Understanding The Significance Of The 3.00 Prayer

At 3 O’Clock on Good Friday, Jesus died in incomprehensible agony on the wooden Cross which the Roman soldiers had nailed Him to. The soldier appointed to watch the bodies checked if the three whom they had crucified were still alive, but when he examined Jesus, he discovered Jesus had already died. So he did not break His legs, which was a Roman custom, thereby fulfilling the prophecy "Not one of his bones will be broken" (Psalm 34). Instead, he took a spear and pierced His sacred body, driving the iron blade into His Merciful Heart. As he withdrew the spear, there followed a gush of blood and water. The soldier was shocked and gave witness to St. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, of this event. It is this moment which changed the world forever, and it is this prayer that commemorates that extraordinary moment.

The red and pale white rays emanating from the Heart of Jesus in the Image of Divine Mercy represent the blood and water which gushed forth from His pierced Heart on Good Friday. Jesus asked that all who venerate His mercy honour His Passion by remembering Him with this prayer at 3 O’Clock in the afternoon. He asks us, “If only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony”. (Diary 1320) At this moment, He asks us to implore His Mercy, especially for sinners. He told St. Faustina, "as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment, mercy was opened wide for every soul". (Diary 1572)

The short prayer which Jesus taught St. Faustina for the veneration of His Mercy at 3 O’Clock is, “O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You”. This is also known as the Conversion Prayer. Jesus told St. Faustina, "I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer: “O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.” (Diary 186-187) St. Faustina also created her own prayer for this moment, which is: You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. (Diary 1319)

Jesus asked, that as often as we “hear the clock strike the third hour” that we deeply contemplate His Passion, “if only for a brief moment”. But after we observe the moment of the death of the Messiah at 3 O’Clock with this special prayer, we then have before us “the hour of great mercy for the whole world”. (Diary 1320) Jesus has let us know that in Heaven, the 3 O’Clock hour is a special holy hour, as He said, "it was the hour of grace for the whole world — mercy triumphed over justice...In this hour, you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking...In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion". (Diary 1320, 1572) He asked St. Faustina, that if she had time she should make the Stations of the Cross during this special hour. He acknowledged that her duties might prevent her from being able to do this, but He asked that on these occasions, she step into a church and adore His Mercy, if only for a brief moment. He also said that if she did not have the opportunity to enter a church, she could pause, wherever she was, and “immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant”. (Diary 1572)

The Passion of Jesus is a disturbing image in our minds. His betrayal by Judas and the abandonment of His friends; the brutality of the scourging and the violence of the Roman soldiers and the Jewish observers; the suffering He endured while carrying His heavy wooden cross; the emotional agony of meeting His mother, suffering so much by the sight of her Son; the sharp pain of the nails as they entered into His hands and feet and the three hours in which He was left dying in agonising pain on that cross, all the time being mocked by onlookers, who did not even have the compassion to give a tortured dying man a drink of water. So why would Jesus, who is love and mercy, want us to contemplate daily this brutal and disturbing event of the death of the promised Messiah?

The Passion of Jesus is the proof of His love for us. He underwent this horrifying ordeal so that He could forever stand between us and the uncompromising Justice of the Father and ask for mercy on our behalf. At the moment of our Judgement, we cannot defend ourselves and it is not possible for God the Father to be unjust. He must exercise justice and punish sin, as He ordained that the world should be created in this fashion. There is but one means to save a soul and that is to ask God for mercy and only the Passion of Jesus and His appeal to the Father to show us mercy, is the only way that we can obtain the mercy of God.

Although it is Jesus who underwent this agony so that He could beg mercy for us, He was fulfilling the Will of His Father. It was God’s Will that there be a means by which He could grant us pardon and therefore prevent Him from rendering justice to sinners. It shows us the incomprehensible mystery of the mercy of God. For He created a way so that He could grant mercy to those who don’t deserve it, but it shows His love and unwillingness to condemn souls, especially souls who do not want to be condemned. It shows His Love and His desire that we spend all of eternity with Him in perfect peace, tranquillity and love. In many ways, God has set events up so that He could have an excuse to forgive us, for that is His true desire, the hallmark of His perfect love, His desire to forgive and forget, so that souls can be re-united with Him in love.

