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Divine Mercy for Moms: Sharing the Lessons of St. Faustina
Originating in the early twentieth century, the Divine Mercy devotion of St. Faustina Kowalska is one of the most celebrated of all Catholic devotions. In this, their first book, Catholic bloggers and speakers Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet break open the history, practices, and prayers associated with the devotion, guiding busy moms to receive God’s message of Divine Mercy and pass it on to others through their words, deeds, and prayers. In her famous Divine Mercy in My Soul, St. Faustina Kowalska recorded a series of visions of Jesus where he revealed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and promised that anything can be obtained with the prayer if it is compatible with his will. St. John Paul II formally established the Divine Mercy devotion and canonized Faustina in 2000. The Marians of the Immaculate Conception are dedicated to spreading the Divine Mercy devotion the foreword for this book was written by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, author of Divine Mercy Explained and 33 Days to Morning Glory. In Divine Mercy for Moms, Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet of the Columbus Catholic Women’s Conference—one of the largest annual Catholic women’s conferences in the country—draw upon their own experiences to introduce you to St. Faustina and her five essential elements of the Divine Mercy The image of the Merciful JesusThe Feast of Divine MercyThe Chaplet of Divine MercyThe House of MercySpreading the honor of Divine Mercy With heartwarming stories and practical advice, this book reveals that mercy is not just a gift to be received in the confessional but a spiritual resource that strengthens those who extend themselves in word, deed, and prayer. Designed for personal or group study, Divine Mercy for Moms celebrates the infinite mercy of God and the role of Mary, the Mother of Mercy, in the lives of all believers.Divine Mercy for Moms was the winner of a 2017 Catholic Press Association Book Family Life (Third Place).
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2016
44 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 19, 2016
This is a short book. It’s 135 pages, and that includes a foreword, an afterword, notes and two appendices. I appreciated the introduction to St. Faustina’s life and diary. It did give me some desire to check out the actual diary, which I have not read. The longest section of the book contains the two chapters on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. I was disappointed, however, that most of the “practical” suggestions were aimed at women as extroverted as the authors. Visit random people in the hospital. Strike up a conversation about faith with the person behind you in the checkout line. Throw a baby shower for a woman you barely know. If I had the temperament for those kinds of things, I doubt I’d need suggestions.
The discussion questions were all at the end of the book instead of at the end of each chapter. It was kind of annoying to keep flipping back and forth. I read this with a study group (all Catholic moms) and a lot of these questions fell a little flat with us. We always found plenty to discuss, but it didn’t feel (at least to me) as though the questions were really guiding us. One appendix includes the most basic prayers as well as the Divine Mercy Chaplet in detail. The latter is a good resource as most of us didn’t grow up with that. The other appendix has 30 days of mini reflections on mercy. I read through them in one sitting saw some promise. I might try to come back to that on my own as a month-long retreat during Advent.
The discussion questions were all at the end of the book instead of at the end of each chapter. It was kind of annoying to keep flipping back and forth. I read this with a study group (all Catholic moms) and a lot of these questions fell a little flat with us. We always found plenty to discuss, but it didn’t feel (at least to me) as though the questions were really guiding us. One appendix includes the most basic prayers as well as the Divine Mercy Chaplet in detail. The latter is a good resource as most of us didn’t grow up with that. The other appendix has 30 days of mini reflections on mercy. I read through them in one sitting saw some promise. I might try to come back to that on my own as a month-long retreat during Advent.
November 7, 2016
It was a good introduction to Faustina's diary, and I liked the practical suggestions for practicing works of mercy. I thought the discussion questions fell flat. There weren't enough, and they didn't have enough depth to them for a group to discuss much of anything. The online resources were better for some chapters than others, but a great addition to our group meeting.
December 21, 2024
This would be a good quick read for young mothers to learn how caring for your family correlates to Divine Mercy.
June 25, 2018
Also finished this book while on our vacation up north this past week...
FUS alums (my alma mater!) bring Divine Mercy alive and into the world of motherhood. They also discuss the corporal & spiritual works of mercy and practical steps to integrate these into life as a busy mother. Word of warning: These ladies are totally holy! #goals Highly recommend to Catholic mothers.
