When he canonized Saint Faustina Kowalska on April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II said, “My joy is truly great in presenting the life and witness of Sister Faustina Kowalska to the whole Church as a gift of God for our time.”
Recalling these words spoken by Saint John Paul II at the canonization of Saint Faustina – the great apostle of Mercy, and the first Saint of the Third Millennium – the Saint John Paul II National Shrine and the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy are pleased to present a temporary exhibit on the message of Divine Mercy.
The exhibit, entitled “‘The Happiest Day of My Life’: Divine Mercy with Saint John Paul II and Saint Faustina,” expresses the saintly pope’s evangelical joy as he honored Saint Faustina, whom he named “the messenger of the Lord’s merciful love.”
The exhibit celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday on April 27 this year as well as the 25th anniversary of Saint Faustina’s canonization and the institution of Divine Mercy Sunday on April 30 of the Jubilee Year 2000, when the Holy Father remarked to a close friend, “this is the happiest day of my life.”
The exhibit also serves as part of the Shrine’s observance of the Jubilee Year 2025.
Sister Donata Farbaniec, Washington D.C. superior of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, pointed out that this year marks special anniversaries in the life of Saint Faustina.
In addition to this year marking the 25th anniversary of Saint Faustina’s canonization, her congregation is celebrating the ‘Year of Saint Faustina’ because the future saint joined the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy 100 years ago on Aug. 1, 1925, and this is the120-year anniversary of her birth in Głogowiec Poland on Aug. 25, 1905.”
The temporary exhibit will include panels that display photos and biographical information on Saint Faustina’s birth, family life, and entry into religious life with the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.
The exhibit will also outline the two fundamental core teachings of Divine Mercy: trust in God and mercy towards neighbors. It explains the five forms of the devotion to the Divine Mercy: the Divine Mercy Image, Divine Mercy Sunday, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, The Hour of Mercy, and the Spreading of the Devotion.
The panels briefly explore the writings of Rev. Dr. Ignacy Różycki, a Polish theologian, who was requested by Saint John Paul II to examine the Diary of Saint Faustina as a part of her formal canonization process. Finally, the exhibit shares some of Saint John Paul II’s essential teachings on Mercy found in the encyclical Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy) and applies them to Saint Faustina’s message of Divine Mercy.
“Divine Mercy is a central theme in the life and legacy of Saint John Paul II. He passed into eternal life on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, April 2, 2005. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Divine Mercy Sunday of 2011, and canonized by Pope Francis on Divine Mercy Sunday of 2014,” said Anthony Picarello, executive director of the Saint John Paul II National Shrine.
The Divine Mercy exhibit will conclude sometime in June, after Pentecost, and includes a first-class relic of Saint Faustina that will be available for veneration alongside the Shrine’s permanent Saint John Paul II blood relic.
The Saint John Paul II National Shrine is located at 3900 Harewood Road, N.E., Washington, D.C. For more information, 202-635-5401.
