How pieces of St. Faustina are going out into the world

4,189. This is the number of 1st class relics (consisting of pieces of bone) which have, thus far, made their way to parishes, religious congregations and to exorcists in 102 countries. St. Faustina is therefore the most popular, and most efficacious, canonised saint in the world. It therefore comes as no surprise that the number of requests for her relics is constantly increasing.

Sr. Ignatia, of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy at Lagiewniki in Cracow, has been the custodian of the relics of St. Faustina since 2003. She alone is permitted to distribute and divide the 1st class (consisting of pieces of bones of the Saint), 2nd class (pieces of the Saint's clothing) and 3rd class relics (material which had been in contact with bones of the Saint). 1st class relics are pieces from the smaller bones in the hands and the feet.

When St. Faustina's body was exhumed, in 1993, the major bones of her arms, legs, skull and pelvis were placed, and sealed, in a small coffin, which now lies in the altar at Lagiewniki.

"The small bones have been designated as relics", explains Sr. Ignatia. How are they prepared?

"The bones have been washed in special (surgical) spirit. When necessary, they are removed from their container and divided into small sections", she relates. "They are cut into small sections, 2mm by 2mm, using special surgical scissors. I always do this reverently, and ask St. Faustina that the grace of her powerful intercession be present in each fragment", says Sr. Ignatia.

"When each fragment is prepared, it is immersed in a special organic glaze which protects it from damp and dirt". She then places it in the centre of a small sun or flower-shape, made of cloth.

"We then enclose it within a silver or bronze gilded capsule. We tie it up with thread and seal it, using a special seal placed onto the sealing wax" explains Sr. Ignatia. The capsule is placed in a reliquary, reminiscent in shape of the Neo-Gothic altar in Lagiewniki.
2nd class relics consist of fragments of the habit in which St. Faustina was buried. Some metres of cloth on which the saint's bones were laid out, following the exhumation, have also been preserved in Lagiewniki, and these form the 3rd class relics. Sr. Ignatia creates these, by means of rubbing ordinary material over the saint's bones.

The need for the relics is evidenced in the testimonies of the thousands of people who visit the grave of St.Faustina. "We recently welcomed a group from Sri Lanka. They told us, how, by means of contact with pictures containing such relics, many Buddhists in their country have converted to Christianity" relates Sr. Ignatia.

There are also testimonies of miraculous healings and of the casting-out of devils. Sister Ignatia explains, however, that the relics do not act in a magical manner. They are not talismans, but they build-up our faith, which then allows miracles.

Exorcists frequently request relics, as they are greatly feared by the Devil. "Faustina is one of those saints, like Padre Pio and John Paul II, to whose presence demons react violently.", says Sr. Ignatia, smiling .She relates how several exorcisms have taken place in the (convent) chapel, where the Saint is buried. The process of casting out devils from one girl lasted several days, but was ultimately successful.

However, there are fewer relics available, and not all those who ask obtain them. Relics of bone are granted only to parishes of whom The Divine Mercy is patron or those where such devotion is very strong. 2nd class relics, of pieces of the Saint's habit, are granted to churches where such devotion is developing. 3rd class relics are given, on request, at the convent door. These have been placed within laminated pictures.

"We do not sell them, as it is sacrilege to trade in relics. However, the faithful do pay for pictures or rosaries in which they are placed", says the nun.

On three occasions there were attempts to deceive them and wrongfully obtain bones of the Saint under false pretences. Once it was a mentally-unbalanced seminarian, who pretended to be a priest. The Sister looked-up his name in a register and unmasked him. Another, was a Filipino man, posing as a deacon, who was also unmasked. He later apologised for the deception. "St. Faustina must have been on the alert, so that her relics did not fall into un-consecrated hands", laughs Sr. Ignatia.

Sr. Ignatia, adds, that it is possible to buy rosaries, with counterfeit relics of St. Faustina, even in the stalls around the shrine. The only ones which are genuine are those available from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy.

Marta Paluch

"Gazeta Krakowska".

