"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast." -- St. Faustina

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska was born in west-central Poland, the third of 10 children. She worked as a housekeeper before joining the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925. She worked as a cook, gardener and porter in three of their houses.

In addition to carrying out her work faithfully, generously serving the needs of the sisters and the local people, she also had a deep interior life. This included receiving revelations from the Lord Jesus, messages that she recorded in her diary at the request of Christ and of her confessors.

At a time when many Catholics had an image of God as a strict judge –– a time when they might be tempted to despair about the possibility of being forgiven –– Jesus chose to emphasize His mercy and forgiveness for sins acknowledged and confessed. "I do not want to punish aching mankind," he once told her, "but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My merciful heart" (Diary, 1588).

Sister Faustina died of tuberculosis in Krakow, Poland, on October 5, 1938. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993 and canonized her seven years later.

"Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God." - Diary, 1107