If you met Sister Faustina Kowalska in the convent kitchen in the 1930s, you wouldn't have looked twice. She was quiet. She was frail. She had only three years of formal education. Most of the other nuns thought she was a bit lazy or possibly mentally unstable because she would stare off into space while peeling potatoes.
They had no idea that she was having coffee with Jesus.
Literally. While washing dishes or gardening, the King of the Universe was appearing to her, dictating a message that would save millions of souls in the 20th century. He called her His "Secretary of Mercy."
Today, her Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul is one of the most widely read Catholic books in history. Here is the incredible story of the "crazy" nun who prepared the world for the Second Coming.
The Early Life: "Helen"
Born Helena Kowalska in 1905 in Poland, she was the third of ten children in a poor peasant family. At age 7, she heard a voice calling her to a "more perfect life." At age 19, she was at a dance party. While dancing, she suddenly saw Jesus next to her—stripped, tortured, and covered in wounds. The music stopped for her. Jesus asked:
"How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting Me off?"
She ran out of the dance hall, went to a cathedral, and fell on her face before the Blessed Sacrament. She told her parents she was leaving. She packed a small bag and took a train to Warsaw, knowing no one.
She knocked on the doors of many convents. They all rejected her.
- "We don't take maids here."
- "You have no dowry."
- "You are too poor."
Finally, the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy took her in. She received the name Sister Maria Faustina.
The Mission Begins
Faustina's life in the convent was outwardly boring (cooking, gardening, door-keeping) but inwardly explosive. On February 22, 1931, Jesus appeared to her wearing 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 were coming forth two large rays, one red and the other pale."
He gave her a command:
"Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I Trust in You."
Faustina couldn't paint. She panicked. She asked other nuns to help, but they laughed at her. It took years before she found a spiritual director (Fr. Michael Sopocko) who believed her and hired an artist (Eugeniusz Kazimirowski) to paint the first Divine Mercy Image.
The Struggles
Faustina wept when she saw the painting. "Who will paint You as beautiful as You are?" she cried. Jesus answered: "Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace."
The Diary: A Warning for the World
Jesus told Faustina to write everything down. He wasn't just giving her sweet comforts. He was giving a warning. The 20th century would be the bloodiest in human history (World War II and the Holocaust were just around the corner). The world needed Mercy before it faced Justice.
"Speak to the world about My mercy... It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice." (Diary, 848)
The message was clear: The gates of Mercy are wide open now. But they will not stay open forever.
The Vision of Hell
Like the children of Fatima, Faustina was shown Hell. She describes a place of "great fire," "darkness," and "despair." Most chillingly, she wrote:
"I noticed a soul who would be damned even though he had performed great miracles... Most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell."
Devotion to Divine Mercy is not a "get out of jail free" card. It is a lifeline thrown to a drowning world.
Key Elements of the Devotion
Jesus gave Faustina 5 specific channels of grace:
- The Image: A vessel for grace. "By means of this Image I shall grant many graces to souls."
- The Feast: The Sunday after Easter. On this day, the floodgates are open. (See our Divine Mercy Sunday Guide).
- The Chaplet: A prayer to appease the wrath of God. "Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy."
- The Novena: Nine days of prayer leading up to the Feast.
- The Hour of Mercy (3:00 PM): The time of His death. "In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion."
Her Death and Legacy
Faustina contracted tuberculosis. She suffered terribly, offering her pain for sinners. She died on October 5, 1938, at the age of 33 (just like Jesus). She was buried in a simple grave.
For 20 years, the devotion was actually banned by the Vatican due to bad translations of her diary that made her sound heretical. Then came a certain Archbishop of Krakow named Karol Wojtyla. He ordered a new translation. He found it to be not only orthodox but profound. When Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II, he lifted the ban. In the year 2000, he canonized her as the first saint of the new millennium. He established Divine Mercy Sunday as a universal feast for the entire Church.
St. Faustina is the "Prophet of Our Times." In a world of anxiety, war, and "cancel culture," she offers the only antidote: Jesus, I Trust in You.
FAQ
1. Is the Diary improved by the Church?
Yes. It is considered a masterpiece of mystical literature. While Catholics are not required to believe private revelation, the Church highly recommends it.
2. Why "Red and Pale" rays?
The Pale ray stands for Water (which makes souls righteous = Baptism/Confession). The Red ray stands for Blood (which is the life of souls = Eucharist).
3. Was she crazy?
Psychiatrists examined her. She was found to be completely sane, balanced, and remarkably humble. Hallucinations usually make people proud or fearful. Faustina's visions made her obedient and loving.
Conclusion: Don't Wait
Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
"Before I come as a Just Judge, I first open wide the door of My Mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My Mercy must pass through the door of My Justice."
St. Faustina passed through the door. She is holding it open for us. Walk through it.
Read her Diary. Pray the Chaplet. Do it all with the MyPrayerTower app.