Original Article - Divine Mercy Group - Edinburgh

1725 Today, the Lord has been teaching me, once again, how I am to approach the Sacrament of Penance:

My daughter, just as you prepare in My presence, so also you make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a (89) priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light. 

1717 Today, I was talking with the Lord, and He said to me,

There are souls with whom I can do nothing. They are souls that are continuously observing others, but know nothing of what is going on within their own selves. They talk about others continually, even during times of grand silence, which is reserved for speaking only with Me. Poor souls, they do not hear My words; their interior remains empty. They do not look for Me within their own hearts, but in idle talk, where I am never to be found. They sense their emptiness, but they do not recognize their own guilt, while souls in whom I reign completely are a constant source of remorse to them. Instead of correcting themselves, their hearts swell with envy, and if they do not come to their senses, they plunge in even deeper. A heart, which thus far is envious, now begins to be filled with hate. And they are already at the edge of the precipice. They are jealous of my gifts in other souls, but they themselves are unable and unwilling to accept them. 

1641 At adoration during the Forty-Hours Devotion, the Lord said to me,

My daughter, write that involuntary offences of souls do not hinder My love for them or prevent Me from uniting Myself with them. But voluntary offences, even the smallest, obstruct My graces, and I cannot lavish My gifts on such souls.

1630 Jesus, fortify the powers of my soul that the enemy gain nothing.

Without You, I am weakness itself. What am I without Your grace (23) if not an abyss of my own misery? Misery is my possession. 1631 O Wound of Mercy, Heart of Jesus, hide me in Your depths as a drop of Your own blood, and do not let me out forever! Lock me in Your depths, and do You Yourself teach me to love You! Eternal Love, do You Yourself form my soul that it be made capable of returning Your love. O living Love, enable me to love You forever. I yearn to eternally reciprocate Your love. O Christ, a single gaze from You is dearer to me than a thousand worlds, than all heaven itself. Lord, You can make my soul capable of understanding completely who You are. I know and I believe that You can do all things; if You have deigned to give Yourself to me so generously, then I know that You can be even more generous. Bring me into an intimacy with You so far as it is possible for human nature to be brought…. 

1626 The Lord said to me, I am taking you into My school for the whole of Lent.

I want to teach you how to suffer. I answered, “With You, Lord, I am ready for everything.” And I heard a voice. You are allowed to drink from the cup from which I drink. I give you that exclusive privilege today….. 1627 (20) Today I felt the Passion of Jesus in my whole body, and the Lord gave me knowledge of the conversion of certain souls. 1628 During Holy Mass, I saw Jesus stretched out on the Cross, and He said to me, My pupil, have great love for those who cause you suffering. Do good to those who hate you. I answered, “O my Master, You see very well that I feel no love for them, and that troubles me.” Jesus answered, It is not always within your power to control your feelings. You will recognize that you have love if, after having experienced annoyance and contradiction, you do not lose your peace, but pray for those who have made you suffer and wish them well. 

518 Before all Souls‟ Day, I went to the cemetery at dusk.

A woman visits a cemetery in Czech artist Jakub Schikaneder's 1888 painting “All Souls Day”

Although it was locked, I managed to open the gate a bit and said, “If you need something, my dear little souls, I will be glad to help you to the extent that the rule permits me.” I then heard these words, “Do the will of God; we are happy in the measure that we have fulfilled God‟s will.” 519 In the evening, these souls came and asked me to pray for them, and I did pray very much for them. In the evening, when the procession was returning from the cemetery, I saw a great multitude of souls walking with us into the chapel and praying with us. I prayed a good deal, for I had my superiors, permission  to do so. 520 During the night, a soul I had already seen before visited me. However, it did not ask for prayer, but reproached me, saying that I used to be very haughty and vain…. “and now you are interceding for others while you yourself still have certain vices.” I answered that I indeed had been vain and haughty, but that I had confessed this and had done penance for my stupidity, and that I trusted in the goodness of my God, and that if I still fell occasionally, this was indeliberate and never premeditated, even in the smallest things. Still, the soul continued to reproach me, saying, “Why are you unwilling to recognize my greatness? Why do you alone not glorify me for my great deeds as all others do?” Then I saw that this was Satan under the assumed appearance of this soul and I said, “Glory is due to God alone; begone Satan!” And in an instant this soul fell into an abyss, horrible beyond all description. And I said to the wretched soul that I would tell the whole Church about this.

