Saints of Our Time · Week 1 · Grades 9–12
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.
An unlikely messenger
Helena Kowalska was born on August 25, 1905, in Głogowiec, Poland, the third of ten children in a poor, religious family. She had three years of school, then worked as a housekeeper from the age of 16. Her parents refused her wish to enter a blank 1 because they could not afford it.
In blank 2, at a dance, she saw a vision of the suffering Jesus, who asked how long she would keep putting him off. She went to Warsaw with almost nothing and was turned away by many convents. The Sisters of Our Lady of blank 3 accepted her in 1925. As Sister Maria Faustina she cooked, gardened and kept the door, often sick and little regarded by some of her sisters.
The message and the long wait
On February 22, blank 4, Jesus appeared to her in a white robe, with two rays of light, one red and one pale, coming from his heart. He asked for an image bearing the words “Jesus, I trust in You,” and said he wanted the whole world to know his mercy. An artist painted it in 1934 with the help of her priest, Father Michael Sopoćko.
At his direction she filled six notebooks, now called blank 5 in My Soul. She died of tuberculosis on blank 6 5, 1938, aged 33. Her diary was later banned for almost 20 years because of a bad translation. In 1978 the ban was lifted with help from Karol Wojtyła, Archbishop of Kraków, who became Pope John Paul II that year.
From a village to the whole Church
Write what happened in each year.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1905 | Write your answer |
| 1925 | Write your answer |
| 1931 | Write your answer |
| 1934 | Write your answer |
| 1938 | Write your answer |
| 1965 | Write your answer |
| 1978 | Write your answer |
| 2000 | Write your answer |
Apply it
A classmate posts something cruel, then sincerely apologizes. Which response best fits the mercy Faustina preached? Circle one.
- A Pretend it never happened and say nothing was wrong
- B Keep the screenshot in case you need it later
- C Name the harm honestly, then forgive and let it go
- D Forgive only after others have forgiven first
Why is that the right answer?
Apply it
Faustina's diary was banned for almost 20 years because of a bad translation. What is the best lesson for sharing information online? Circle one.
- A A message distorted in transmission can mislead, so check before sharing
- B A message that is ever doubted was probably false from the start
- C A message should never be translated or passed on by others
- D A message matters only if authorities approve it at once
Why is that the right answer?
Take a side
Mercy is forgiveness toward someone who does not deserve it. Is that unfair to the people who were hurt?
My side: ☐ Mercy is unfair ☐ Mercy is not unfair
- The message Faustina carried is that God's love and forgiveness are bigger than any sin.
- Does forgiving a person mean there should be no consequences?
- Online, an old post can follow someone for years. Should it?
- Who benefits when a wrong is never forgiven? Who pays when it is forgiven too cheaply?
My strongest reason, with evidence from the slides:
The best argument for the other side, and my response:
Hidden and unseen
Faustina's work went unnoticed, and she died before her message was accepted. Much of digital life rewards being seen. What is worth doing if no one ever sees it or likes it?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “Something worth doing unseen is ...”“Being seen changes my motives when ...”“Faustina's example challenges me to ...”
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.
Give us merciful eyes, slow to judge from appearances.
Teach us to change small things into great ones by love.
St. Faustina Kowalska, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
A doorkeeper with three years of schooling gave the Church the image, the chaplet and the feast of Divine Mercy.
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: At 3:00 p.m. one day this week, the Hour of Mercy, put your phone away for five minutes. Pray “Jesus, I trust in You,” then forgive one person by name.