So initially when we contemplate the Passion of Jesus, we are disturbed by the violence of His terrifying ordeal, but we should come to understand that His Passion is a solemn pledge of His love for us and His desire to pour out His mercy into our souls, to heal our wounds and arrange that we will live forever with Him in Heaven. We will understand the sacrifice which Jesus made on our behalf when we contemplate His Passion.

This understanding will help us to know the love which burns in His heart, the love which is the only love which can satisfy the longing of the human heart, as it is perfect love, and it is the love for which we were created. It is this love which Jesus wants us to understand, for He knows that once we understand the extreme measures to which He was willing to go to save our souls, we will grow in trust and after we learn to trust, only then can we learn to love and enter deeper into the Mystery of His Divine Mercy. Only then will life become special. Only then does the meaning of life start to make sense and the excitement of living become a reality. For everyone knows that the passing pleasures of the world bring no lasting joy and often bring far more trouble then the moment of joy which the worldly indulgence of self promised.

It is during the 3 O’Clock Holy Hour that we should, if our duties permit, contemplate the Passion of Jesus. Jesus told St. Faustina, “There are few souls who contemplate My Passion with true feeling; I give great graces to souls who meditate devoutly on My Passion. Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces. You know who you are”. (Diary 737-738) Although it is very hard to understand, we cannot survive without God’s graces. There are special graces which greatly enhance our lives and our souls. But it is also possible for us to lose God’s grace through sin and sometimes God withholds graces from souls as a punishment. But if we keep His commandments and ask God with a genuine love, for His grace, He will not refuse it, as it is His burning desire and the driving force of His love, to give us more graces than we can contain. Again His generosity is a hallmark of His perfect love and mercy. Jesus told St. Faustina, "There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion than there is to a whole year of flagellation that draws blood; the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy". (Diary 369)

So there are two distinct parts to the 3 O’Clock Hour. The first is the moment of the death of Jesus at 3 O’Clock. We immerse ourselves in the Passion of Jesus and pray with great love and gratitude to Him, thanking Him for His love for us. We say the short prayer and offer it for sinners. The second part of this holy hour is the prayer and meditation during this Holy Hour. If we have time, Jesus requested that we pray the Stations of the Cross and to meditate with true feeling His sorrowful Passion. As He has told us, it is the hour of great mercy for the world and He has promised that He will refuse nothing to the soul who makes a request of His grace in virtue of His Passion. He has revealed to us that this meditation has more merit for us than an entire year of the most extreme form of penance. He has revealed that the contemplation of His Passion brings Him great joy and helps us to grow in trust and love of God.

This holy hour is an exceptionally important element of the devotion to Divine Mercy. For if we do not take the time everyday to contemplate and understand the mercy of God and the sacrifice that Jesus made for mankind, how can we understand the purpose of the Chaplet, the Image, the Novena and particularly the Feast of Mercy? The Passion of Jesus teaches us what true mercy is. How can we grow in love of God if we don’t trust Him? And if we don’t understand the depth of His mercy, we may never truly trust Him and therefore never truly love Him. We will be forever standing afar from Jesus, fearful and distrusting. But Jesus understands the reasons why we behave like this. We are viewing Him through our human experience where doubt, fear and an unwillingness to forgive, condition our everyday lives.

We refuse to believe that God is as good, as merciful and as loving as He says He is and as He has proven He is. It is for this reason that the 3 O’Clock Holy hour is so important, for it is only through meditation on the Passion of Jesus that we, in our own way, will begin to understand how incomprehensible and infinite His mercy is and also believe that He has forgiven us. Only then can we believe in His Goodness and only then will we feel in our souls His love and mercy for each and every one of us, regardless of our past sins.