1576 Know, My daughter, that between Me and you there is a bottomless abyss,

an abyss which separates the Creator from the creature. But this abyss is filled with My mercy. I raise you up to Myself, not that I have need of you, but it is solely out of mercy that I grant you the grace of union with Myself. 1577 Tell souls not to place within their own hearts obstacles to My mercy, which so greatly wants to act within them. My mercy works in all those hearts which open their doors to it. Both the sinner and the righteous person have need (148) of My mercy. Conversion, as well as perseverance, is a grace of My mercy. 1578 Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will 347 need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is – trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts.

1565 (140) When I entered the chapel for a moment, the Lord said to me,

My daughter, help Me to save a certain dying sinner. Say the chaplet that I have taught you for him. When I began to say the chaplet, I saw the man dying in the midst of terrible torment and struggle. His Guardian Angel was defending him, but he was, as it were, powerless against the enormity of the soul‟s misery. A multitude of devils was waiting for the soul. But while I was saying the chaplet, I saw Jesus just as He is depicted in the image. The rays which issued from Jesus‟ Heart enveloped the sick man, and the powers of darkness fled in panic. The sick man peacefully breathed his last. When I came to myself, I understood how very important the chaplet was for the dying. It appeases the anger of God.

1560 February 3, [1938]. Today after Holy Communion, Jesus again gave me a few directives:

First, do not fight against a temptation by yourself, but disclose it to
the confessor at once, and then the temptation will lose all its force. Second,
during these ordeals do not lose your peace; live in My presence; ask My Mother
and the Saints for help. Third, have the certitude that I am looking at you and
supporting you. Fourth, do not fear either struggles of the soul or any
temptations, because I am supporting you; if only you are willing to fight, know
that the victory is always on your side. Fifth, know that by fighting bravely you
give Me great glory and amass merits for yourself. Temptation gives you a
chance to show Me your fidelity.

1561 And now I am going to tell you something that is most important for you:
Boundless sincerity with your spiritual director. If you do not take advantage of
this great grace according to (138) My instructions, I will take him away from you,
and then you will be left to yourself; and all the torments, which you know very
well, will return to you. It displeases Me that you do not take advantage of the
opportunity when you are able to see him and talk with him. Know that it is a
great grace on My part when I give a spiritual director to a soul. Many souls ask
Me for this, but it is not to all that I grant this grace. From the moment when I 344
gave you this priest as spiritual director, I endowed him with new light so that he
might easily know and understand your soul…..

1556 When I had gone to the chapel for a moment, the Lord gave me to know that, among His chosen ones,

there are some who are especially chosen, and whom He calls to a higher form of holiness, to exceptional union with Him. These are seraphic souls, from whom God demands greater love than He does from others. Although all live in the same convent, yet He sometimes demands of a particular soul a greater degree of love. Such a soul understands this call, because God makes this known to it interiorly, but the soul may either follow this call or not. It depends on the soul itself whether it is faithful to these touches of the Holy Spirit, or whether it resists them. I have learned that there is a place in purgatory where souls will pay their debt to God for such transgressions; this kind of torment is the most difficult of all. The soul which is especially marked by God (134) will be distinguished everywhere, whether in heaven or in purgatory or in hell. In heaven, it will be distinguished from other souls by greater glory and radiance and deeper knowledge of God. In purgatory, by greater pain, because it knows God more profoundly and desires Him more vehemently. In hell, it will suffer more profoundly than other souls, because it knows more fully whom it has lost. This indelible mark of God‟s exclusive love, in the [soul], will not be obliterated.

1551 (130) In the meditation on death, I asked the Lord to deign to fill my heart

with those sentiments which I will have at the moment of my death. And through God‟s grace I received an interior reply that I had done what was within my power and so could be at peace. At that moment, such profound gratitude to God was awakened in my soul that I burst into tears of joy like a little child. I prepared to receive Holy Communion next morning as “viaticum,” and I said the prayers of the dying 233 for my own intention.

1552 Then I heard the words: As you are united with Me in life, so will you be united at the moment of death. After these words, such great trust in God‟s great mercy was awakened in my soul that, even if I had had the sins of the whole world, as well as the sins of all the condemned souls weighing on my conscience, I would not have doubted God‟s goodness but, without hesitation, would have thrown myself into the abyss of the divine mercy, which is always open to us; and, with a heart crushed to dust, I would have cast (131 ) myself at His feet, abandoning myself totally to His holy will, which is mercy itself.

1540 (124) January 28, 1938. Today the Lord said to me, My daughter, write down

these words: All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle……
1541 My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.

Write this for the benefit of distressed souls; when a soul sees and realized the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These 340 souls (125) have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.
Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior.

1520 Today the Lord said to me, I have opened My Heart as a

Extract of the manuscript  of PETIT JOURNAL of Saint Faustina

 living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his trust (115) in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death. 1521 The Lord said to me, My daughter, do not tire of proclaiming My mercy. In this way you will refresh this Heart of Mine, which burns with a flame of pity for sinners. Tell My priests that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words when they speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak.

1515 (113) + I spent this whole night with Jesus in the dark dungeon.

This was a night of adoration. The sisters were praying in the chapel, and I was uniting myself with them in spirit, because poor health prevents me from going to the chapel. But all night long I could not fall asleep, so I spent the night in the dark prison with Jesus. Jesus gave me to know of the sufferings He experienced there. The world will learn about them on the day of judgment. 1516 My daughter, tell souls that I am giving them My mercy as a defense. I Myself am fighting for them and am bearing the just anger of My Father. 1517 Say, My daughter, that the Feast of My Mercy has issued forth from My very depths for the consolation of the whole world. 1518 Jesus, my peace and my rest, I beg You to give light to that sister, so that she may change interiorly. Support her powerfully with Your grace, so that she, too, may attain perfection. 

1497 When I went, in my thoughts, to the chapel, my spirit was plunged into even greater darkness.

Total discouragement came over me. Than I heard Satan‟s voice: “See how contradictory everything is that Jesus gives to you: He tells you to found a convent, and then He gives you sickness; He tells you to set about establishing this Feast of Mercy while the whole world does not at all want such a feast. Why do you pray for this feast? It is so inopportune.” My soul remained silent and, by an act of will, continued to pray without entering into conversation with the Spirit of Darkness. Nevertheless, such an extraordinary disgust with life came over me that I had to make a great act of the will to consent to go on living….(104) And again I heard the tempter‟s words: “Ask for death for yourself, tomorrow after Holy Communion. God will hear you, for He has heard you so many times before and has given you that which you asked of Him.” I remained silent and, by an act of will, I began to pray, or rather, submitted myself to God, asking Him interiorly not to abandon me at this moment. It was already eleven o‟clock at night, and there was silence all around. The sisters were all asleep in their cells, and my soul alone was struggling with great exertion. The tempter went on: “Why should you bother about other souls? You ought to be praying only for yourself. As for sinners, they will be converted without your prayers. I 334 see that you are suffering very much at this moment. I‟m going to give you a piece of advice on which your happiness will depend: Never speak about God‟s mercy and, in particular, do not encourage sinners to trust in God‟s mercy, because they deserve a just punishment. Another very important thing: Do not tell your confessors, and especially this extraordinary confessor and the priest in Vilnius, about what goes on in your soul. I know them; I know who they are, and so I want to put you on your guard (105) against them. You see, to live as good nun, it is sufficient to live like all the others. Why expose yourself to so many difficulties?” 1498 I remained silent, and by an act of will I dwelt in God, although a moan escaped from my heart. Finally, the tempter went away and I, exhausted, fell asleep immediately. In the morning, right after receiving Holy Communion, I went immediately to my cell and falling on my knees I renewed my act of submission in all things to the will of God. “Jesus, I ask You, give me the strength for battle. Let it be done to me according to Your most holy will. My soul is enamored of Your most holy will.” 1499 At that moment, I saw Jesus, who said, I am pleased with what you are doing. And you can continue to be at peace if you always do the best you can in respect to this work of mercy. Be absolutely as frank as possible with your confessor. Satan gained nothing by tempting you, because you did not enter into conversation with him. Continue to act in this way. You gave Me great glory today by fighting so faithfully. (106) Let it be confirmed and engraved on your heart that I am always with you, even if you don‟t feel My presence at the time of battle. 1500 Today, the love of god is transporting me into the other world. I am all immersed in love; I love and feel that I am loved, and with full consciousness I experience this. My soul is drowning in the Lord, realizing the great Majesty of God and its own littleness; but through this knowledge my happiness increases…. This awareness is so vivid in the soul, so powerful and, at the same time, so sweet