This book was easy to read with casual, but clear, writing. The authors share personal (but not scandalous) stories. Refreshing! It felt like reading a letter from a good friend. Casual, gentle, personal & encouraging. They both seemed to be hardcore about their faith, but this allowed them to approach it in an easy (not forced) manner. It felt very natural. I want to read more by this pair.
The topic & writing were good, but I felt myself disconnecting from the book several times. And sometimes it felt like a slow read. The book is really less than 100 pages, with extended resources & prayers at the end. But it still took a while to get through. It might be because I'm just not holy enough to stay on their wave length! Or it might be that I didn't come to the book connected to Divine Mercy. At times I felt myself pushing to continue reading, but then later I'd reengage with the book. I did find many helpful practical steps and endearing moments in the book.
The authors have my full trust, but one thing that struck me as odd was on page 65 when they talked about the "debt of justice". They briefly quote the Catechism: When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice (CCC 2446, quoting St. Gregory the Great). I really wished this had been explained. They just threw the quote out there and then moved on. But the quote seems to say that we don't actually have a right to the things we own, if someone else is in need. And the bible says the poor will always be with you, so where does that leave us? I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of "justice" movements that seek to redistribute wealth and use force to strip away individual rights.
Mr. Michael Gaitley is mentioned repeatedly.
This is full-on Steubie: 7 kids, hosting bible studies on Divine Mercy, attending mass with the whole family, tragedy supported by an unbelievably wide network (and possibly some oversharing & lack of personal responsibility). One of the authors also worked in a Jamaican orphanage for a summer!
I would want to own this book, so that I could periodically re-read it. I think it is the type of thing that sinks in slowly.
I was encouraged to put up divine images in our home after reading this book.
FUS alums (my alma mater!) bring Divine Mercy alive and into the world of motherhood. They also discuss the corporal & spiritual works of mercy and practical steps to integrate these into life as a busy mother. Word of warning: These ladies are totally holy! #goals Highly recommend to Catholic mothers.
This book was easy to read with casual, but clear, writing. The authors share personal (but not scandalous) stories. Refreshing! It felt like reading a letter from a good friend. Casual, gentle, personal & encouraging. They both seemed to be hardcore about their faith, but this allowed them to approach it in an easy (not forced) manner. It felt very natural. I want to read more by this pair.
The topic & writing were good, but I felt myself disconnecting from the book several times. And sometimes it felt like a slow read. The book is really less than 100 pages, with extended resources & prayers at the end. But it still took a while to get through. It might be because I'm just not holy enough to stay on their wave length! Or it might be that I didn't come to the book connected to Divine Mercy. At times I felt myself pushing to continue reading, but then later I'd reengage with the book. I did find many helpful practical steps and endearing moments in the book.
The authors have my full trust, but one thing that struck me as odd was on page 65 when they talked about the "debt of justice". They briefly quote the Catechism: When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice (CCC 2446, quoting St. Gregory the Great). I really wished this had been explained. They just threw the quote out there and then moved on. But the quote seems to say that we don't actually have a right to the things we own, if someone else is in need. And the bible says the poor will always be with you, so where does that leave us? I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of "justice" movements that seek to redistribute wealth and use force to strip away individual rights.
Mr. Michael Gaitley is mentioned repeatedly.
This is full-on Steubie: 7 kids, hosting bible studies on Divine Mercy, attending mass with the whole family, tragedy supported by an unbelievably wide network (and possibly some oversharing & lack of personal responsibility). One of the authors also worked in a Jamaican orphanage for a summer!
I would want to own this book, so that I could periodically re-read it. I think it is the type of thing that sinks in slowly.
I was encouraged to put up divine images in our home after reading this book.
March 18, 2016
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a simple and easy to follow guide for any woman (not just Moms) who wants to find meaning in her everyday life and share her Catholic faith with the people she encounters daily. The chapters cover the topics of St. Faustina, Apostle of Divine Mercy, Developing trust in Jesus through the Divine Mercy Devotion, Showing Mercy to our neighbor, The Corporal works of mercy, The Spiritual Works of mercy, and Mary, Mother of Mercy. Each one references a writing from St. Faustina's Diary and gives practical ideas to follow the lesson.
I am inspired to incorporate the Divine Mercy and the lessons into my daily life after reading the book and want to share it with other mothers.
