Our ministry
The shrines of St Faustina and St Teresa
The centre is privileged to hold a first-class relic of each, offering the faithful a special opportunity to honour these great saints and to seek their powerful intercession.
A first-class relic is a bodily relic of a saint. In the Catholic tradition, sacred relics are venerated with profound reverence — not as objects of worship, but as holy reminders of those who lived in intimate union with Christ and now share in his heavenly glory.
Apostle of Divine Mercy
St Faustina Kowalska
“Jesus, I trust in You.”
Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938), known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy, was a humble Polish religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Chosen by our Lord Jesus Christ to proclaim his unfathomable mercy to the world, St Faustina dedicated her life to prayer, sacrifice, and complete trust in God’s love.
Through a series of profound mystical encounters, Jesus revealed to St Faustina the depths of his Divine Mercy and entrusted her with the mission of reminding humanity that no soul is beyond the reach of his merciful love.
“The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy.”
Through St Faustina, our Lord gave the Church the devotion to Divine Mercy: the Image of the Divine Mercy, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Hour of Great Mercy at three o’clock, and the Feast of Divine Mercy, celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter.
Her spiritual diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, continues to inspire countless souls throughout the world to turn to Jesus with repentance, humility, and unwavering trust.
St Faustina was canonised by Pope St John Paul II on 30 April 2000, Divine Mercy Sunday, affirming the importance of her mission for the life of the Church.
Every afternoon
Three o’clock
The chaplet is prayed at the shrine at three each afternoon, the hour of the Lord’s death. Anyone may come; nothing needs to be arranged.
The next Divine Mercy Sunday
The Sunday after Easter in 2027, and the largest single day in the centre’s year.
St Faustina’s Feast Day
5 October
The anniversary of her death in 1938, and her own day in the calendar — distinct from Divine Mercy Sunday above, which is the feast of the devotion rather than the feast of the saint.
The shrine holds the image of the Divine Mercy, with its two rays — the pale ray for the water of baptism and the red for the blood of the Eucharist, as St Faustina recorded them in her diary. They are the two colours this website is drawn in.
A saint of love, mercy and compassion
St Teresa of Calcutta
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
St Teresa of Calcutta (1910–1997), affectionately known as Mother Teresa, was a humble servant of God who dedicated her entire life to serving Jesus Christ in the poorest of the poor. Born in Skopje, she responded generously to God’s call and became a radiant witness to his boundless love, mercy, and compassion.
In 1950 she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious congregation devoted to serving the poorest, the sick, the abandoned, the dying, and those forgotten by society. Through her extraordinary life of selfless service, she reminded the world that every human person, regardless of their circumstances, possesses an inherent dignity as a beloved child of God.
At the heart of Mother Teresa’s spirituality was her profound love for Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist. She believed that the same Jesus whom she adored in the Blessed Sacrament was present in the suffering and the poor. Her life reflected the words of our Lord:
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
For Mother Teresa, charity was not merely an act of kindness but an expression of her intimate union with Christ. She taught that holiness begins with loving God wholeheartedly and allowing that love to overflow into the lives of others.
Despite experiencing profound spiritual darkness and interior suffering for many years, Mother Teresa remained steadfast in her faith, trusting in God’s providence and faithfully carrying out the mission entrusted to her.
Her life continues to remind us that sanctity is not reserved for extraordinary people but is a universal calling to love, humility, prayer, sacrifice, and service.
Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 in recognition of her humanitarian work. She was canonised by Pope Francis on 4 September 2016 at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City, becoming St Teresa of Calcutta — a shining example of Christian charity and a powerful intercessor for the poor, the suffering, and all who seek to grow in holiness.
Mother Teresa’s Feast Day
5 September
The anniversary of her death in 1997, kept each year — usually with a free day of prayer open to anyone. Nothing needs to be arranged and there is nothing to pay.
The shrine is a place to sit rather than a destination. It is a few minutes from the chapel, and people use it between the sessions of a retreat or on their way past.