SILVER JUBILEE! St. Faustina and Divine Mercy Sunday Inspiration and news from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception Marian Helper Marian.org Spring 2025 Highlights from NACOM III l Monastery construction begins at last
Enroll a loved one today! 1-800-462-7426 Marian.org/b65/eg Your offering helps support the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. B65-AE25 All Year: Have your loved ones remembered in prayer from this Easter to the next. They will share in the spiritual benefits of the Holy Masses, prayers, and good works of the Marian priests and brothers. Send one of these cards to announce your gift. Three Masses on Easter: Send your loved ones these exclusive cards to announce that they will be remembered in the three Holy Masses on Easter at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. B65-EG252 There is no charge for us to send you these cards. An offering is requested when you use the cards. Share the Glorious Gift of Easter B65-EG253 B65-EG251
AMH Director/Publisher: Fr. Mark Baron, MIC — “Father Joseph, MIC” Executive Editor: Dr. Joe McAleer Designer: Andrew Leeco Writer, Assistant Editor: Chris Sparks AMH General Promoter: Br. Andrew R. Mączyński, MIC Vol. 82, No. 1 Spring 2025 10 Quarter-century of grace! Mission Statement Marian Helper is intended to serve members of the Association of Marian Helpers (AMH), a spiritual benefit society of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The magazine seeks to provide spiritual nourishment, education about the Catholic faith, and information about the mission and good works of the Marians. It also provides information about Association services and presents opportunities to support the mission and good works of the Congregation. Marian Helper is published quarterly by the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. It is sent free of charge to active members of the Association. Printed in the USA with ecclesiastical approval. Copyright © 2025 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. All rights reserved. Send all correspondence to: Association of Marian Helpers, Editorial Dept., Eden Hill, Stockbridge, MA 01263. Email: [email protected] Website: Marian.org During this Jubilee Year of Hope, Marian Fathers and Marian Helpers around the world will celebrate another jubilee, a silver one: 25 years since that unforgettable moment in St. Peter’s Square, when Pope St. John Paul II canonized the humble Apostle of Mercy, Sr. Faustina Kowalska, and announced the universal feast of Divine Mercy Sunday. The Holy Father said it was the happiest day of his life. Ours, too! 3 Father Joseph Writes 4 Marian Helpers in Action 6 Father Joseph’s Picks 7 Notes from Rome 8 On Eden Hill 31 Outstanding Helpers 33 Graces Received 36 From the Vaults Departments Visit the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, a designated sacred pilgrimage site, this year. The Jubilee Indulgence The Carpenter’s Fiat 18 Men in particular should imitate St. Joseph’s “yes” to the Lord, writes Veronica Szczygiel. Oh, Canada! An amazing NACOM III The three-day North American Congress on Mercy was a great success, reports Chris Sparks. 20 Page 24 Calling all healthcare professionals! Save the date for the annual confab, June 4-6. 20th Healthcare Conference on deck! Divine Mercy Weekend on the horizon 25 Make plans to visit Eden Hill April 26-27, or watch live on EWTN on Divine Mercy Sunday. ‘He loved us’ Chris Sparks praises Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Dilexit Nos, on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 26 28 This Lent, find Hope The Marian Fathers offer a daily devotional booklet to enrich your Lenten experience. 29Oh on tHe cover: Stained-glass window of Pope St. John Paul II holding an icon of St. Faustina by artist Plamen Petrov of Chicago, Illinois. 10 A glorious 25 years! 12 Radiation of Grace 14 Leading the way 16 Finding Faustina
Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception The Marian Fathers are a Congregation of nearly 500 priests and brothers in 19 countries around the world. We support the Holy Father and embrace the official teachings of the Catholic Church in our special calling to: ● Spread devotion to Mary as the Immaculate Conception. ● Offer our lives for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, especially the victims of war and disease. ● Operate publishing apostolates and assist where the need is greatest in parishes, shrines, and missions. ● Promote the Divine Mercy message and devotion. ● Organize people of good will to work with and through us to bring Christ everywhere. Association of Marian Helpers — Join us! Established in 1925, the Association of Marian Helpers is a spiritual benefit society that prayerfully and financially supports the priests and brothers of the Congregation of Marian Fathers. Your enrollment means that, by a decree of the Holy See, you share in these graces: ● A daily Mass offered for all Marian Helpers. ● A share in the prayers, good works, and merits of the Marian priests and brothers around the world. ● A special Mass offered on feast days of our Savior and His Blessed Mother. ● A monthly Mass on each First Friday and each First Saturday. ● A Mass offered for deceased members on All Souls’ Day. ● The perpetual Novena to the Divine Mercy. l Deepen your commitment of prayer and support by joining one of our three spiritually nourishing prayer clubs: Marian.org/clubs l Support a particular ministry: Marian.org/give l Arrange a special gift of stock, a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA, a grant from your donor-advised fund, a gift through your will or trust, or annuity: Giving.Marian.org Call 1-800-671-2020 to make a gift by phone or for assistance. Free online help for your will, visit Marian.org/will. A sample form of bequest to the Marians is: I give and bequeath to the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. (Tax ID #20-8599030), Stockbridge, MA 01262, ____% of my adjusted gross estate (or $_______, or a specific asset) to be used for its religious and educational purposes. Marian Helpers Center Stockbridge, Massachusetts Headquarters and publishing center for the Association of Marian Helpers. 