The Polish city where Jesus appeared

A convent in thousand-year-old Plock is where the Divine Mercy devotion began

By Barbara Middleton

Sister Salvatrice Musial, O.L.M. has been in the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy for 30 years. Her name, of Italian origin, means “God saves”

Polish Sr. Salvatrice Musial, O.L.M., is a member of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, to which St. Faustina Kowalska, who received from Jesus the commission to establish a worldwide devotion to His Divine Mercy, also belonged. Sr. Musial has written a book on the convent in Plock, Poland, where the seed of the Divine Mercy devotion was first planted by Jesus in the heart of a humble nun on February 22, 1931.

Barbara Middleton: What led you to write a book on the life of Sister Faustina?

The cover of Sr. Salvatrice Musial’s book, Saint Faustina in Plock.

SISTER SALVATRICE MUSIAL, O.L.M.: I did not originally plan to write a book about St. Faustina’s life; there are already plenty available. I was transferred to the convent in Plock myself for two years, and we all realized that there is no existing publication exploring the theme of this magnificent place in Sister Faustina’s life — yet, it was there that the mission of her entire life originated.

Tell me, please, about the first apparition of Jesus to Sr Faustina. What did Jesus ask?

The first apparition of Merciful Jesus took place at the convent in Plock. Those who visit there can see an inscription: “In this house on the 22nd February 1931 Sister Faustina experienced her first revelation of the Image of Merciful Jesus.”

It was winter time.

Older generations can recall severe winters typical of Poland then. Perhaps, on that very night, on the first Sunday of Lent, Sister Faustina observed trees covered in a royal robe of white snow and admired artistic frostwork on the convent window panes. She prayed with all her heart in the darkness of the night adorned with snowflakes swirling mysteriously. Never in her dreams had this 25-year-old sister expected that the day of February 22 would pass into our history and on to the devotees of Divine Mercy on all the continents.

She wrote in her spiritual diary: “In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord: My soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, ‘Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in you. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world’” (Diary, 47).

“I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory.” (Diary 48).

The first confidant Sister Faustina entrusted with her mystery was a confessor of the sisters. The priest, being certain that it was all about “painting” an image of Jesus deep in her soul, was not able to help her. Upon leaving the confessional, sister Faustina heard Jesus saying: “My image already is in your soul” (Diary 49). Jesus additionally requested the establishment of the Feast of Mercy in the whole Church: “I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.”

Sister Faustina also turned to her Mother Superior, who did not take the situation seriously, saying: “Well, paint the image then, Sister!” Mother Superior also asked for a sign from God. The Lord Jesus assured Sister Faustina that He would make all clear to the Superior through the graces that he would grant through this image (cf. Diary 51).

How long did Sr Faustina stay in the monastery in Plock?

St. Faustina arrived in Plock in May or June of 1930 and stayed there for two years, interrupted by her trips to nearby Biala — a village where the convent in Plock had purchased in 1928 a huge farm with a mansion. This affiliate convent served as an agricultural “hinterland” to supply food for the convent, and also a house for girls.

Plock is not only one of the oldest Polish towns, but also one of the most beautiful in the Polish Masovia District. Situated on the high, steep embankment of the Vistula River, Plock was the place of residence of medieval Polish monarchs, bishops and princes.

What was the Plock that Sister Faustina arrived in like?

At that time, the town of 30,000 was suffering from a serious economic crisis. Sister Faustina prayed for all those she had met or only had heard of — for mothers and fathers of families; for pupils rushing for classes to the famous Jesuit “Malachowianka” school adjacent to the Convent lot; for the municipal officers; for workers taking part in demonstrations against exploitation, some wounded in resulting clashes; for the unemployed and the poor, who used to visit the convent to get help and relief.

Even more, the city of that pre-war time offered shelter and homes for thousands of Jews.

Sister Faustina most probably prayed in the picturesque Roman Cathedral on the Tumsk Hill, or the parish church of St. Bartholomew; she may have admired the blue ribbon of the Vistula River, with ruins along it dating back 1,000 years, to the times of the kings — the remnants of the castle and battlements with lookout towers — as well as the stately Benedictine Abbey. The troubled history of this place may have stolen some of their splendor, but they remain a joy for the eyes and hearts of the residents and an attraction for tourists.

What were the duties of Sister Faustina in Plock?

The bakery in the basement of the Plock convent where Sr. Faustina worked, preserved as it was in the 1930s

Due to the works of mercy carried out by the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, the Plock convent, like the Congregation’s others, was commonly referred to as the “House of Mercy.” The sisters with a proper education helped women and girls living in the streets or coming from broken families. During Sister Faustina’s stay, nearly 40 sisters lived in the Plock convent and 100 girls aged 14-18 were accommodated in the House of Mercy. The girls earned a living by washing laundry and pressing clothes, as well as embroidery, sewing, baking bread and planting flowers.

The sisters and their pupils baked bread in a bakery well known to the residents of Tumsk Hill. Since she was not very educated, Sister Faustina’s main duty was helping Sister Krystyna Korzeniowska bake during both day and night shifts. For some period, she was also responsible for the cash register. Today, one can still visit the old bakery with its famous furnace.

In Plock, Sister Faustina also occasionally worked in the convent kitchen, the “heart” of a home. Contemporary kitchens are elegant and functional, but according to the memory of Sister Paulina Kosinska, the convent kitchen “was just a passageway, which was so narrow that it took an angel’s patience and virtue not to get angry with those passing by and constantly poking Sister Faustina, but there was no other passage available. Sisters were constantly called to answer the convent gate, but sister Faustina was always smiling and calm, she never manifested a sign of impatience with the sisters, nor that she was tired of it.

“It was only when Faustina left that the muttering and complaining about the situation started. Only then did our eyes open — said the sisters — about how much she could bear but had never uttered a word of complaint nor let it show on her face.”

In November, 1932, Sister Faustina left for Warsaw to start her preparations for her perpetual vows. In God’s plan, she was never to return to Plock.

Part 2 of this interview will appear in the next issue of ITV.