HUNDREDS of people braved the poor weather on Sunday to welcome the relic of Saint Faustina to Saint Mary’s Church in Convoy.
The relic of bone from the Polish saint is the first to ever come to Ireland.
Sister Faustina was a young, uneducated nun in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930s.
She came from a poor family that struggled during the years of World War I. She had only three years of simple education, so hers were the humblest tasks in the convent, usually in the kitchen or garden.
However, she received extraordinary revelations, or messages, from Jesus. He asked Sr Faustina to record these experiences, which she compiled into notebooks.
These notebooks are known today as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, and the words contained within are God’s loving message of Divine Mercy.
Parish Priest Fr Eamonn Kelly was offered the relic and he and the local community prepared a special alcove and reliquary in the church to house it.
Sisters of the Merciful Jesus, from the Divine Mercy Centre in Letterkenny attended and provided the music for the ceremony. Sr Bernadette gave an inspiring talk on the saint.
Speaking to the Donegal News this week Fr Kelly said around 100 people walked from Broadpath to the church with the relic on Sunday. Some 150 people were already in the church awaiting its arrival.
“We had a lovely turnout despite the weather and a prayer service when we got to the church. We had a nice booklet and prayer cards for the people to take away.
“It is amazing the number of people coming to the church since, a lot of stories of sickness and worry. People are coming seeking a blessing with the relic so we have decided to have a blessing service with the relic on a Saturday morning, such is the demand. It has been a great start,” Fr Kelly added.
Though the Divine Mercy message is not new to the teachings of the Church, Sr Faustina’s Diary sparked a great movement and a strong and significant focus on the mercy of Christ.
Saint John Paul II canonised Sr Faustina in 2000 making her the first saint of the new millennium.
Fr Kelly said that he hoped in time the St Faustina alcove in the church would become a fountain of Divine Mercy for people from far and near.
“I do hope people will come and visit and tell others, that is the key in the long term,” he added.
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