1-800-462-7426 National Shrine of The Divine Mercy (413) 298-3931 For pilgrimages: (413) 298-1119 ShrineOfDivineMercy.org Mercy Apostolates Learn about our lay ministries: Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy Dr. Bryan Thatcher TheDivineMercy.org/eadm 1-877-380-0727 Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy Marie Romagnano, MSN, RN, CCM TheDivineMercy.org/hpdm 1-866-895-3236 John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy Dr. Robert Stackpole TheDivineMercy.org/JPII 1-866-895-3236 Mother of Mercy Messengers Joan and Dave Maroney TheDivineMercy.org/momm 1-830-634-7765 Evangelization Team Invite the Marians to speak at your parish. (413) 298-1349 [email protected] Intercessory Prayerline Send us prayer intentions. 1-800-804-3823 Marian.org/prayer Websites Marian.org TheDivineMercy.org ShopMercy.org DivineMercyPlus.org Who We Are Other ways to support God’s mission Sign-up is easy: Visit MICPrayers.org Visit marian.org/social 2 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org
Father Joseph Writes The Great Mercy Pope called that day, April 30, 2000, the happiest day of his life. It was a great moment for me and the Marian Fathers, and I’m sure all of our Marian Helpers, too! As I write this, I and a bunch of our Marian Family have just returned from Vancouver, Canada, following “Divine Mercy and Mary: Our Hope,” the third North American Congress on Mercy (NACOM III). It was a time of special graces, as you’ll see on pages 20-23, and a great preparation for the Jubilee Year. How so? You see, in the times we’re living through, our merciful words, deeds, and prayers matter more than ever (see Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 742). We are meant to be living Images of Divine Mercy, shining rays of grace from our hearts just as Jesus does. So getting together with our North American neighbors was a huge blessing of fellowship, shared faith, and common goals in the service of Christ and His Church. It reminded us of the sources of our hope: Jesus, and the many holy members of the Mystical Body of Christ, especially Our Lady. It reminded us that we are not alone in our service to Divine Mercy, Mary Immaculate, the Holy Souls, and wherever the Church’s needs are greatest. Rather, many hands have turned to the work at hand, even as we need to continue to recruit many more. Speaking of holy hands serving Jesus and Mary, St. Faustina and the Communion of Saints are about to get some illustrious company. We are especially blessed to look forward to the canonization of Bl. Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) on April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday. Blessed Carlo was an outstanding young man, dying at the age of 15, but in that short lifetime, he poured himself out in love of God and neighbor. He created some outstanding websites dedicated to sharing with the world the stories of the Church-approved Eucharistic Miracles, Marian apparitions, and other proofs for the truth of the Catholic faith. Let us be inspired by his virtuous life, which persisted even in the face of the terrible leukemia that took his young life. Another extraordinary young Italian man, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925), will be canonized on Aug. 3. Marian Press is collaborating with the Most Rev. J. Peter Sartain, Archbishop Emeritus of Seattle, a recognized expert on Bl. Pier Giorgio’s life, to tell the story of the soon-to-be-saint, his incredible works of mercy, and his deep love of our Lord. What blessings! So I ask you, faithful Marian Helpers, to take inspiration from our Lord and His saints throughout this year of Jubilee, of forgiveness, mercy, and hope. Practice love of God and neighbor in our world today, strengthened by the Sacraments, prayer, and the Word of God. Give a witness to the truth of our Catholic faith. Let God’s light shine through your deeds, words, and prayers so that the nations may see, be touched by the grace of God, and come home to Christ’s Church in faith, hope, and love. May God bless you! A TRIO OF JUBILEES! “Father Joseph, MIC,” is the honorary title of the director of the Association of Marian Helpers, currently Fr. Mark Baron, MIC. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet live with Fr. Mark every Friday at 3 p.m. ET on Instagram, Facebook, and DivineMercyPlus.org. Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org 3 The Holy Year is under way, the Jubilee of Hope proclaimed by Pope Francis. But as you can see from our cover of Marian Helper, there are two more jubilees to celebrate this year, and both are silver: It’s 25 years since the canonization of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, and the proclamation of Divine Mercy Sunday by Pope St. John Paul II!
4 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org Here’s a true story, with the names changed at the family’s request. Heather Mason’s family has a history of epilepsy. Nevertheless, she and her husband Michael were as frightened and anxious as any parents would be when, in March 2008, Kelly, the younger of their two daughters, experienced a grand mal seizure at the age of 15 months. They took her to the hospital, where Kelly underwent Miracles from a Mother’s Hand Marian Helpers in Action By Marian Friedrichs S ome miracles are spectacular and sudden — an impossible healing — while some are gradual and inconspicuous — the slow, often arduous sanctification of an ordinary human soul. The life of every faithful Christian who perseveres in the love of God and the struggle for virtue contains the latter kind of miracle. Every once in a while, Heaven breaks into an earthly life through the former kind. And sometimes, someone — or some family — is granted both.
Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org 5 various tests. The results came back normal and Kelly was discharged, the cause of the seizure still unknown. Terminal diagnosis The day after Kelly came home, the Masons received a phone call from the hospital. Further testing on Kelly’s blood had led to a diagnosis of a terminal blood disease. Doctors estimated that the little girl had about six months to live. She would have to be admitted immediately to the infectious disease unit. It was unlikely that her parents would ever be permitted to take her home; Kelly would have to end her brief life in a hospital room. Floored by shock and grief, Heather and Michael could not bring themselves to tell the awful truth to Kelly’s 5-year-old big sister, Rose. Heather did tell her mother — a woman “beautifully devoted to Mary,” who prayed the Rosary daily — knowing she could count on her prayers. Then, instinctively following the “North Star” toward which her mother had always taught her to turn, Heather made her way to church and knelt before the statue of Our Lady (pictured at left). A mother’s plea Heather begged the Blessed Mother for the life of her precious daughter. If Kelly were spared, Heather promised to do faithfully what her own mother had done: Pray the Rosary every day; lay a firm foundation of the Catholic Faith in the lives of her children; take them to Mass and religious education without fail; ensure that they received the Sacraments; and teach them to pray the Rosary often. Leaving her promises and petitions at Mary’s feet, Heather returned home to take care of her family and wait for God’s answer. Hospital protocol mandated that diagnoses for children always be confirmed with follow-up testing, so new blood samples were drawn from Kelly and the tests run again. A few days later, the results came back, and the hospital contacted the Masons with astonishing news: Kelly did not have the fatal illness with which she had originally been diagnosed! She had a mild neurological disorder that would result in more seizures in the future, but which could be controlled with medication and was not life-threatening. Doctors speculated about what might have caused the initial test to yield a false positive result. The pediatrician called it a miracle. Heather agrees, insisting that “Mary’s the one who saved Kelly’s life.” Keeping her word Heather kept her word. Since the day she and Michael received their daughter’s life anew from God, Heather has not let a day go by without praying the Rosary. And while the Masons had always intended to raise their children Catholic, since the day her fervent prayer was answered, Heather has spared no effort in teaching the girls to be especially devoted to Mary and to trust in God for everything. In fact, the reversal of that devastating diagnosis proved to be just the beginning of an abundance of blessings for the Mason family. While Heather and her husband and daughters have no further stories to tell of instantaneous healings or dramatic divine interventions, the family has consistently enjoyed God’s quiet, priceless gift of a life of true faith lived together. Over the years, both daughters have questioned the Faith at times, but neither has done so with any disrespect toward the Church or any thought of leaving it. When Rose and Kelly experience uncertainty, Heather tells them, “You can always talk to God. You can always talk to Mary. And they do.” When they suffer, Heather encourages them in “keeping the faith, and just having hope that they will get through the struggles, that they will get answers.” Openness to Truth And Rose and Kelly listen. They do not shut their ears to Truth as so many young adults do, relying for answers on a confused and wandering world. They follow their mother’s example and instruction — as she followed her own mother’s — in heeding the voice of the Magisterium and in turning to Mary, “the one who goes to Jesus” for us. As so many sorrowful parents whose grown children have abandoned the Faith can testify, such reverence for the Church and openness to Truth constitute a miracle for which God should be thanked. If parents who grieve at seeing their children in danger of losing their souls as Heather once grieved at hearing her daughter was in danger of losing her life, could reach out to Heather parent-to-parent, as she herself reached out to her mother on earth and her mother in Heaven, she would certainly offer them the words of consolation she offers her own beloved daughters. “It’s really not hopeless, and nothing’s impossible with God,” she says. “Miracles happen — just ask and pray.” For a host of resources on the Rosary, visit ShopMercy.org. ‘It’s really not hopeless, and nothing’s impossible with God. Miracles happen — just ask and pray.’
Visit ShopMercy.org/b65 or call 1-800-462-7426. Father Joseph’s Picks In this time of Jubilee, and especially during the holy season of Lent, we need spiritual guidance and saintly models of the Christian virtue of hope to show us how to most fruitfully live this year of grace and mercy. Let our Lord, St. Michael, Bl. Carlo Acutis, and many others join you on the journey. THE SAINT I KNEW! EXCITING “ENCOUNTERS” WITH HOLINESS By Kevin Wilson Each of us has the potential to become a saint. We’re especially reminded of this when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, usually as a teenager, and choose a saint as our patron and inspiration. Who better than the saints and blessed — including Bl. Carlo Acutis, soon to be canonized — to inspire us in the battle of life? Kevin Wilson places you, the reader, in a fictional story of a holy man, woman, or child before their recognition by the Catholic Church. Perfect for those preparing for Confirmation. $15.95. B65-MKST NEW! By Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC Perfect for Lent and guiding your daily meditation during the 3 o’clock Hour on the Passion of our Lord, as Jesus requested through St. Faustina. Selected from the writings of popes, saints, blesseds, and the many venerables of the Catholic Church, these 366 quotes shed light on the life-changing power of the Passion of our Lord, and the depths of His merciful love for all sinners, no matter how great our sins. $16.95. B65-PGEM PASSION GEMS: DAILY WISDOM ON THE SUFFERING, CROSS, AND DEATH OF JESUS NEW! In this guidebook, you’ll read about how the Church will celebrate the Jubilee Year. You’ll learn what you can do to answer the call of the Holy Father to both know the face of God’s mercy — Jesus Christ our Hope — and to show that face of mercy — true hope — to your friends and neighbors (as well as your enemies!). You’ll also read about the importance of the Sacrament of Confession and rediscover the Divine Mercy devotion that will assist you to unleash the many graces God wishes to give you in your own life and to the whole world. Blessed Jubilee! $3.99. B65-JYOH JOURNEY OF HOPE: A GUIDE TO THE JUBILEE YEAR 2025 6 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org By Marge Steinhage Fenelon Saint Michael made three promises to all who faithfully pray the Chaplet in his honor: an escort of nine angels chosen from each of the nine choirs of angels when approaching Holy Communion; his continual assistance and that of all the angels throughout life; and, after death, deliverance from Purgatory for themselves and all their relations. As the beloved Catholic author and blogger Marge Steinhage Fenelon explains in this extraordinary exploration of the significance and power of the Chaplet of St. Michael, we all should be concerned about the influence of evil, but we should never fear evil because God is always with us and assists us through His grace and His heavenly helpers, the holy angels. $16.95. B65-DUFL DEFEND US IN BATTLE: THE PROMISES OF ST. MICHAEL AND THE HEAVENLY ANGELS NEW! e
Notes from Rome By the Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC Our Marian Constitutions tell us that the purpose of the visitations is for the Superiors to know better the communities that are subject to them and to be able to animate and form them in the religious life and the apostolate. We meet with the members of our religious houses and residences and speak to each of them personally. We spend time praying with them and observing their apostolic activities. Sometimes we leave recommendations about things that should be changed or improved. It is not simply an administrative process, but an opportunity for spiritual renewal. During these encounters, I always think of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her visitation of her cousin Elizabeth. We try to do the same thing that Mary did by bringing the presence of Christ into every situation and remaining open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In 2024, I had the opportunity to visit our men in Portugal, Lithuania, Brazil, Argentina, India, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, Poland, the United States, and Cameroon. I received the final vows of Marians in Viet Nam, India, and the United States. I attended ordinations in the United States, India, and Cameroon. The Marians in Brazil were celebrating their 60th Anniversary of their presence there, while those in Cameroon were celebrating their 25th. I am often assisted on these visitations by other members of the General Council. It is fascinating to see how the Church is alive and very different in each country that I visit. For instance, I recently went to Cameroon. T he people in one of our parishes are poor. In a simple and rustic chapel structure, they worshiped God with great joy and fervor on a weekday morning Mass. That day, the offertory procession consisted of the people bringing up what they could give: large bunches of plantains, bowls of freshly-picked peanuts, live chickens, bottles of water, etc. The people sang with their whole hearts with the aid of a drum and even some pompoms that looked like what a cheerleader would use. They were giving God their whole attention and enthusiasm. I attended the diaconate ordination of two seminarians one Sunday. I was also present for the inauguration of a new parish church and diocesan shrine that our Marian missionaries built in honor of Pope St. John Paul II. These festive Masses lasted several hours. Our seminarians from Cameroon and Rwanda study philosophy and theology in Cameroon. Our ministry is well appreciated there and bishops are inviting us to work in their dioceses. During this year of Jubilee and Hope, please pray for our Marians throughout the world! ON THE ROAD AGAIN Part of my job as the Superior General of our Marian Congregation involves visiting on a regular basis our men in the Provinces and Vicariates where they live. T his is part of the oversight that we do to make sure that everything is running smoothly, and we are living our religious, spiritual, community and apostolic lives as authentically as we can. The Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC, is the Superior General of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. He lives in Rome. Listen to his podcasts, including “Saint Faustina’s Diary in a Year,” on TheDivineMercy.org/podcasts and DivineMercyPlus.org/podcasts. Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org 7 Father Joe attended the dedication ceremony of the St. John Paul II Chapel in Minkama, Cameroon. Father Joe talks about visiting Cameroon.
On Eden Hill 8 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org Christ as the cornerstone “The work we are beginning today should enliven our faith and make us grateful,” said Fr. Tomeny. “We know the familiar words of the Psalm: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain’ (Ps 127:1). Whenever we look to the interests of our neighbor or our community and serve them, we are in a sense God’s own co-workers. Let us pray for His help. “Let us ask God, our all-powerful Father, that the work we begin today will contribute to the building up of His Kingdom and join us in faith and love to Christ, who is the cornerstone. “Lord God we ask you to bless this new religious house, that all the Marians of the Eden Hill community may be united as one under the banner of Mary Immaculate.” Next, as he turned a shovel into the ground, Fr. Alar offered a prayer. “Almighty God we ask blessings upon this new Monastery,” he said. “We ask your blessings upon the Marian Fathers, and upon the thousands of Marian Helpers who made this project a reality.” Construction has now begun on the Monastery and Chapel, situated in the large field beyond the outdoor Stations of the Cross. More than 13,000 donors have contributed to the Marian Fathers’ first capital campaign, “Together for Christ and His Church.” When completed next year, the |Marians assigned to Stockbridge will live and worship together in community under the same roof — a requirement of a religious congregation — for the first time since their earliest days on Eden Hill.. Before the first snowfall, Marian Fathers, including members of the Provincial Council, gathered to bless the ground on Eden Hill where the new Monastery and Chapel will be built. Listening on as Fr. Matthew Tomeny, MIC, rector of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, offers the blessing are (from left) Fr. Michael Callea, MIC, Provincial Secretary; Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, Provincial Superior; Br. Mark Fanders, MIC, overseer of the project; Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, Vice Provincial; Br. Joseph, MIC; Fr. Mark Baron, MIC, director of the Association of Marian Helpers (“Fr. Joseph, MIC”); Fr. Wojciech Jasinski, MIC, General Treasurer; Fr. Kenneth Dos Santos, MIC; and Fr. Thaddaeus Lancton, MIC.