Credits : Divine Mercy Scotland 

The Divine Mercy Chaplet ------ A Healing And Saving Prayer

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a truly special and holy prayer because it was created by Jesus for mankind. He revealed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to a Polish nun called St. Faustina through a series of visions and inner locutions in 1935, while she was living in Vilnius, Lithuania. Between 1935-1938, Jesus demonstrated to her the unlimited power of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy through a number of extraordinary miracles and events.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is not restricted to any set of intentions or petitions. Jesus showed St.Faustina the power of the Chaplet by teaching her that the Chaplet even had the power to change the weather conditions in the area where she lived. (Diary 1197) It is reasonable to believe that He did this to demonstrate the boundless power of this new prayer. Jesus explained to her that He would grant unimaginable graces to those who prayed the Chaplet once their petition was compatible with His Divine Will. (Diary 1731)

Even though it is absolutely true that the power of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is not restricted in any way, it is also true that it does have a central purpose within the Devotion to Divine Mercy. This main purpose is to save dying sinners. In the sections of the Diary where St.Faustina records her experiences of praying the Chaplet, the vast majority of these entries reference occasions where she was requested by Jesus to pray the Chaplet for a dying sinner. Jesus revealed to her that praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for a dying soul appeases the Just Anger of God and allows Him to defend the soul against the Divine Justice of God as the soul dies. It was though this revelation which Jesus chose to make known this new prayer to the world. (Diary 811)

Jesus introduced the Chaplet of Divine Mercy through a vision granted to St. Faustina. In the vision, St. Faustina saw the Angel of Divine Wrath who was ready to send the just punishments of God to a specific country. St. Faustina deliberately does not mention this country but it is clear that she was aware of how the activities of this country incurred the Divine Justice of God. St. Faustina records that she was brought before the Holy Trinity at which time she began to plead for mercy for mankind with a prayer she heard interiorly, a prayer she had never heard before. She observed that as she was praying this special prayer, the Angel of Divine Wrath was unable to carry out his task of sending the just punishments of God to earth. The following day, as she entered the Chapel, Jesus spoke to her and explained that the main purpose of Chaplet of Divine Mercy is to appease the Just Anger of the Holy Trinity.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a fascinating prayer and how Jesus chose to reveal it to us is even more fascinating. On the one hand, Jesus shows us the terrifying power of the Just Anger of God. It is a warning to us that this aspect of God is a reality and we should never become complacent about sin or our earthly journey to Heaven. But more than that, it is a symbol of God’s inextinguishable desire to forgive us and heal us of the wounds of our sins. It is a true sign of God’s Mercy for He gives the sinner a means to disarm His Justice and seek mercy when he doesn’t deserve it. This prayer offers us an insight into the incomprehensible workings of the mercy of God.

Our sins rightly deserve to be punished but God has chosen to give us a prayer which will prevent Him from punishing us and ask Him to forgive us and to heal us. In human terms, it is completely out of sync with our natural inclination towards strict justice and our unwillingness to forgive those who have offended us.

But the Chaplet shows us that this is not the case with God. It shows us that through this prayer, we can obtain mercy for ourselves, our family and friends, our communities, our country and even the whole world. It also offers us an incomparable means to pray for our personal intentions in a way which, in the past, was probably restricted to the prayers of the great saints like Padre Pio, St. Anthony and St. Theresa of Avila.

The Chaplet offers God a gift that is so holy and so sacred that no human offering could ever compare. It is an offering of the perfect love of Jesus. Some priests have even likened this prayer to Holy Mass, insofar as, at Mass, we also offer God the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus to the Father in atonement for the sins of mankind. Obviously, the fundamental difference between Mass and the Chaplet is that we don’t physically receive the Eucharist every time we pray the Chaplet, but the offering is similar, and it is a spiritual communion, as oppose to a physical communion.

The paragraphs in the Diary which refer to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy clearly demonstrate that this prayer maybe the most powerful prayer that has ever existed, with the exception of the Mass and the Holy Rosary.

