Sister Faustina Kowalska: Her LIfe and MIssion

In the Congregation, whose Pa tron is Our Lady, by the n a tu re of th ings h e r cultus is a t the h e a r t of the sp iritua lity of its members. T he ir piety has its expres­ sion not only in the form officially recognized by the Congregation, in the prayers recommended and the Feast-days observed, b u t can fu r th e r be seen in the personal predilection of the various s isters for one of th e a ttribu tes of the Blessed Virgin, or in th e ir favour­ ite prayers to her. S ister F au s t in a was one of the la tte r . Her devotion to O u r Lady, in the liturgical- ly-ordered life of the Congregation, took on new depth. I t was only now th a t she fully understood th e role of the Mother of God in th e work of the Redemption, and the need for h e r constan t intercession, which m u s t have h ad an influence on th e choice of h e r personal devotion. This is recalled by two of h e r former companions, S ister Ju s t in e and S ister Louise for whom S ister F au s tina acted as "guardian angel": "Sister Faustina particularly prayed to Our Lady o f Perpetual Succour, and while still in the novitiate she taught us the following prayer, advising us to say it for all our needs: Mother o f Perpetual Succour, I approach You as my Mother in a ll the sufferings that assail me and in every need o f m y life. Therefore at any time o f day or night come to the aid o f my helplessness, and in the hour o f my death come to my aid, my Only Mother." (Archives of S.F., Recollections). I t is Mother Borgia, h e r Superior in Vilnius, who has shed most light on th e M arian elements in S is te r F au s tina ’s spirituality . In Vilnius, the most orien ta ted towards Mary of any Polish city, th e nun s of the Congregation of S isters of O u r Lady of Mercy had an especially favourable sp iritua l climate for th e ir devotion to th e Mother of God. The devotion of th e ir Congrega­ tion here m e t with, and was supported by, the local devotion to Our Lady of Mercy in th e Dawn Gate. 343