The Apostles of Divine Mercy

The Apostles of Divine Mercy Helena Kowalska - an ordinary girl with a typical Polish surname. But can you really call another St. Faustina person “ordinary”? Or maybe we just use that word to classify others? Helena, not really trying to prove anything to anyone, showed the world how great potential is hidden in “ordinary” people. It depends on them whether they will use it or not. When Helena was 16, she left her family village to work in the city as a housemaid. Faustina - that was the name given to her by the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, which she joined when she was 20 years old. She was remembered by the sisters: joyful, smiling, as if she was trying to share her happiness with everyone. Who would have thought that you could be smiling and be so happy while suffering?! And yet... Jesus, through painful spiritual experiences, was preparing her for a great mission that she was to undertake at a very young age. First, she had to get to know God’s merciful love, learn to trust Him, even in difficult situations, and to shape her life in the spirit of mercy towards others. Having learned this, she could convincing- ly proclaim Divine Mercy. To fulfill her mission, Sister Faustina received other gifts: she was able to see Jesus and talk to Him, to participate in the events of His life, and to take a peek beyond the mortal world - to see the reality of heaven, but also the reality of hell. This is just the beginning of a long list of her unique gifts. Entrusting her with this incredible mission, Jesus said: “Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world” (Diary 1588). He gave her the task of proclaiming the truth about His Divine Mercy to the world: through her own life, her prayer, words and actions. The words of Jesus that she noted in her diary were to become the light and consolation for many future genera- tions who will discover God’s face as the face of a loving Father. The painting with the inscription “Jesus, I trust in You” is the visual sign of this message. Jesus gave this amazing mission of proclaiming Divine Mercy to the religious sister who worked in the kitchen, in the garden, at the convent gate... She knew that this task surpassed her infinitely. Fortu- nately, she also knew that the One who asked her to follow this path would always be close. At the young age of 33 in Krakow, Sister Faustina died a happy death. She was a fortunate soul indeed.Saint Faustina is the one the world acknowledged as the Apostle of Divine Mercy, the author of a bestseller titled simply “Diary,” which has been translated into over 30 languages. To become the most popular Polish writer she only needed to acquire a basic knowledge of reading and writing, and, what is most difficult, to completely trust God. This mission was continued by Pope John Paul II. On the 30th of April 2000, he not only included her among the saints but also fulfilled Jesus’ wish by establishing Divine Mercy Sunday for the whole Church. He said at that time: “I have a truly great joy today, showing the whole Church what a gift of God the life and testimony of Sister Faustina Kowalska is for our times. [...] Through this canonization today, I want to transmit the message of Mercy to the new millennium. I give it to all the people, so that they can learn to get to know the real face of God and the real face of man even better.” http://www.krakow2016.com/en/patron-saints2#m-tabs-content2 was a Polish priest who died as prisoner 16770 in Auschwitz, on August 14, 1941. When Maximilian Kolbe a prisoner escaped from the camp, the Nazis selected 10 others to be killed by starvation in reprisal for the escape. One of the 10 selected to die, Franciszek Gajowniczek, began to cry: My wife! My children! I will never see them again! At this Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and asked to die in his place. His request was granted ... The story begins on 8 January, 1894 - Raymond Kolbe was born near Lodz in Poland. In 1910 he became a Franciscan, taking the name Maximilian. He studied at Rome and was ordained in 1919. He returned to Poland and taught Church history in a seminary. He built a friary just west of Warsaw, which housed 762 Franciscans and printed eleven periodi- cals, one with a circulation of over a million. In 1930 he went to Asia, where he founded friaries in Nagasaki and in In- dia. In 1936 he was recalled to supervise the original friary near Warsaw. When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, he knew that the friary would be seized, and sent most of the friars home. He was imprisoned briefly and then released, and returned to the friary, where he and the other friars began to organize a shelter for 3,000 Polish refugees, among whom were 2,000 Jews. The friars shared everything they had with the refugees. Inevitably, the community came under suspicion and was watched closely. Then in May 1941 the friary was closed down and Maximilian and four compan- ions were taken to the death camp Auschwitz, where they worked with the other prisoners. In order to discourage es- capes, Auschwitz had a rule that if a man escaped, ten men would be killed in retaliation. In July 1941 a man from Kol- be's bunker escaped. The ten were selected, including Franciszek Gajowniczek. He couldn't help a cry of anguish. 'My poor wife!''My poor children! What will they do?' When he uttered this cry of dismay, Maximilian stepped silently forward, took off his cap, and stood before the commandant and said, 'I am a Catholic priest. Let me take his place. I am old. He has a wife and children.' Astounded, the icy-faced Nazi commandant asked, 'What does this Polish pig want?' Father Kolbe pointed with his hand to the condemned Franciszek Gajowniczek and repeated 'I am a Catholic priest from Poland; I would like to take his place, because he has a wife and children.' Observers believed in horror that the commandant would be angered and would refuse the request, or would order the death of both men. Amazingly, he acceded to the request. Father Kolbe was thrown down the stairs of Building 13 along with the other victims and simply left there to starve. Hunger and thirst soon gnawed at the men. Maximilian Kolbe encouraged the others with prayers, psalms, and meditations on the Passion of Christ. After two weeks, only four were alive. The cell was needed for more victims, and the camp executioner came in and injected a lethal dose of cabolic acid into the left arm of each of the four dying men. Father Maximilian Kolbe was executed on 14 Au- gust, 1941 at the age of forty-seven years, a martyr of charity. Father Kolbe's incredible deed is an inspiration for all mankind. His life serves as eulogy to the millions who perished in World War II. He did not leave his legacy as an ode to the past - rather as a beacon of hope to the future ... Karol Józef Wojtyła was born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland… By the time Karol was twelve, John Paul II his mother Emelia died and was growing under the loving guidance of his father, As a child, he was a vi- brant youth, athletic, studious and a gifted theatrical performer. Young Karol attended Kraków’s Jagiellonian University in 1938 where he studied Polish language, literature, theater and poetry. He also performed in local theatrical productions. It was during this time that he met his spiritual mentor, Jan Tyranowski, and was introduced to the Carmelite mysticism of St. John of the Cross. This meeting profoundly changed the course of his life, leading him to the priesthood. However, his studies were interrupted when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. In order to remain in the country, Karol was forced to work in a stone quarry as well as night shifts at the Solvay chemical plant. During this time, Karol suffered the loss of his father. During the war, Karol joined a clandestine seminary headed by Cardinal Sapieha and was ordained alone in 1946. He then traveled to Rome to continue his doctoral studies. Upon his return to Poland he was made assistant pastor of a parish in Niegowic. After teaching in the Jagiellonian University and having been appointed to the Chair of Ethics at the Catholic University of Lublin, Fr. Wojtyła was consecrated auxiliary bishop of Kraków on July 4, 1958. Bishop Wojtyła attended the Second Vatican Council beginning in 1962, where he provided a vital support to the seminal documents of the Council. His insight and gifts were also central in the final formulation of Humanae Vitae, which was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1968. Soon after, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Wojtyła was elected Pope on October 16, 1978, and took the name John Paul II. He retained his Episcopal motto,“Totus Tuus – I am completely yours.” Immediately, John Paul II went out to the entire world with a vigorous missionary spirit. He embarked on 104 apostolic journeys to 129 different countries, “to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 13:47). His love for young people led him to establish World Youth Day, which attracted millions of young people from all over the world.

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