But there are more reasons why Jesus gave this Chaplet to mankind other than just a powerful means to seek forgiveness and seek answers to our everyday prayers. It is predominantly to be used for the salvation of souls, but it is also a symbol of the second coming of Jesus. Jesus has revealed that through the recitation of the Chaplet, we can save souls who are not even in the same country as us or whom we never met. We are simply praying for the salvation of any soul who is dying. That is why Jesus asked that a new religious order be founded who would continuously pray the Chaplet for the souls of dying sinners, because it will offer a continuous defense for any souls who might be dying unprepared in any part of the world.

This fact shows that Jesus plans, through this devotion, to save every soul. But the Chaplet is also a symbol of the second coming of Jesus. He told St. Faustina that the Chaplet was a “sign for the end times” and He also told her that “a spark” (Pope John Paul II) would come from Poland to prepare the world for the second coming of Christ, which is Judgement Day. (Diary 848, 1732).

He implored St. Faustina to tell the world about the Chaplet of Divine Mercy so that they could obtain mercy before this day. But hidden in these messages is His message to us, for He knew that we would all read the Diary in the future. Jesus is revealing to us that this devotion is to prepare the world for Judgement Day and it is through the Chaplet, He wishes that an incalculable number of souls might be saved before this appointed time.

Credits : Divine Mercy Scotland

Father Michael Sopocko --- The Divine Mercy Priest

Father Michael Sopocko walked among saints while on earth, and now he has been confirmed among them in heaven. On Sept. 28, 2008, he was declared Blessed Michael Sopocko at a special Mass at the Church of Divine Mercy in Bialystok, Poland. Saint Faustina praised him greatly in her Diary, and now those praises will be echoed by the Church.

Here is a passage in which St. Faustina refers to him: “He is a priest after My own Heart (...) Through him it pleased Me to pro­claim the worship of My mercy” (Diary 1256). “His thought is closely united to Mine, so be at peace about what con­cerns My work. I will not let him make a mistake, and you should do nothing without his permission” (Diary 1408).

In another place of the Diary She asks Jesus about him “At the same time, I saw a certain person [Father Sopocko] and, in part, the condition of his soul and the ordeals God was sending him. His sufferings were of the mind and in a form so acute that I pitied him and said to the Lord, “Why do you treat him like that?”

 And the Lord answered, For the sake of his triple crown. And the Lord also gave me to understand what unimaginable glory awaits the person who resembles the suffering Jesus here on earth. That person will resemble Jesus in His glory. The Heavenly Father will recognize and glorify our soul to the extent that He sees in us a resemblance to His Son. I understood that this assimilation into Jesus is granted to us while we are here on earth. I see pure and innocent souls upon whom God has exercised His justice; these souls are the victims who sustain the world and who fill up what is lacking in the Passion of Jesus. They are not many in number. I rejoice greatly that God has allowed me to know such souls (Diary 604).

Michael Sopocko was born on November 1, 1888 in Juszewszczyzna, then under Imperial Russia. The Czarist authority persecuted the Catholic Church as well as both the Polish and Lithuanian people within its territories. In the Sopocko family, of noble lineage, the Polish and Catholic traditions were conserved and developed. The young Michael matured in this religious and patriotic atmosphere. Motivated by a desire for unconditional service to God, the Church and humanity, he entered the Major Seminary in Vilnius. On June 15, 1914, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Franciszek Karewicz.

For four years (1914-1918) he worked as a parochial vicar in Taboryszki, where he opened two mission churches at Miedniki and at Onzadow, as well as various schools.

When informed by someone that the German authorities who checks that zone may arrest him, he left the parish and went to Warsaw. There he became a military chaplain for the Polish army. While dedicated to his ministry as chaplain, he enrolled as a student in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Warsaw from which he obtained a doctoral degree. At the same time, he graduated from the National Pedagogical Institute. In 1924, he became a coordinator of the regional military chaplaincies, based in Vilnius.

In 1927, Archbishop Romuald Jalbrzykowski entrusted to him the responsibility of being the Spiritual Director for the Major Seminary. During this same period he taught for the faculty of Theology at Stefan Batory University also in Vilnius. He eventually requested the Archbishop to release him from both the military pastoral care and from the seminary duties. His desire was to dedicate himself entirely to theological pursuits. In 1934, he received the title of `docent’ in pastoral theology. While teaching, he never forgot the importance of pastoral service. He was rector of St. Michael Church and also served as confessor for Religious Sisters.

One of the most significant events of Fr. Sopocko’s life occurred in 1933, when he became the Spiritual Director of Saint Faustina Kowalska of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Mother of Mercy. He continued to assist the Saint after his transfer to Lagiewniki, where she died on October 5, 1938. As her confessor, he undertook a thorough evaluation of Sr. Faustina’s mystical experiences concerning the devotion to the Divine Mercy. Following his advice, she wrote of these in her “Diary” To this day this remains a spiritual classic.

The Divine Mercy devotion became a life-giving inspiration for Fr. Sopocko. With his assistance, and under the direction of Sister Faustina, the artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski painted the first portrait of Merciful Jesus. Fr. Sopocko wrote extensively on the subject of the Divine Mercy, and, in 1938 he established a committee charged with building the Divine Mercy Church in Vilnius. However, this attempt had to be delayed due to the onset of World War II.

But despite the war and German occupation, Fr. Sopocko persisted in his efforts to promote the devotion to the Divine Mercy. Filled with zeal, he constantly helped those who were oppressed and threatened with extermination, for example, numerous Jewish people. Fortunately, he managed to avoid arrest and imprisonment. In 1942, along with his fellow seminary professors and students, he was forced to go into hiding near Vilnius. He remained concealed for two years.

Yet it was during that very time when Fr. Sopocko played a major role in establishing a new Religious Congregation. According to the revelations of Saint Faustina, this Congregation was to promote love for the Divine Mercy. After the War, he wrote the Congregation’s constitution. And he became actively engaged in the growth and development of what we know as the Congregation of the Sisters of the Divine Mercy.

In 1947, Archbishop Jalbrzykowski, who has been for two years in Bialystok with his diocesan Curia, sought for Fr. Sopocko come to the same city. He therefore accepted a position as professor in the Archdiocesan Major Seminary. There he taught pedagogy, catechetic, homiletics, pastoral theology and spirituality. Additionally he continued to further the apostolate of the Divine Mercy.

He also made serious efforts to obtain official approval for the Divine Mercy devotion from the Church authorities. Fr. Sopocko worked tirelessly on the biblical, theological, and pastoral bases by which to explain the doctrinal truth concerning the Divine Mercy devotion. His publications were translated into numerous languages including: Latin, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese.

Fr. Michael Sopocko died on February 15, 1975, in his apartment on Poleska Street. He was popularly acclaimed for his sanctity. He was buried in the parish cemetery in Biatystok. Following the inauguration of the process for his Beatification, his body was moved to the Church of the Divine Mercy in November 30, 1988.

Sister Faustina wrote in her Diary: “One evening as I entered my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus exposed in the monstrance under the open sky, as it seemed. At the feet of Jesus I saw my confessor, and behind him a great number of the highest ranking ecclesiastics, clothed in vestments the like of which I had never seen except in this vision; behind them, groups of religious from various orders; and further still I saw enormous crowds of people, which extended far beyond my vision.

I saw the two rays coming out from the host, as in the image, closely united but not intermingled; and they passed through the hands of my confessor, then through the hands of the clergy and from their hands to the people, and then they returned to the host… And at that moment I saw myself once again in the cell which I had just entered” (Diary 344).

These prophesies was fulfilled on Sept. 28, 2008, when he was declared Blessed Michael Sopocko at a special Mass at the Church of Divine Mercy in Bialystok, Poland.

Credits : Time Of Mercy 

Small Town In The Mid - Western United States Observes More Than 30 Years Of Dedication To The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion

Many people come to Sauk Centre in Minnesota to visit the birthplace of famed novelist Sinclair Lewis, but four local men would argue that the small community can offer something much more — the Gift of the Divine Mercy.

More Than 30 years ago, a retired insurance agent, a restaurant night cook, a motel owner and a woodcarver-repairman saw to it their hometown would become the first U.S. community dedicated to the devotion.


“We got something even greater than Sinclair Lewis,” said Paul Theisen, former motel owner.


Years before Blessed John Paul II instituted Divine Mercy Sunday, observed the Sunday after Easter, Theisen, Vern Botz, Roman Kulzer and Lawrence Kaas worked to establish a Divine Mercy Shrine at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre and have been guardians of it ever since.

The shrine was dedicated in 1982, but its beginnings date to November 1979, when three of the men — Theisen, Botz and Kulzer — were inspired by an article about Jesus Christ as the Divine Mercy that they read in a publication called Divine Love. 

They were captivated by the message: “Ask for God’s mercy.” “Be merciful. “Completely trust in Jesus. … The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.”


The three made a verbal commitment to promote the devotion in their community. Kaas would join them later.


“I had been looking for a job at the time and once I made this commitment, a job came within two weeks,” said Botz. “God was already protecting me and my family.”


St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, began the Divine Mercy devotion in the late 1930s based on a vision she had of Jesus in which he said he would show mercy to those who pray for it and who share that mercy with others.


Saint John Paul II beatified the nun in 1993. He canonized her April 30, 2000, and instituted Divine Mercy Sunday.


As Archbishop of Krakow, the pope took a personal interest in St. Faustina, helping to retract a Vatican ban on her diary by demonstrating the prohibition had been based on misleading translations of the nun’s revelatory writings. The ban was lifted in 1978, six months before his election as pope.


There is a National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass. It is a ministry of the St. Stanislaus Kostka province of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception.


In Sauk Centre in February 1981, Theisen, Botz and Kulzer presented to their bishop — Bishop George H. Speltz of St. Cloud — their idea of carving a Divine Mercy statue. (The late bishop headed the diocese from 1968 to 1987.)


The men decided the home of a traveling shrine would be St. Paul’s, which had its own special connection to Divine Mercy. The current church’s cornerstone was laid the Sunday after Easter in 1906, only one year after St. Faustina was born.


With the blessing of the bishop and the approval of Father Elmer Torberg, then St. Paul’s pastor, the men searched for a carver for a statue of “Merciful Jesus” to dedicate the Sauk Centre Community to the Divine Mercy Devotion.


The carver was Kaas. He knew nothing of the message or the devotion. Kulzer showed him a picture taken from the Divine Love publication. With that image as his guide, Kaas spent about 120 hours carving a nearly 46-inch-tall statue, using mainly handmade tools.


He used butternut wood as the base, white oak from northern Wisconsin for the cross and bamboo for the red and white rays.

While Kaas was carving the statue, the other three men worked to distribute Divine Mercy Novena Booklets in Minnesota. 

They sent information about the devotion to congressional representatives Congress and national leaders, including Ex -President Ronald Reagan.


Botz and Kulzer sent a letter to Saint John Paul informing him of their project and inviting him to attend the dedication.


Theisen and Kaas visited the Marian Helpers in Stockbridge to resolve questions the priests there had about the Sauk Centre mission.


The Divine Mercy Shrine at St. Paul’s Church was dedicated April 18, 1982. Bishop Speltz was the main celebrant. The concelebrants were Father Torberg and Father Richard Drabik, who at the time was provincial of the Marian Helpers of Stockbridge.


In the congregation was Maureen Digan, who was from Massachusetts. 

Her recovery from a serious illness in 1981 could not be explained by doctors and was deemed a miracle by the Vatican and attributed to the intercession of Sister Faustina Kowalska. 

It was the miracle needed for her beatification.


According to Theisen, since the dedication the presence of the Divine Mercy Statue has brought many conversions, healings of family relationships and what he called miracles.


He and Kaas took the traveling shrine to various communities, giving witness and spreading the Divine Mercy devotion. 

They never went where they were not welcomed. In recent years they have not been as busy taking it from place to place, but the four men continue to be guardians of the shrine.


