Saints of Our Time · Week 1 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Faustina Kowalska
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
St. Faustina Kowalska
The girl nobody expected
Helena Kowalska was born on August 25, blank 1, in Głogowiec, Poland, the third of ten children. Her family was poor, and she left school after three years to work. At 16 she became a housekeeper to help her family. She wanted to be a nun, but her parents said no because they could not afford it.
In 1924, at a dance, Helena saw a vision of the suffering Jesus. She left, prayed in a church, and went to Warsaw with almost nothing. Many convents turned her away. In 1925 the Sisters of Our Lady of blank 2 accepted her, and she became Sister Maria Faustina.
Hidden work, huge message
In the blank 3 Sister Faustina cooked, gardened and answered the door. She was often sick, and some sisters did not think much of her. On February 22, 1931, Jesus appeared to her with two rays of light coming from his heart, one red and one pale. He asked for a painting with the words “Jesus, I trust in You.”
Faustina could not paint. With help from her priest, Father Michael Sopoćko, an artist painted the image in blank 4. Father Sopoćko also told her to write everything down. She filled six notebooks before she died of tuberculosis on October 5, 1938, at age 33.
Faustina's life and legacy
Write what happened in each year.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1905 | Write your answer |
| 1924 | Write your answer |
| 1925 | Write your answer |
| 1931 | Write your answer |
| 1935 | Write your answer |
| 1938 | Write your answer |
| 1978 | Write your answer |
| 2000 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
Why did Helena's parents first refuse to let her become a nun? Circle one.
- A They did not believe in God
- B They could not afford it
- C They wanted her to marry
- D They thought she was too young
Why is that the right answer?
Check the facts
Why was Faustina's diary banned for almost 20 years? Circle one.
- A She asked for it to stay private
- B The notebooks had been lost
- C Her order did not want it shared
- D There were mistakes in a translation
Why is that the right answer?
Merciful eyes online
Faustina prayed for merciful eyes that never “judge from appearances.” Sort each online choice. Check one box for each.
| Item | Merciful eyes | Judging from appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Asking a friend what really happened before reacting | ||
| Deciding someone is fake from one photo | ||
| Refusing to forward a rumor you cannot check | ||
| Piling onto a comment thread mocking a classmate | ||
| Accepting an apology and deleting the screenshot | ||
| Ranking classmates by their follower counts | ||
| Messaging someone who was left out of a group chat | ||
| Assuming the worst about a short text message |
Virtues Faustina lived
For each virtue, write how the saint lived it.
| Virtue | How the saint lived it |
|---|---|
| Trust | Write your answer |
| Humility | Write your answer |
| Mercy | Write your answer |
Think it through
Which choice best explains why the Church named Faustina a saint? Circle one.
- A Her deep trust in God and humble, hidden life
- B Her fame as a painter of holy images
- C Her success as a leader of her convent
- D Her years of study in the best schools
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
Faustina did small, unnoticed jobs, and her message was doubted for years. Online, we can count likes and views. Does being noticed make something matter? What would Faustina's hidden life look like on your phone?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “Something can matter without being noticed because ...”“One thing I do online only to be seen is ...”“A hidden act of mercy I could do is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Matthew 5:7
Jesus, I trust in You.
Make our eyes merciful, in person and online.
Help us do small things with great love.
St. Faustina Kowalska, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
A sister with three years of school and the simplest jobs carried a message now known all over the world.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Faustina Kowalska shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Set a 3:00 p.m. reminder one day this week. When it rings, put your phone down and pray “Jesus, I trust in You.”