The new Marian Monastery and Chapel are being built in the large field (left) near the outdoor Stations of the Cross — this is the view from the Third Station. Site work began in December 2024. Follow our progress at TogetherForChrist.org
10 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org A Glorious 25 years! It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since the canonization of Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska, the Secretary and Apostle of the Divine Mercy, not to mention the surprise declaration by St. John Paul II that henceforth the Second Sunday of Easter would be Divine Mercy Sunday, a universal feast for the Catholic Church. No wonder the Holy Father is said to have remarked, at the end of that momentous day, “This is the happiest day of my life.” The Marian connection Perhaps the second most happy person that historic day was the late, great Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC (1930-2021), who devoted his life’s work to the cause of Divine Mercy. In 1979, he brought St. Faustina’s Diary out of Communist Poland in his luggage on microfilm — he always insisted he hadn’t smuggled anything; the Polish authorities simply hadn’t checked his bag. In 1981, he was present with the Digan family for the miraculous healing of Maureen Digan’s lymphedema at the tomb of Sr. Faustina in Kraków, Poland, a miracle he would document and verify with medical testimony so that it became the beatification miracle. Father Seraphim oversaw the publication of the Diary, first in Polish, and then in translation in more than 20 languages, reaching a worldwide audience by the time of St. Faustina’s canonization. The ongoing bestseller status of the Diary is one of the clearest signal graces to those of us who work on Marian Press books of the truth of Faustina’s private revelations — a book so large, so out of chronological order, and telling Sister Beata Piekut, ZMBM, vice-postulator for the cause of beatification of Sr. Faustina, greeted Pope St. John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on April 30, 2000. By Chris Sparks “Today my joy is truly great in presenting the life and witness of Sr. Faustina Kowalska to the whole Church as a gift of God for our time.” So proclaimed Pope St. John Paul II a quarter-century ago in St. Peter’s Square on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 30, 2000, before a gathering of 200,000 pilgrims. Silver Jubilee
Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org 11 the inner life of an obscure Catholic nun has no earthly business selling so well! Father Seraphim also documented the canonization miracle, for which his close collaborator and Marian brother, Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, was present. The night before the big day, word came from the Vatican that Fr. Seraphim was to report at once. When he returned, he very calmly and casually told Fr. Kaz that the Pope would announce the addition of Divine Mercy Sunday to the universal liturgical calendar of the Church. Father Kaz was electrified, but Fr. Seraphim persisted in his calm. Anyone who knows them both can easily imagine! Crowning the vision “This canonization is the crowning of the vision that the Fathers of the province had,” Fr. Seraphim told Marian Helpers Bulletin at the time of the canonization. “People continue to look to the Marians as a reference point when it comes to the Divine Mercy message and devotion.” While St. Faustina’s canonization and the establishment of Divine Mercy Sunday was certainly a red- letter day for Fr. Seraphim, it was not the end of his long labors. Far from it. By the time he died on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes in 2021, his service to St. Faustina, the Divine Mercy message and devotion, and to Christ and His Church had taken him around the world. He had been instrumental in many conferences, congresses, and other Divine Mercy gatherings, culminating in the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy (WACOM), whose structure also included continental, regional, and national Congresses on Divine Mercy. His work shall bear fruit for the Church till the end of time. It’s no wonder, then, that many of us who worked with him are convinced he was the prophesied “S.M.” in St. Faustina’s Diary (1689). Also present that historic day was Fr. Walter Pelczynski, MIC (1916-2000), founder of the Association of Marian Helpers. He told Marian Helpers Bulletin that, for many years, many Helpers encountered opposition in their parishes to the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. “This was a confirmation for them and for the whole Church,” he said. “It validated the efforts that we Marians and our Helpers have expended for so long in promoting the Divine Mercy message and devotion entrusted to Sr. Faustina.” The work begins anew, added Fr. George Kosicki, CSB (1925-2014), part of the triumvirate with Fr. Seraphim and Vinny Flynn that spread the message of Divine Mercy far and wide. “What can I do now that Sr. Maria Faustina has joined the major leagues with all the officially recognized saints?” he asked. “I can follow the way Jesus revealed to her — the merciful way. In my misery, I can plunge into the infinite ocean of God’s mercy with complete trust in Jesus. When doubts assail me, I can pray unceasingly, ‘Jesus, I trust in You!’ I can decide to ‘nestle close’ to the merciful Heart of Jesus (Diary, 1726).” The next 25 years Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower, herself assured St. Faustina that she would one day be a saint like Thérèse, canonized and everything (see Diary, 150). The Marian Family continues active efforts to see St. Faustina also join St. Thérèse as a Doctor of the Church! A quarter-century from the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 to the Jubilee Year of Hope. Heaven only knows what the next 25 years will bring. One thing’s for certain: The Divine Mercy message and devotion will go on illuminating, cleansing, transforming, and reinvigorating hearts, minds, the Church, and the world. Saint Faustina’s legacy lives on in us, in all whom her work, her merciful love, and her words touch. Saint Faustina Kowalska, Secretary and Apostle of the Divine Mercy, pray for us! Processing into Mass are Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC (right), and Fr. Ron Pytel, whose miraculous healing led to Sr. Faustina’s canonization. More than 200,000 filled St. Peter’s Square on Divine Mercy Sunday 2000.
That weekend I was privileged to be a member of the team leading a pilgrimage to Rome for the canonization, under the guidance of Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, the vice-postulator of the cause for Sr. Faustina’s canonization with the Holy See. Unexpected volunteer! The adventure really began on the evening before the big day. Father Seraphim asked me to accompany him on a visit to the office at the Vatican of the Polish monsignor who was designated as the master of ceremonies for the Radiation of Grace Few memories are more precious to me than the canonization day of St. Faustina, April 30, 2000 — the same day that our Holy Father, Pope St. John Paul II, also proclaimed his intention to establish the annual Feast of Divine Mercy. By Robert Stackpole, STD 12 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org Silver Jubilee © Servicio Fotografico de L.O.R. On Divine Mercy Sunday 2000, Dr. Robert Stackpole proclaimed one of the readings for Mass, as Pope St. John Paul II looked on.
event. While Fr. Seraphim and the monsignor were discussing in Polish the order of events for the Liturgy the next day, I happened to notice some copies of the handsomely-decorated program for the papal Mass on the monsignor’s desk. I quietly began skimming through the pages of it, just to pass the time. Suddenly, I noticed my name listed in the program as the person designated to do the reading from the Acts of the Apostles. I turned to Fr. Seraphim and asked in alarm, “Father, what is my name doing here in the program?” He replied, “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you: I volunteered you to do one of the Scripture readings for the Mass tomorrow.” Yikes! Excited, yet also terrified, the next morning, I had to arrive early at St. Peter’s Square while it was still half-empty to practice. And then before the Mass started, I was asked to read an explanation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet to the hundreds of thousands of people already gathering for the celebration. All this preparatory practice, however, did me (and the other readers, I think) a lot of good. This was no big deal: We were just reading into a PA system to a sea of distant heads (with a massive delayed echo, as our words bounced back to us from the piazza). Piece of cake. We sat on the platform up front, and awaited our turn. Power surge Then the Mass started, the choir began to sing, and the cardinals processed onto the dais, one after another. Again, an impressive sight, to be sure, but still, nothing to panic about. Then the Holy Father came in. It was as if a power surge suddenly spread through the whole congregation. I was totally unprepared for it! I have been in the direct presence of two U.S. presidents, several big-cheese network news broadcasters, and a mayor of New York City at various times in my life, but nothing could even remotely compare with what I experienced that day. Jesus once said to St. Faustina: “Tell [all people] My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1074). Never have I felt such an overwhelming radiation of grace from anyone before! Here was one of the greatest saint-popes in the history of the Church, about to canonize a religious sister who was the divinely-chosen instrument for the greatest movement of spiritual renewal in our time — and Sr. Faustina was not just any Polish candidate for sainthood, but a “hometown girl” to John Paul, since she hailed from his own archdiocese of Kraków. I was trembling all over when it finally came time to do my reading from the Book of Acts. In his homily that day, the pope referred to her as “my dear Sr. Faustina,” which made the Polish sister from her religious congregation, seated next to me, start to cry. When he unexpectedly announced that, from now on, the Second Sunday of Easter would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the whole Church, a wave of joy seemed to spread throughout the piazza. What a blessing to be there that day, and to take part in it all — probably the biggest thrill of my life. Future Doctor? And the excitement did not end there. Ever since that day, the Marians have set their sights on one more honor that St. Faustina richly deserves: the official title of “Doctor of the Church.” This title would make her the fifth woman in history to be recognized in this way as one of the principal teachers of the Catholic Faith (along with St. Catherine of Siena, St. Theresa of Avila, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and St. Hildegard Von Bingen). For many years we have been collecting signatures on a petition to the Holy See in support of this intention. Please visit TheDivineMercy.org/doctor to sign the petition. Meanwhile, at the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, and I have been hard at work putting together a huge volume titled Saint Faustina: Doctor of Divine Mercy — a comprehensive, systematic study of her doctrine and spirituality, making the case for her elevation to this honor. This year, advance copies will be distributed to cardinals, bishops, and theologians throughout the world. Then in the light of their feedback, in 2026 the manuscript will be revised and made available to the general Catholic public through Marian Press. Again, what a thrill to be part of all this! The wheels of careful discernment by the Church must turn slowly, but we believe St. Faustina will receive her “doctorate,” in the Lord’s good time. Ora pro nobis! Dr. Robert Stackpole is the emeritus director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy and the author of God’s Amazing Mercy: Meditations by St. Faustina’s Confessor and Spiritual Director (B65-SOPB), available now on ShopMercy.org. The wheels of careful discernment by the Church must turn slowly, but we believe St. Faustina will receive her ‘doctorate,’ in the Lord’s good time. Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org 13
14 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org Leading the way “The crowd was so enormous that the eye could not take it all in,” stated St. Faustina in her Diary. We might wonder at her words. How could she say this? It is because, amazingly and mystically, St. Faustina was made aware of this momentous canonization ceremony while she was still alive! Though the young humble Polish mystic knew nothing of the invention of the television to come, nor communication through satellites, she would confidently pen in her famous Diary her prophetic vision, depicting her own canonization. I’m not aware of any other saint who was given a vision of their own canonization! Specifically, on March 23, 1937, the young visionary experienced the fascinating vision of her canonization. She could see clearly that her joyful ceremony would simultaneously take place in Rome and in Kraków. In her Diary, St. Faustina also prophetically implied that the Feast of Divine Mercy would be instituted for the entire Church on that pivotal canonization day. By Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle With abounding triumphant joy and gratitude, on April 30, 2000, throngs of Catholics were huddled together in the sanctuary of Kraków, Poland, clapping and singing in jubilation. Their beloved spiritual friend Sr. Faustina would be canonized! Amid the prayerful enthusiasm, the two holy rays of Divine Mercy, which were visible to St. Faustina in an earlier vision, issued forth from the Sacred Host and spread upon the entire world. Silver Jubilee
Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org 15 Faustina’s vision Saint Faustina recorded this vision in great detail in her Diary, which was written under obedience to Jesus and her spiritual director, Bl. Michael Sopoćko: Everyone was participating in the celebrations with great joy, and many of them obtained what they desired. The same celebration was held in Rome, in a beautiful church, and the Holy Father, with all the clergy, was celebrating this Feast, and then suddenly I saw Saint Peter, who stood between the altar and the Holy Father. I could not hear what Saint Peter said but I saw that the Holy Father understood his words… Then suddenly, I saw how the two rays, as painted in the image, issued from the Host and spread over the whole world. . . the whole day abounded in joy. (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1044-1048) The Marians suppose that St. Peter was here symbolically suggesting to St. John Paul II the inclusion of Divine Mercy Sunday in the Universal Calendar. Interestingly, there were big screens in St. Peter’s Square and in Kraków, broadcasting the celebrations between the cities. Kraków was shown in Rome, and Rome in Kraków. Saint Faustina had not known what she was seeing, but she had seen it true! Eyes opened Certainly, the Church’s declaration of Sr. Faustina’s canonization opened our eyes to the humble mystic’s existence, a greater awareness of her sanctity, as well as her available intercession and guidance. As the faithful learned more about the new saint and the message of Divine Mercy, they prayed for Faustina’s mighty intercession, and their lives changed for the better. After all, St. Faustina assured us, “I feel certain that my mission will not come to an end upon my death, but will begin” (Diary, 281). Saints are not born with sparkling halos hovering over their heads. They have to earn them. Saints come into this world as ordinary pilgrims like you and me — all called to holiness. Yet, many people fear that they could never achieve sanctity, or that it is reserved for someone else — their parish priest, a missionary on the other side of the world, or perhaps their heroic grandmother. Still, they’ve got one thing right. Sainthood requires heroism. Heroic