“This has been such an extraordinary experience for us,” said Theisen. “To deny Christ now would be impossible.”

Credits : Catholic Philly 

Saint Faustina Has A Message For Catholic Singles ----- Trust In Jesus

Poland has produced two great mystics this century-John Paul II and St. Faustina. St. Faustina was canonized by John Paul II on April 30, 2000, so in many ways these two great saints are interconnected.

Maria Faustina, originally named Helen Kowalska, grew up in a poor family in Poland of ten children. She first felt the calling to religious life at age 7, but did not answer the call until later, much like St. Terese the Little Flower. Jesus came to her again in a mystical way while she was attending a dance at age 16. Jesus again urged her to follow her vocation. She finally settled on a certain convent and entered that convent where she took final vows.

In a number of other mystical visions, Maria Faustina received a call within her call to be a Secretary of Divine Mercy. Jesus requested Maria Faustina to create an image of him inscripted with the words “Jesus I trust in you.” He also requested that she record certain messages for the world in her diary.

The Feast day of Divine Mercy was instituted. Maria Faustina died at age 33 after a period of sickness.

This beautiful Polish mystic has many lessons for singles:

1. Trust Jesus. I think this is the most beautiful message of this saint from Jesus and from the Divine Mercy messages. You can read more about this in St. Faustina’s Diary.

Basically Jesus said, it hurts Him when souls fail to trust in Him so ask Our Lord for more trust. Ask Him to help you trust him more and more. It may be a lifelong task. I think it may be for me. We can grow in our levels of trust for Jesus. Maybe you are walking through a valley right now in your life, maybe you are in a dark place after the end of a relationship or some other great problem you are facing. It could be financial, it could be a health problem. Trust in Jesus.

He will lead you through the valley, He will help you grow, and He will bring you out of the valley, but sometimes, as followers of Christ, we will suffer, but our suffering is redemptive, especially when united with the suffering of Jesus. He wants to make you into a saint.

2. View yourself with mercy. We all may have regrets, or we have made mistakes. We wonder why we are still single. Abandon yourself to God and unite yourself to His will. His ways are different than our ways. Look at yourself in a merciful way. We have to learn to love ourselves too, for some of us, this can be difficult. Nothing is impossible with God. Forgive the past and forgive yourself.

Allow Jesus to heal any wounds of the past with His abundant graces, now we live in a great time of mercy, ever since the pontificate of John Paul II. Take advantage of the Divine Mercy novena. Start praying it now and avail yourself of the plenary indulgence on Divine Mercy Sunday with communion and confession.

Your soul will be like it was at baptism, so wondrous are the graces of Our Lord. Listen to the Divine Mercy Hour on Relevant Radio with Drew Mariani at 3 pm everyday. This is a wonderful prayer hour.

This chaplet has produced many wonderful miracles. God wants to shower us with His mercy.

It is His greatest attribute.

Saint Faustina and The Blessed Mother

The following are the words of the Blessed Virgin to Saint Maria Faustina when she appeared to her on March 25, 1936, the Feast of the Annunciation: “Speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare it for His Second Coming speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time of mercy.” 

We are inclined to think that the message of Divine Mercy is all about Jesus talking to Saint Faustina. But no human has ever received the daily attention of Mary as Saint Faustina did, and no human since the beginning of time was ever given such an extraordinary and awesome mission as Saint Faustina, which was to prepare mankind for the end of the world.

It was Our Lady that told Saint Faustina that her Divine Mercy mission would be to prepare the world for Christ's Final coming. On 1st May 1933 the day of her perpetual vows, Saint Faustina addressed Mary and prayed:

"Mother of God, Most Holy Mary, My Mother, you are my mother in a special way because your beloved Son is now my Bridegroom, and thus we are both your children. For your Son's sake, you have to love me. O Mary, my dearest Mother, guide my whole life in such a way that it will always please your Son Jesus" (Diary 240).

What a beautiful prayer this is, one that we could all say, again and again, every day of our lives. 

