Saint Faustina - Congregation of Sisters of Merciful Jesus

"...God demands that there be a congregation that would proclaim God's mercy to the world and pray for it for the world"
(Diary of Saint Sister Faustyna, 436).

Myślibórz – located on the shores of Lake Myśliborskie in the Szczecin-Kamień diocese. First mention of Myślibórz appears in a document from 1238. When in 1262-1270 Myślibórz received town rights, numerous representative buildings began to emerge. The current name of Myślibórz was approved on May 7, 1946. Near the church of the Holy Cross in Myślibórz, the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus, founded in Vilnius by Blessed Father Michael Sopocko, settled in 1947. The Congregation continues the mission of St. Faustina, and therefore in 1993 the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy was established here.

Church of the Holy Cross in Myślibórz with a stained glass window in the main altar,
built in 1905 (in the year of Sister Faustyna's birth), as the only Catholic church in the area

Stained glass window in the Church of the Holy Cross

On August 1, 1993, the Metropolitan of Szczecin-Kamień, Archbishop Marian Przykucki, solemnly brought the relics of Blessed Sister Faustyna to the monastery in Myślibórz. On that day, the church and monastery were elevated to the rank of the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy by his decree.

Fragment of the Archbishop's decree:
"...The church and monastery mentioned in Sister Faustyna's prophetic vision and described in the "Diary" seem to be the place indicated by Providence for the special veneration of Divine Mercy and support for the Congregation of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus (...). May Divine Mercy be worshiped here forever, may this place chosen by Sister Faustyna be supported by her intercession, may our faithful experience special mercy here, ensuring them earthly prosperity and eternal life...".

Sister Faustyna and Sister Benigna – the first mothers of the new congregation

Excerpts from the "Memoirs" of Sister Faustyna Osińska describing the first visit of the sisters to Myślibórz: "Myślibórz has a beautiful location (...) with a huge lake on the left, shimmering like a metallic surface amidst the morning mist. (...) What joy it was when we saw the closed gate of the small church and the two-story house with a veranda, with a sign "Caritas". A dream place for a monastic house, and we whispered quietly, how good it would be if we could live here, (...) a lot of greenery, gardens, a quiet, peaceful corner on earth, with a monastic house. We thanked God for guiding us here, to this silence and peace..."

Excerpt from the "Memories" of Father Sopocko, 1948: "Almost everything that Sister Faustyna predicted about this congregation was fulfilled with great accuracy. When in Vilnius on November 16, 1944, I accepted the private vows of the first six candidates at night, or when three years later I arrived at the first house of this Congregation in Myślibórz, I was amazed by the striking similarity of what the late Sister Faustyna told me. (...) I noticed in the nave a stained glass window with a damaged stained glass depicting the death of Lord Jesus on the cross. I looked with joy and amazement, because Sister Faustyna told me about such a church and stained glass window"

In the mission of Saint Sister Faustina, God's providence assigned a special role to her confessor and spiritual director - Father Michael Sopocko. In the years 1933-1936, during Sister Faustina's stay in Vilnius, he was indispensable help for her in discerning internal experiences and revelations. At his request, she wrote the "Diary", which is a document of Catholic mysticism of exceptional value. It also shows the holiness of Father Michael Sopocko's priestly life and his contribution to the realization of Jesus' demands.

"This is visible help for you on earth.
He will help you fulfill my will on earth
(Diary of Saint Sister Faustina, 53).

Painting the image with the likeness of Merciful Jesus, exposing it to public worship, spreading the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, taking initial steps to establish the Feast of Mercy, and founding a new monastic congregation - all this was done in Vilnius thanks to the efforts of Father Sopocko.
From that time on, their joint works, earned by their prayer and suffering, radiate to the whole world.
In his published scientific works, numerous press publications, and lectures, Father Dr. Michael Sopocko provided theological foundations for new forms of worship of God's Mercy - conveyed in the Message of God's Mercy.

Sarcophagus with the mortal remains of Blessed Father Michał Sopoćko
Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, Białystok, Blessed Father Michał Sopoćko Square 1

Currently, the Congregation of Sisters of Jesus Merciful is realizing its charism, passed on by the founder, in several dozen monastic houses in Poland and abroad. The main feature of the congregation's spirituality is the contemplation of God in His Mercy, unlimited trust, and following Jesus through the fulfillment of works of mercy towards those in need. The Sisters with their apostolic activities, they respond to the current needs of the Church, among others, they run: hospices, houses for the protection of conceived life, they preach retreats, they catechize. Every day in prayer: Jesus, I trust in You, entrust the apostolic works and the testimony of their life to God's mercy. For them, their religious vows constitute a complete entrustment to God, in which they rely not on their own strength, but on the omnipotence of God's mercy.

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