Saint Faustina Kowalska; Messenger of Mercy -- ESS #23

by Susan Helen Wallace FSP

When this saint was born in Poland on August 25, 1905, her parents named her Helen. In her short life on earth, she carried out the important mission of teaching the world about the mercy of Jesus. When she was twenty-five, she entered the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, taking the name Sister Faustina. Her work was simple. She cooked, tended the convent garden, and answered the door. Her kindness, serenity, and spirit of recollection were remarkable. But few people knew the real depths of her spirituality. God blessed Sister Faustina with many extraordinary gifts, including visions, prophecy, and invisible stigmata. Sister Faustina kept a diary in which she wrote down everything that Jesus wanted the world to know about his mercy. In it, she wrote about prayer as a loving relationship with God. Jesus told her that she was his secretary. It was her special work to encourage people to trust in the limitless mercy of God. After only thirteen years of religious life, Sister Faustina died of tuberculosis on October 5, 1938. She was thirty-three years old.

Pope John Paul II declared her a saint on April 30, 2000. The devotion to the Divine Mercy is popular today, particularly after John Paul II established the first Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. Children who read this book will learn this devotion and be drawn to trust in the limitless mercy God has for them. There is no greater lesson a child needs to learn than God's endless love and infinite mercy in their regard.

Ages 8 – 12

Features & Benefits: 

• Includes a glossary and a concluding prayer
• Features black and white illustrations
• Includes a special section explaining the devotion to the Divine Mercy, including the image of the merciful Jesus, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Feast of Divine Mercy, and the Hour of Great Mercy

SERIES DESCRIPTION: The Encounter the Saints series offers intermediate readers relatable portrayals of the saints. Each story, in a handy format, vividly recreates the saint's place of origin, family life, and corresponding historical events.