This is a simple and easy to follow guide for any woman (not just Moms) who wants to find meaning in her everyday life and share her Catholic faith with the people she encounters daily. The chapters cover the topics of St. Faustina, Apostle of Divine Mercy, Developing trust in Jesus through the Divine Mercy Devotion, Showing Mercy to our neighbor, The Corporal works of mercy, The Spiritual Works of mercy, and Mary, Mother of Mercy. Each one references a writing from St. Faustina's Diary and gives practical ideas to follow the lesson.
I am inspired to incorporate the Divine Mercy and the lessons into my daily life after reading the book and want to share it with other mothers.
December 18, 2019
Mercy. The method for extending His mercy to others is through deed word and prayer. Practice the corporal works of mercy (1) feed the hungry (2) give drink to the thirsty (3) clothe the naked (4) shelter the homeless (5) visit the sick (6) visit the imprisoned (7) bury the dead. Practice the spiritual works of mercy (1) counsel the doubtful (2) instruct the ignorant (3) admonish sinners (4) comfort the afflicted (5) forgive offenses (6) bear wrongs patiently (7) pray for the living and the dead. St. Faustina was God's instrument to delivering the Divine Mercy message to all people. She lived from 1905 1938 in Poland and is known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy.
October 20, 2016
My most loved read of the year. After reading this I also got the print outs from the website for the book and hung them on my fridge. Within this Papal Year of Mercy I have tried to focus on integrating mercy in my every day life, and this book has been a large piece of this puzzle.
This book is written very much for a middle class or upper middle class family. Application at times for those in poverty is limited.
This book is written very much for a middle class or upper middle class family. Application at times for those in poverty is limited.
August 5, 2017
This was a great book! I lead a small group book study with this book and everyone had such a great experience reflecting on the meaning of mercy as shared by St. Faustina. The website (https://www.divinemercyformoms.com/) also gave us very helpful tools to living out both corporal and spiritual works of mercy in our daily lives. So very pleased with this book and looking forward to a group study of their new one being released this autumn!
September 14, 2016
This is a very easy and simple read about the lessons of St. Faustina and how to incorporate them into your every day life as a mom. I enjoyed this and it was a simple read, however their were a few mistakes that were a little too obvious. I also really wish the authors would have included anecdotes from their own experience or own lives to make the tasks more relatable.
January 2, 2020
Facilitated two small groups using this book. We learned a lot about St. Faustina and her amazing short life. The questions at the end of each chapter led to lots of great discussion and prayer. It was interesting learning about the Divine Mercy Chaplet and incorporating spiritual and corporal works of mercy into our lives through words, actions, and prayer.
April 16, 2016
For moms with children of any age, this book packs a strong spiritual punch. It's loaded with advice on living the corporal and spiritual works of mercy in family life and comes complete with an excellent resource list, including a tutorial on the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
October 3, 2017
This book was filled with some wonderful stories and GREAT examples of how to truly live mercy as a mother. I think I will come back to this book over and over to refresh my memory on how to live the message of mercy better in my home.
May 9, 2018
A great book laying out the different foundations for divine mercy and action steps to help you act them out in your day to day life.
The authors also gave great personal examples along the way incorporating them with excerpts from St Faustina's Diary.
The authors also gave great personal examples along the way incorporating them with excerpts from St Faustina's Diary.
May 19, 2020
4 1/2 stars. After a great introduction to the life of St. Faustina, I now want to learn more about her! I really enjoyed the practical ideas this book gave for incorporating corporal and spiritual acts of mercy into everyday busy mom life.
November 28, 2016
Tons and tons and tons of great practical ideas to practice mercy.
February 10, 2017
Our moms group read this book. It was the best book and study we could have asked for. The only thing we were sad about is that it is over.
May 12, 2017
My lenten read for the year. So good. I will definitely be re-reading this one!
January 24, 2019
I can’t recommend this book enough to all of my Catholic Mom friends!
March 24, 2019
This book gives an easy to understand introduction to Saint Faustina and her devotions. It list practical ways to apply Divine Mercy and Faustina's teaching to everyday life. Loved this book!!
February 25, 2020
This is a good book. It is a quick read with some helpful and basic information on incorporating prayer and the works of mercy into family life, especially for moms.