virtue, to be exact. Saint Faustina faced many obstacles in earning her halo. That is, her sanctity. It wasn’t handed to her. Even her own devout parents tried to prevent her from entering the convent. Saint Faustina had to eventually “elope” with Jesus! After crossing the threshold to religious life into what should have been “paradise” for her, instead the struggles greatly increased. She suffered much ridicule, persecution, spiritual darkness, and severe sickness. However, it was along the arduous steps ascending the rungs of holiness — through obedience, simplicity, humility, and great faith and trust in God, that the once simple Polish farm girl excelled in heroic virtue — a saint-in-the-making. Divine Mercy Divine Mercy is not a new revelation. God has always been merciful. However, Heaven saw fit that between the First and Second World Wars, Jesus Christ would entrust the propagation of the hopeful message of Divine Mercy to Sr. Faustina, of the second choir in the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy Congregation, when He appeared to her on Feb. 22, 1931. This young visionary, who once cared for the cows on her family’s farm, was obedient to the mission and also to writing the unparalleled Diary, making it possible for us to learn about Jesus’ unfathomable Divine Mercy shown to humankind through the wounded Heart of Christ. This great Mercy is available for every single soul, and most especially for the most hardened of sinners. We would also become privy to Jesus’ proclamation, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy” (Diary, 300). During his homily at St. Faustina’s canonization, Pope St. John Paul II said he didn’t claim to know the future, except that there would be “new progress” and “no lack of painful experiences.” He added, “But the light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr. Faustina’s charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium.” Let us, without delay, turn to the heavenly light of Divine Mercy, asking St. Faustina to help us become saints and to impart Christ’s Love and Mercy to a world starved for it! Jesus, we trust in You! Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle is the author of 52 Weeks with Saint Faustina; Diary of a Future Saint: Faustina’s Incredible Journey; and her latest, Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope: Jubilee Pilgrims of Hope with Mary, all from Marian Press and available on ShopMercy.org. As the faithful learned more about the new saint and the message of Divine Mercy, they prayed for Faustina’s mighty intercession and their lives changed for the better.
16 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org Finding Faustina Birth and Baptism The limestone house in the peasant village of Głogowiec, Poland, was completed in 1900 and sat on a few acres of farmland. In this modest home, Helena Kowalska (the baptismal name of St. Faustina) was born in 1905, the third of 10 children, and lived her first 16 years. Today a small museum features mementos of their family life. Two days after her birth, Helena was brought for Baptism to the family’s parish church, St. Kazimierz Church in nearby Świnice Warckie. Today, the side altar highlights an image of St. Faustina and the baptismal font at which she was received into Christ’s life. In this church, she also received her first Confession and first Holy Communion. At the age of 20, Faustina joined the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy on Żytnia Street in Warsaw. Describing her feelings when joining the convent, she wrote: “It seemed to me that I had stepped into the life of Paradise. A single prayer was bursting forth from my heart, one of thanksgiving” (Diary, 17). The site of the convent is today the Shrine of St. Faustina. The convent buildings were burned during World War II and remained in ruins throughout the 20th century. Reconstruction of the site began in the early 21st The sanctuary of St. Kazimierz Church in Świnice Warckie, Poland, where Helena Kowalska was baptized in 1905. By Stephen J. Binz This silver jubilee year of St. Faustina’s canonization is the perfect time to visit the historic places in Poland and Lithuania associated with the Apostle of Divine Mercy, in person or vicariously from the comfort of home. Silver Jubilee
Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org 17 century, transforming the convent chapel into an active parish church. Płock Sanctuary Sister Faustina arrived at the convent in Płock in May 1930. Here she was assigned to the bakery shop, so every day, many inhabitants of Płock bought baked goods and were served by Sr. Faustina. This is the place where she first experienced a vision of Jesus wearing a white garment with red and pale rays emanating from His Heart. Jesus told her to have this Image painted with the signature, “Jesus, I trust in You” (in Polish: “Jezu, ufam Tobie”), so that it could be honored throughout the world. Here, too, Jesus expressed to Sr. Faustina His desire for a Feast of Mercy on the Sunday after Easter. Today the shrine contains a chapel where the Merciful Jesus first revealed Himself to Sr. Faustina. Some of the most precious relics of the shrine include the authentic bakery with the preserved kiln and tools used for baking bread, and the floor on which St. Faustina walked. The Merciful Jesus Image In 1933, after professing her perpetual vows in Kraków, Sr. Faustina was directed by her superiors to go to the convent in Vilnius (in today’s Lithuania), where she lived until 1936. Shortly after arriving, Sr. Faustina met Fr. Michael Sopoćko, the newly-appointed confessor to the sisters, who grew to trust and support her mystical experiences. At his request, she began writing her beloved Diary. Here, too, the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy was dictated to Sr. Faustina on Sept. 13-14, 1935. The original Image of the Merciful Jesus is today venerated in the beautiful Shrine of Divine Mercy in Vilnius. As Sr. Faustina insisted that God desired the Image to become a means of grace for an aching world, Fr. Sopoćko arranged for a wellknown Vilnius artist, Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, to paint it. Convent and Tomb Sister Faustina spent the final months of her short life at the sisters’ convent in Łagiewniki, Poland, located in the southern part of Kraków. She knew this convent well, having spent her novitiate years here, and she received her habit, took the name Maria Faustina, and made her final vows in the chapel. In her final months of life, Sr. Faustina was assigned as the porter at the convent gate. Here she encountered Jesus through a poor young man. After she fed Him some soup with breadcrumbs, He let her know that “He was the Lord of heaven and earth” and vanished from her sight. During her final years while in the last stages of tuberculosis, Sr. Faustina began undergoing an invisible stigmata, feeling the sufferings of Christ in His Passion without the visible wounds. About a year before her death, Sr. Faustina received instructions from the Lord concerning the Hour of Great Mercy at 3 p.m., the time of the Lord’s death on the Cross. On Oct. 5, 1938, Sr. Faustina peacefully went to her reward, while almost immediately her emaciated body seemed to take on an unearthly beauty. On the convent building at the entrance to the chapel, a plaque points to the cell in the former convent infirmary where Sr. Faustina died. In the chapel, which joins the two wings of the convent, the side altar holds the miraculous Image of Merciful Jesus painted by Adolf Hyła. Sister Faustina’s remains were exhumed and transferred to the convent chapel in 1966. Below the Image of Merciful Jesus, the saint’s relics rest in a white marble coffin. The nearby Basilica of Divine Mercy was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Dedicating the whole world to Divine Mercy, he said: “Today, in this Shrine, I wish solemnly to entrust the world to Divine Mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of God’s merciful love, proclaimed here through Saint Faustina, may be made known to all the peoples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope.” Stephen J. Binz is the author of The Way of Mercy: Pilgrimage in Catholic Poland, winner of the Catholic Media Association Book Award for “Pilgrimages/Catholic Travel.” The lavishly illustrated book from Marian Press (B65-PPLM) is available on ShopMercy.org. The convent in Vilnius, Lithuania, where Sr. Faustina met Fr. Michael Sopoćko and received the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy from Jesus. The porter’s gate at the convent in Łagiewniki, Poland, where Sr. Faustina encountered Jesus as a beggar.
