over 20 years, serving Byzantine and Melkite rite parishes in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and Maryland, and even for a time in Australia. In 1979, he was assigned to run the Divine Mercy Department at Eden Hill. That same year, he smuggled a filmed copy of St. Faustina's 700-page diary out of Communist Poland, and then served in editing and preparing the Polish text for its 1981 publication. He later assisted in its translation into English and its subsequent 1987 publication.

In 1995, he became a full-time promoter of the devotion, participating in Divine Mercy retreats and conferences throughout the world. He appeared frequently on Mother Angelica's EWTN television network, both as a guest commentator and as the officiant in praying the daily Divine Mercy Chaplet. His appearances around the globe commonly drew audiences of thousands who filled lecture auditoriums and large sports arenas.

Acknowledged as the foremost authority in the world on the spirituality and teachings of St. Faustina, Fr. Seraphim authored numerous articles on her life and revelations. He was an eye- witness to the miraculous healings of Maureen and Bobby Dugan that paved the way for St. Faustina's beatification, and for 20 years he served as vice-postulator for the cause that led to her canonization in 2000, which he was privileged to attend in person.

Fr. Seraphim left this world at the age of 90 on February 11, 2021, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. That feast bears special significance for the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, as Our Lady first identified herself as the Immaculate Conception during her appearances at Lourdes. This is the only feast on the liturgical calendar apart from the actual Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) to commemorate that mystery of Our Lady's nature.

St. Faustina recorded this vision in her diary, dated May 8, 1938:
Today, I saw two enormous pillars implanted in the ground; I had implanted one of them, and a certain person, S.M., the other. We had done so with unheard-of effort, much fatigue and difficulty. And when I had implanted the pillar, I myself wondered where such extraordinary strength had come from. And I recognized that I had not done this by my own strength, but with the power which came from above. These two pillars were close to each other, in the area of the image. And I saw the image, raised up very high and hanging from these two pillars. In an instant, there stood a large temple, supported both from within and from without, upon these two pillars. I saw a hand finishing the temple, but I did not see the person. There was a great multitude of people, inside and outside the temple, and the torrents issuing from the Compassionate Heart of Jesus were flowing down upon everyone. [Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1689]
The identity of "S.M." has never been confirmed. The most likely candidate is St. Faustina's confessor, Fr. Michał Sopoćko, who was her primary confidant during her experiences, and who preserved her writings after her death. But others suggest it could refer to Father Seraphim Michalenko, or perhaps to his biological sister Sr. Sophia Michalenko of the Community of the Mother of God of Tenderness, who authored a biography of St. Faustina (The Life of Faustina Kowalska: The Authorized Biography), and who transcribed St. Faustina's diary from film to offset plates for publication.

Relic of St. Faustina

Relic of St. Faustina

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church is privileged to serve as the custodian of a first-class relic of St. Faustina. Two bone fragments were originally given by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, M.I.C., to Ann and her mother Mary Adamczyk of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in the mid-1990s, in gratitude for Mary's assistance in translating and editing St. Faustina's writings leading to her 1993 beatification.

Shortly after St. Faustina's canonization in April of 2000, perhaps later in that year or in the year 2001, Ann donated her relic to Fr. John Chwałek, then pastor of St. Stan's, at his request. Fr. John had a suitable reliquary constructed to house the relic, and placed it for veneration at the foot of the 1940s Divine Mercy painting in St. Stan's Church.