March 2, 2022
I read this book as a book study for my prayer group. It was a very easy read some really great ideas as to how to exercise mercy and love in your everyday life as a mother. It has helped to change how I approach my day in very simple ways. I loved that each chapter provided deed, word, and prayer challenges. There are study questions to help guide group discussion or personal reflection, and there is a 30 day opportunity for mini-reflections in the back of the book. I would definitely recommend this book to other mothers out there. But even if you're not a mother, it is a worthwhile read.
January 31, 2021
Excellent and very good for mothers of all seasons!
October 10, 2021
This is a lovely and practical book that shows moms how to apply mercy--in all its forms--to all the aspects of their daily life. Highly recommended!
Read
September 5, 2024DNF. There were some good parts, but after reading over half the book I accepted that it’s just not worth finishing for me. Maybe I’ll come back one day.
July 14, 2025
Easy and quick read, but nothing spectacular. I liked the practical tips the authors present
October 23, 2020
“Approach your family as you would approach Christ.”
This book is for Christian women who want to learn more about St. Faustina Kowalska’s Divine Mercy devotion. The book is geared toward Catholic mothers, but any Christian wife and any Christian mother will find wonderful tips on how to improve their faith in the midst of marriage and motherhood. This book is also for women who don’t have a lot of time to read as the book is short and to-the-point. This book is also written to be used by small groups for a book study.
Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet co-wrote the book with Michele writing chapters 1, 4 and 6 and Emily writing chapters 2, 3 and 5. They wrote the introduction and study guide together. They are friends who have known each other for a long time and they have worked together on women’s conferences in Columbus, Ohio. They also co-chair our Catholic school’s Catholic Identity Committees and give talks on our faith to women’s groups and other organizations. Emily has a daily radio reflection called “A Mother’s Moment,” which streams live on St. Gabriel Radio at 2:55 p.m. EST each weekday.
Michele and Emily wrote the book mainly for mothers to show the spiritual and practical side of living out Divine Mercy. The book is written from their personal stories and perspectives. They invite you along on their life journey as they’ve strived to apply lessons learned from St. Faustina in their daily lives.
Mothers are busy with all the daily tasks to run a family. Often, spirituality is pushed to the side. However, it can be a vitally important part of being a good mother. Emily and Michele wrote a short book to show mothers how the lessons of Divine Mercy can help increase their spirituality in their day-to-day lives. 2017 was called the Year of Mercy by the Catholic Church. Many people focused on learning more about St. Faustina. Divine Mercy for Moms was actually published beforehand, so it became a great resource for mothers.
St. Faustina was canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. She was Polish and she joined a convent when she was 18 years old. She had a vision of Jesus where she was asked to paint a picture of him (you can see it here). She also kept a diary where she wrote about how Jesus spoke to her about mercy. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 33. From her diary, there is a Chaplet of Divine Mercy prayer.
The book goes over the history of St. Faustina and then goes into lessons from Divine Mercy for mothers. They cover developing trust in Jesus, showing mercy to neighbors, the corporal works of mercy, the spiritual works of mercy and Mary’s role in mercy. For each topic, the authors share very personal stories about how they try to live out divine mercy in each topic. For the history of St. Faustina, Michele shares her story about visiting The Shrine of Divine Mercy in Poland. In the chapter about trusting Jesus, Emily goes over how she finds little ways in her day to implement thinking about Divine Mercy through the prayers or having the image placed somewhere she sees it often. The rest of the chapters share very practical ways to live out Divine Mercy in our homes, neighborhoods and communities.
The authors also have a great Web site that has a blog, resources, shop and support area. They offer some freebies, which include a bookmark, coloring page, journal page and checklists. There is a resource page that offers links to enhance the book and they are organized by each chapter in the book. They have also written a second book called The Friendship Project, which encourages women in their friendships with each other.
I found this book to be very profound and inspirational. Since it was only 6 chapters, I read one chapter each Sunday during the season of Lent so that I would take my time to read and ponder the ideas in the book. A dear friend of mine gave me a copy of the book as she had two copies. Neither of us knew too much about St. Faustina or Divine Mercy, but we strive to be good mothers who share our faith with our children. I will be keeping this book on my bookshelf as a resource and will probably re-read it at least once a year. I will also recommend this to friends who are mothers and need some encouragement.
