A visit to the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy

KRAKOW, POLAND—Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. This year, the feast of the Divine Mercy falls on April 8.

The feast of Divine Mercy was announced by Pope John Paul II in 2000, the same year when she canonized St. Faustina.

I remember the time I visited the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland after joining the World Youth Day in July to August 2016.

Located in Krakow-Lagiewniki, the Shrine of the Divine Mercy is a complex wherein a chapel dedicated to St. Joseph houses the miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina. Pilgrims from different parts of the world flock to venerate the image of the Divine Mercy and the relics of St. Faustina.

The image of the Divine Mercy is placed above the altar on the left side of the chapel. It was painted by Adolf Hyla and the image was blessed last April 16, 1944 by Fr. Josef Andrasz, SJ, the spiritual director of Sr. Faustina.

Pilgrims like me were able to venerate the image inside the chapel. I cannot remember what I specifically prayed for that time but I’m sure that I thanked the Lord and the people who were instrumental in my visit to this holy place.

During our visit, I learned that the convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, where Sr. Faustina Kowalska lived and where she died on October 5, 1938. Her visions were described in her Diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul which continues to be the most frequently translated Polish book. It has then become a handbook for devotion to the Divine Mercy.

The message of mercy that Sr. Faustina received is now spread throughout the world. Jesus once told her He wanted the Divine Mercy image honoured publicly and since then, the image can be found displayed in different churches in the world.

St. Faustina was beatified April 18, 1993 and canonized April 30, 2000 by Pope St. John Paul II. Her feast is celebrated October 5, and she is known as the patron saint of Mercy.

The sanctuary also has another building, the 1,600 sq-m Basilica of Divine Mercy whose construction began in 1999 and can accommodate 5,000 people. It was consecrated on August 17, 2002 by Pope John Paul II during his last pilgrimage to Poland. At that time, the Holy Father also entrusted the world to Divine Mercy. An image of Pope John Paul II taken inside the basilica with the image of the Divine Mercy is a famous picture that is hung in different churches in the world including the Philippines.

The basilica is a two-storey ellipsoidal building whose design refers to rays emitted from the heart of Merciful Jesus and whose image can be found in the middle of the presbytery. Beneath the image is a golden tabernacle in the shape of the globe and a sculpture of shrub torn by wind.

The 76-meter monument of John Paul II was unveiled on the viewing tower last June 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI.

St. Faustina and St. John Paul II lived their lives as an imitation of Christ, a life lived for others. May we also live our lives the way God wants us to. We have the two saints of Poland as our models. Have a blessed Divine Mercy Sunday to all of us.