Pillars of Fire In My Soul

Introduction The essay published here represents a summary of the most thorough theological analysis ever written on The Divine Mercy message and devotion as revealed to the world through St. Faustina Kowalska. The author, Fr. Ignacy Rozycki, was a theologian of consid- erable stature. Born near Cracow in Poland in 1911, he studied at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome where he completed his doctorate in Dogmatic Theology. He subsequently became a leading expert on the theology of St. Thomas, and served as a member of the International Theological Commission for the Holy See. In 1965 the then Archbishop of Cracow, Karol Wojtyla, asked Fr. Rozycki to prepare a critical analysis of the Diary and letters of Sister Faustina as part of the Informative Process con- cerning her life and virtues. But Fr. Rozycki initially had no inclination to waste his time examining what rumor told him were merely the hallucinations of an uneducated nun. Just before sending his refusal to the archbishop, however, he decid- ed to glance at a copy of the Diary “just to pass the time.” After reading a few passages, his prejudices against it were immedi- ately shaken. He decided to read the entire text. The result of this second reading was evident in his actions: Fr. Rozycki applied several intense years to the task of making a thorough and systematic study of Sr. Faustina's writings. The results of his research were written in French: a massive tome of 500 pages which was presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints as part of the official investigation into Sr. Faustina's life and virtues. This work by Father Rozycki is presently being translated into English by the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.