Read more here: https://sarahannecarter.com/divine-me...
This book is for Christian women who want to learn more about St. Faustina Kowalska’s Divine Mercy devotion. The book is geared toward Catholic mothers, but any Christian wife and any Christian mother will find wonderful tips on how to improve their faith in the midst of marriage and motherhood. This book is also for women who don’t have a lot of time to read as the book is short and to-the-point. This book is also written to be used by small groups for a book study.
Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet co-wrote the book with Michele writing chapters 1, 4 and 6 and Emily writing chapters 2, 3 and 5. They wrote the introduction and study guide together. They are friends who have known each other for a long time and they have worked together on women’s conferences in Columbus, Ohio. They also co-chair our Catholic school’s Catholic Identity Committees and give talks on our faith to women’s groups and other organizations. Emily has a daily radio reflection called “A Mother’s Moment,” which streams live on St. Gabriel Radio at 2:55 p.m. EST each weekday.
Michele and Emily wrote the book mainly for mothers to show the spiritual and practical side of living out Divine Mercy. The book is written from their personal stories and perspectives. They invite you along on their life journey as they’ve strived to apply lessons learned from St. Faustina in their daily lives.
Mothers are busy with all the daily tasks to run a family. Often, spirituality is pushed to the side. However, it can be a vitally important part of being a good mother. Emily and Michele wrote a short book to show mothers how the lessons of Divine Mercy can help increase their spirituality in their day-to-day lives. 2017 was called the Year of Mercy by the Catholic Church. Many people focused on learning more about St. Faustina. Divine Mercy for Moms was actually published beforehand, so it became a great resource for mothers.
St. Faustina was canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. She was Polish and she joined a convent when she was 18 years old. She had a vision of Jesus where she was asked to paint a picture of him (you can see it here). She also kept a diary where she wrote about how Jesus spoke to her about mercy. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 33. From her diary, there is a Chaplet of Divine Mercy prayer.
The book goes over the history of St. Faustina and then goes into lessons from Divine Mercy for mothers. They cover developing trust in Jesus, showing mercy to neighbors, the corporal works of mercy, the spiritual works of mercy and Mary’s role in mercy. For each topic, the authors share very personal stories about how they try to live out divine mercy in each topic. For the history of St. Faustina, Michele shares her story about visiting The Shrine of Divine Mercy in Poland. In the chapter about trusting Jesus, Emily goes over how she finds little ways in her day to implement thinking about Divine Mercy through the prayers or having the image placed somewhere she sees it often. The rest of the chapters share very practical ways to live out Divine Mercy in our homes, neighborhoods and communities.
The authors also have a great Web site that has a blog, resources, shop and support area. They offer some freebies, which include a bookmark, coloring page, journal page and checklists. There is a resource page that offers links to enhance the book and they are organized by each chapter in the book. They have also written a second book called The Friendship Project, which encourages women in their friendships with each other.
I found this book to be very profound and inspirational. Since it was only 6 chapters, I read one chapter each Sunday during the season of Lent so that I would take my time to read and ponder the ideas in the book. A dear friend of mine gave me a copy of the book as she had two copies. Neither of us knew too much about St. Faustina or Divine Mercy, but we strive to be good mothers who share our faith with our children. I will be keeping this book on my bookshelf as a resource and will probably re-read it at least once a year. I will also recommend this to friends who are mothers and need some encouragement.
Read more here: https://sarahannecarter.com/divine-me...
July 16, 2016
For all Mothers who daily give of themselves to family this books is for you. You will witness how mercy flows through your family and community through your deeds of mercy. You will also feel the presence of Divine Mercy in your soul. Enjoy!
October 9, 2016
Wonderfully written for anyone. The explanations for the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are simplified and easy to understand. They give great ideas for serving others, as we are called to do.
November 13, 2016
Divine Mercy for Moms is an engaging introduction to the saint and the devotion.
I wrote more about books related to Poland, WYD, and Divine Mercy here:
http://readingcatholic.com/good-reads...
I wrote more about books related to Poland, WYD, and Divine Mercy here:
http://readingcatholic.com/good-reads...
June 25, 2023
Finished for the 3rd time & loved it again. Found even more to take from it. And highlight so many more passages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews