St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) was a Polish religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy. The devotion born from her visions in Krakow spread worldwide, carried above all by John Paul II.
Life
Faustina received her visions of Divine Mercy in the convent at Lagiewniki, on the southern edge of Krakow, during the 1930s. She lived there, saw the visions there, and died there. From those visions came the Divine Mercy image, painted according to what she described, and the devotion that carries the words Jesus, I trust in You.
Feast Day
October 5 - the liturgical memorial of St. Faustina Kowalska, kept with particular solemnity at Lagiewniki, where pilgrims gather to honour the Apostle of Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter, was established by John Paul II in 2000 and draws hundreds of thousands to Lagiewniki, which becomes the global centre of the feast.
Relics
The Divine Mercy Sanctuary at Lagiewniki holds her relics, the original Divine Mercy image painted according to her vision, and the cell where she died. The adjacent John Paul II Centre holds relics of the saint-pope, including a vial of his blood.
Where the devotion is kept
Krakow, Poland - the Divine Mercy Sanctuary at Lagiewniki. Her canonization in 2000 and the establishment of Divine Mercy Sunday made the city a global pilgrimage destination.
Sources
Written from the Destinationes guide to Krakow (site/content/places/poland/krakow/en/content.md), which carries the sourced account of the sanctuary, the relics and the feasts.