In my husband Arthur’s workshop stands a 14-inch tall plaster statue of St. Joseph. He’s holding a hammer and a square (an L-shaped instrument used to measure right angles), typical tools of the carpentry trade. He’s covered in a layer of sawdust and filaments from Arthur’s own handiwork, albeit with more modern tools, like a bandsaw and an electric sander. By Veronica Szczygiel The Carpenter’s Fiat 18 Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org “Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus” by Bruno Lucchesi, a bronze sculpture at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida.
Despite his dusty appearance, St. Joseph lovingly casts his gaze on my husband as he handcrafts furniture and refurbishes antiques. But the saint’s influence stretches beyond the workshop. I can see St. Joseph’s guiding spirit in Arthur’s dedication to his friends, integrity in his workplace, and loving, patient faithfulness in his marriage to me. Family virtues When St. Joseph is depicted with the tools of his trade, I remember that he not only built items necessary for a functioning home, but he also built the virtues necessary for a faith-filled family: guardianship, merciful love, and unfailing trust in God. Saint Joseph’s life shows us how to live our own lives convicted in faith. We often speak of Mary’s fiat, or “yes” to God’s will, when she accepted the news from the Angel Gabriel that she would bear Jesus. Joseph had his own fiat, too. He was betrothed to Mary when she informed him that she was with child. This must have come as a shock, and while Joseph could have disgraced the young woman, instead, he decided he would dissolve their engagement quietly. The kind and compassionate Joseph preferred not to “drag her name through the mud” but to trust in her, and in God’s providence working somehow in this mysterious situation. He was merciful even when the external signs alone indicated he may have been wronged. But when an angel visited Joseph’s dreams to explain the true meaning behind Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph accepted God’s will for his family (see Mt 1:18-25). Joseph’s full embrace of his role as husband and father shows not only his faithfulness to God but his love and fidelity to his wife. In his 2020 apostolic letter Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Love”), Pope Francis wrote that Joseph “teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture.” Rose to the challenge The course of Joseph’s life probably looked nothing like he imagined, yet he continuously rose up to challenges by trusting in the Lord. During the census, he cared for his pregnant wife on a long journey to Bethlehem and found a safe place for her to deliver the Child (see Lk 2:1-7). When King Herod began his massacre of infants to kill the Baby Jesus, Joseph led his family as fugitives into Egypt (see Mt 2:13-15). After Herod’s death, Joseph emigrated back and settled in Nazareth, with carpentry as his trade to support his wife and child (see Mt 2:19-23). And when the pre-teen Jesus was lost in Jerusalem, staying behind in the temple to teach the rabbis, Joseph did not admonish Him but accepted his Son’s divinity and greater purpose (see Lk 2:41-52). Saint Joseph models for all men the unique and necessary role that fathers play in the family as protectors of their wives and children, made possible by a total trust in God’s plan for the family. Pope St. John Paul II stated in his 1989 apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos (“Guardian of the Redeemer”), “In the course of that pilgrimage of faith which was his life, Joseph, like Mary, remained faithful to God’s call until the end.” Actions, not words Interestingly, while Joseph is featured in the Gospels, he is never given any spoken lines. We read about Joseph’s character through his actions alone. Perhaps that gets at the heart of holy masculinity. Men can show their love for their wives and children best through their hard work, good deeds, and ardent faith. On March 19, the Catholic Church celebrates St. Joseph’s feast day, a Solemnity which falls during the Lenten season. During Lent, we can pray that he intercedes for us with the St. Joseph Memorare. We can also devote a novena to St. Joseph in the nine days leading up to his feast day, with special intentions for family life, fathers, jobs, and immigrants, all for which St. Joseph is patron. Additionally, we can dedicate ourselves to embracing Lent in the spirit of St. Joseph: With fewer words and more action. Pope Benedict XVI said in a 2006 Angelus address, “From the example of St. Joseph, we all receive a strong invitation to carry out with fidelity, simplicity, and modesty the task that Providence has entrusted to us.” Rather than simply talking about being kinder, more forgiving, and more patient with others, let’s actually do it! After all, “faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:26). And St. Joseph showed us that the best way to keep our faith alive is to truly and fully live it out. Marian Helper • Spring 2025 • Marian.org 19 We invite you to send us your intentions for the St. Joseph Novena. Visit Marian.org/b65 to have your intentions remembered.
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