The Saint Faustina Novena

The Saint Faustina Novena is a nine-day Catholic prayer through the intercession of Saint Faustina Kowalska, the early-twentieth-century Polish religious sister to whom Christ revealed the Divine Mercy devotion. Saint Faustina was canonized by Pope Saint John Paul II on April 30, 2000, the same day on which Pope John Paul II established Divine Mercy Sunday in the universal Catholic calendar.

Origin and historical development

Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) was a Polish sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. She received private revelations of the merciful love of Christ throughout her brief religious life, which she recorded in the volume now known as the Diary of Saint Faustina: Divine Mercy in My Soul.

The novena to Saint Faustina herself, distinct from the Divine Mercy Novena which she received from Christ, is prayed in the days before her feast on October 5. It draws its content from her own writings and from the devotional patterns of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.

Structure of the novena

Each day meditates on one aspect of Saint Faustina's spirituality: trust in Christ's mercy, the merciful gaze upon all human beings, the practice of mercy in word and deed, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3:00 p.m.), suffering offered in union with Christ, simplicity and hiddenness of life, fidelity to vocation, and final perseverance.

When the novena is prayed

The traditional dates of the novena are September 26 through October 4, ending on the eve of Saint Faustina's feast on October 5. The novena may also be prayed at any time of year for personal intentions.

Theological foundation

Saint Faustina's spirituality is the modern Catholic restatement of two ancient themes: the unmerited mercy of God toward sinners, and the union of the soul to Christ's redemptive Passion. The Catholic Church's reception of her message has been progressive: the Holy Office initially restricted the public dissemination of her writings in 1959; the restrictions were lifted in 1978; Pope Saint John Paul II canonized her in 2000 and instituted the universal Catholic feast of Divine Mercy.

Pairing with other prayers

The novena pairs most naturally with the Divine Mercy Novena, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Holy Rosary, and the Act of Contrition. For the related Catholic teaching on the Eucharist as the source of Christ's mercy, see What is the Eucharist?.

Sources

The primary text is the Diary of Saint Faustina: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Marian Press, multiple editions). The devotional patterns are preserved by the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Krakow-Lagiewniki, the principal pilgrimage site associated with Saint Faustina.