This prayer of Saint Faustina on that day was answered almost immediately in a  remarkable way, when Mary appeared to her and said: "My daughter, at God's command I will be with you, in a special and exclusive way, and you will be my special daughter, but I desire that you too be my child, in a special way"

Credits : Divine Mercy Publications, Ireland 

The Importance Of Vilnius

The City of Vilnius, became the Birthplace of the Divine Mercy Devotion, when Saint Faustina began her mission under the guidance of her new Spiritual Director in Vilnius, Fr. Michael Sopocko. When Saint Faustina lived in this City before the Second World War, it was politically part of Poland, but today it has reverted to being the capital of an independent nation, Lithuania.

It was not until Saint Faustina went to Vilnius that she made progress for the first time in answering the demands made of her by Jesus' the Divine Mercy. In Vilnius, Our Lady, Mother of Mercy came alive to her and told her she must do all that her Son requested, and this would happen with the help of her new spiritual director Fr. Michael Sopocko.

Jesus had entrusted the very important interpretation of Saint Faustina's mission to her confessor and spiritual director Fr. Michael Sopocko. During Saint Faustina's stay in Vilnius, in the years 1933-1936, he was for her an irreplaceable help in discerning all her interior inspirations and visions.

There were seven main demands that Jesus made of St. Faustina. (1) Diary: She Must Write Everything Down for Fr.Sopocko who would discern God’s will. (2) She must have His Image of Mercy painted. (3) She Must Have the Feast of Mercy established on the Sunday after Easter. (4) She must make the prayers of Divine Mercy known. (5) She must have the message of Divine Mercy Proclaimed to the World. (6) The Image of Divine Mercy must be exposed to the world. (7) She must start a new congregation to pray for Mercy for the World, following this she had visions of this congregation, who were religious sisters.

In a later letter to Fr. Sopocko Saint Faustina said the Lord also requested that a similar religious male congregation be founded The Importance of Fr. Michael Sopocko in Jesus’ plan for these revelations cannot be over-estimated. Jesus said to St. Faustina:"He will be My visible help for you on earth. He will help you to carry out My will” (Diary 53). "His thoughts are closely united to Mine, so be at peace about what concerns My work. I will not let him make a mistake, and you should do nothing without his permission" (Diary 1408). It was he, as her confessor, that persuaded her after she had destroyed her first diary to write everything down again so that he could clearly discern if it was God’s will.

These writings recorded in six copy books became known as the DIARY of Saint Faustina, which is now seen as an extraordinarily valuable document of Catholic mysticism.

As someone who has studied her writings for over twenty years I am often asked who owns the notebooks today and where are they. Well as these notebooks were written especially for Fr. Sopocko and given to him over a period of time by Saint Faustina it is safe to say that they were always the property of Fr. Michael Sopocko.

But when the process of beatification began Fr. Sopocko made the notebooks available to the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow, where Saint Faustina had lived the last years of her life. From here at a much later stage they were handed over to the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, in the U.S.A. where they were published first in Polish and then in English in 1987.

As already mentioned Fr. Sopocko’s part cannot be over-estimated if you look at his work in carrying out God’s plan. It was Fr. Sopocko who chose, organized and paid the artist for the original painting of the image of Divine Mercy.

In fact he dressed and posed for the painting the way St. Faustina described the apparition and attended with Sr. Faustina all the meetings she had with the artist. It was Fr. Michael Sopocko who first celeb rated the feast of Mercy and it was his efforts that established the feast day as a solemn feast day in Poland and Lithuania.

It was he who got the prayers that Jesus gave to Faustina printed for the first time and made them known to the world. It was Fr. Michael who proclaimed to the world for the first time, the message of Divine Mercy. This was on the first Sunday after Easter, (Mercy Sunday) at the Shrine of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy in 1934 in Vilnius.

It was Fr. Sopocko who first exposed the Divine Mercy Image publicly, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Vilnius. It was he who founded the new congregation of religious sisters that Our Lord asked for. This in fact took place in his own home in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1942.

Credits : Divine Mercy Publications, Ireland