St. Maria Faustina Kowalska / Feast Day: October 5
Talented Storyteller, Visionary, “Secretary of Mercy” St. Maria Faustina Kowalska St. Faustina was chosen by Jesus to be His missionary of the powerful message of Divine Mercy, but her visionary spiritual life was hidden by her humble external appearance. In 1905, she was born as Helena Kowalska to a family of poor peasants in Poland and was the third of ten children. She felt called to a religious vocation from the age of seven, but she was discouraged from pursing it by her parents as they could not afford the dowry, which was the money and wardrobe required for a woman entering religious life. Instead, she threw herself into worldly fads, going to dances with her sister and using the money she earned from nannying to buy fashionable clothes. She was in fact so stylish, that one previous employer commented that she thought Helena was too expensive to hire. It was evident she had a natural gift for telling stories to the children, who were captivated by he...