1478 + Why are You sad today, Jesus? Tell me, who is the cause of Your sadness?

And Jesus answered me. Chosen souls who do not have my spirit, who live according to the letter [cf. 2 Cor. 3:6] and have placed the letter above My spirit, above the spirit of love. I have founded My whole law on love, and yet I do not see love, even in religious orders. This is why sadness fills My Heart. + (76) J. M. J. 1479 O my Jesus, in terrible bitterness and pain, I yet feel the caress of Your Divine Heart. Like a good mother, You press me to Your bosom, And even now You give me to experience what the veil hides. O my Jesus, in this wilderness and terror which surround me, My heart still feels the warmth of Your gaze, Which no storm can blot out form me, As You give me the assurance of your great love, O God. O my Jesus, midst the great miseries of this life, You shine like a star, O Jesus, protecting me from shipwreck. And though my miseries be great, I have great trust in the power of Your mercy. O hidden Jesus, in the many struggles of my last hour, May the omnipotence of Your grace be poured out upon my soul, That at death‟s moment I may gaze upon You And see You face to face, as do the chosen in heaven. O my Jesus, midst the dangers which surround me, I go through life with a cry of joy, my head raised proudly, Because against Your Heart so filled with love, O Jesus, All enemies will be crushed, all darkness dispelled. 

1446 The Lord said to me, It should be of no concern to you how anyone else acts;

you are to be My living reflection, through love and mercy. I answered, “Lord, but they often take advantage of my goodness.” That makes no difference, My daughter.
That is no concern of yours. As for you, be always merciful toward other people,
and especially toward sinners. 1447 + Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas (60) My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love. 1448 Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation]There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one‟s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God‟s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late. +

1437 + Christmas Eve [1937]. After Holy Communion, the Mother of God gave me to experience

the anxious concern she had in Her heart because of the Son of God. But this anxiety was permeated with such fragrance of abandonment to the will of God that I should call it rather a delight than an anxiety. I understood how my soul ought to accept the will of God in all things. It is a pity I cannot write this the way I experienced it. My soul was plunged in deep recollection all day long. Nothing could tear me away from this recollection, neither duties, nor the business I had with lay people.

1420 When I steeped myself in prayer, I was transported in spirit to the chapel,

where I saw the Lord Jesus, exposed in the monstrance. In place of the monstrance, I saw the glorious face of the Lord, and He said to me, What you see in reality, these souls see through faith. Oh, how pleasing to Me is their great faith! You see, although there appears to be no trace of life in Me, in reality it is present in its fullness in each and every Host. But for Me to be able to act upon a soul, the soul must have faith. O how pleasing to Me is living faith! 1421 Those taking part in adoration at that time (47) were Mother Superior and a few other sisters. But I recognized that it was Mother Superior‟s prayer which had moved heaven, and I rejoiced that there are souls so pleasing to God.