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CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS
Prot. N. 229/20
DECREE
on the inscription of the celebration of Saint Faustina Kowalska, virgin,
in the General Roman Calendar
“His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (Lk
1: 50). What the Virgin Mary sang in the Magnificat, contemplating the
salvific work of God in favour of every human generation, found an echo in the
spiritual encounters of Saint Faustina Kowalska who, through a heavenly gift,
saw in the Lord Jesus Christ the merciful face of the Father and became its
herald.
Born in the village of Głogowiec, near Łódź, in Poland in 1905, and dying in Krakow in 1938, Saint Faustina spent her short
life amongst the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, generously conforming herself to
the vocation she received from God and developing an intense spiritual life,
rich in spiritual gifts and in faithful harmony with them. In the Diary
of her soul, the sanctuary of her encounter with the Lord Jesus, she herself
recounts what the Lord worked in her for the benefit of all: listening to Him
who is Love and Mercy she understood that no human wretchedness could measure
itself against the mercy which ceaselessly pours from the heart of Christ. Thus
she became the inspiration for a movement dedicated to proclaiming and imploring
Divine Mercy throughout the whole world. Canonized in the year 2000 by Saint
John Paul II, the name of Faustina quickly became known around the world,
thereby promoting in all the parts of the People of God, Pastors and lay
faithful alike, the invocation of Divine Mercy and its credible witness in the
conduct of the lives of believers.
Therefore the Supreme Pontiff Francis, accepting the petitions and wishes of
Pastors, religious women and men, as well as associations of the faithful and
having considered the influence exercised by the spirituality of Saint Faustina
in different parts of the world, has decreed that the name of Saint Maria
Faustina (Helena) Kowalska, virgin, be inscribed in the General Roman Calendar
and that her optional memorial be celebrated by all on 5 October.
This new memorial shall be inserted into all the Calendars and liturgical books
for the celebration of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, adopting the
liturgical texts attached to this decree which must be translated, approved and,
after confirmation by this Dicastery, published by the Episcopal Conferences.
Anything to the contrary notwithstanding.
From the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
18 May 2020.
Robert Card. Sarah
Prefect
+ Arthur Roche
Archbishop Secretary
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