"Vilniaus medija" presents I TRUST IN YOU I found out about this image, when I met Alanta,
I hadn't heard of it before. When I saw this image, I don't
know why, but I instantly liked it. I couldn't forget it. Just at the beginning
of independence, after Lithuania was
already independent, some French people
stopped me at the street and asked me about this
image, and I didn't know, I really didn't know
a thing about it. A lady from Samogitia
called me and asked: Father, is it true
that this image is in Vilnius? You know, I visited America,
and they have this image all over the churches. When I saw on TV that this painting
is in Vilnius, I was very surprised and decided to call you.
That's the original image, isn't it? I'm a painter by education, and being able to break free from
the painter's way of seeing things was truly wonderful. I look at all other paintings
as a painter - critically, but this image is
a window to Heaven for me. Bialystok, Poland We are at the tomb
of the painter from Vilnius, Eugeniusz Kazimirowski. He spent the last years
of his life in Bialystok - from 1936 Barbara Cichonska, art historian till his death, September 23, 1939, as we see
in the inscription on the tombstone. Vilnius, Lithuania I had never given myself a thought
as to why the Polish tourists keep coming here,
what are they looking for. And some 10 years ago,
my own sins led me to the little church of the Divine
Mercy. A very simple reason. Sometimes God acts as a film
director in all our adventures and events.
This marked the beginning of my close acquaintance with
Faustina Kowalska, with her visions, with the message of mercy.
It wasn't like falling-off a horse, Rimas Šapauskas,
TV and radio presenter not a sudden conversion
as for Saint Paul, it was the result of a certain long perspective. Swinice Warckie, Poland Glogowiec, Poland We are in the village of Glogowiec, which belongs to the Swinica Warckie
parish, diocese of Wloclawek. Here, in this house, on August 25,
1905, St. Faustina Kowalska, apostle of Divine Mercy, was born. Father Janusz Kowalski,
parish priest of Swinice Warckie Here she spent more than half of her
life, all her childhood and youth; we venerate her as the patron
of children and young people. The baptism certificate
is written in Russian - the language of the occupants, and it serves as a silent
witness of the sufferings, borne by the Polish people. The priest, who baptized her, Father Jozef Odinski,
had even to sign it in Russian. If he had signed it
in his native language, he would have been exiled to Siberia and probably
met the end of his life there. In this room,
we also see the holy image, at which our saint used to prayed. Lord Jesus tears his hand off
the cross to embrace St. Francis. Who knows, maybe in her visions,
which she experienced in Plock, when Jesus told her to have
the image of Mercy painted, Faustina saw exactly such a face, such a look as in
that image of her childhood days? All the visions are
strange in their own way, because you can't
understand, what is going on. But God chooses what
He wants, to send us a message or give an encouragement.
I think that Father Sopočko, Cardinal Audrys Juozas Bačkis who was Faustina's spiritual
director and to whom she confided all her visions, when they first met, did the right thing - sent her
to a psychiatrist just to make sure that these are not hallucinations, that she is sane,
and got a positive response - this person
is perfectly sane and so on. Plock, Poland Here, at this place
Sister Faustina worked, when she lived in Plock in 1930-1932. At that time, here was a bakery-shop. Sister Faustina was selling bread. Her work at the kitchen
was very exhausting. Of course, when Faustina arrived, the kitchen
looked different from now. On February 22, 1931 -
it was the first Sunday of Lent - Faustina, who now is a saint,
returned to her cell and, I think, Sister Jolanta Pietrasinska, Congregation of Sisters
of Our Lady of Mercy prepared to go to bed
without any expectations, as it was the day's end.
And suddenly she saw Lord Jesus. As she told in her writings,
he was dressed in white, with two rays shining
from the area of the heart: one red, the other whitely. Lord Jesus held
His right hand raised for blessing. Sister Faustina stared
at Jesus, and he told her: "Have the image done
according to what you see now, with the inscription
'Jesus, I trust in You'". Vilnius, Lithuania Here, where our chapel is now,
there used to be the studio of the painter
Eugeniusz Kazimirowski. It was he who painted the first -
original - image of Merciful Jesus. Sister Aldona Paczkowska, Congregation
of Sisters of Merciful Jesus It was in 1934.
The work lasted from January 2 till the end of May or June. Father Sopočko himself
posed for the painting, dressed in a white alb. Also, Sister Faustina used to come and explain him,
how Jesus should be portrayed. Eugeniusz Kazimirowski is a correct
representative of academism. He is doing his job, his commission, and as far as I know,
it wasn't that easy for him. Sister Faustina used
to stand next to him and tell: this is not right, and this too, so
his situation was really unenviable, Sigita Maslauskaitė-Mažylienė, director of the Church
Heritage Museum because it was difficult
to convey that spiritual experience, which does not yield
to any brush and colours, while you must paint these things,
and under such a dictate… I think that it is very likely that St. Faustina
would even burst into tears, because no painter in the whole world would have been
able to fulfill her expectations Edyta Hankowska-Czerwinska,
restorer of the painting and paint it exactly the way
she saw in her visions. I think that Kazimirowski
has done a very good job, and this is the best of all
the images of Merciful Jesus. This image - the figure of Jesus, his face, his look - was meant
to express goodness of God, his faithfulness, his descending
into human troubles, pain, misery. It is not an easy task for an artist. Henryk Ciereszko, bishop of Bialystok Afterwards, Sister Faustina
felt a certain discontent with the painter's inability to
express what she saw in her vision, what she felt inside.
Because Jesus is everything, but words cannot convey his personality and features. We shouldn't expect that.
Instead, we should focus more on how to render the idea
of faith, God's mercy, his goodness, forgiveness and understanding
of the human condition. Keep it in place… You know, you better put it on top… What are you doing? I was unable to conceive,
therefore, both our children are the gift of God, fruit of prayers. Alanta Masiulienė, businesswoman When our first, Gabrielius,
was born, I went to see the doctor, and told him: here,
you see, a child was born, though the doctors had told
that my wife can't have children. He told me that
when they opened her abdomen, because they had
to perform the caesarean, he said that as a doctor he sees
no chance of any more children. But if we had one child,
this means that there will be others. I was so surprised to hear that and
afterwards thought about his words… Petras Masiulis, businessman And here,
you see - we have Mykolas. We have offered ourselves,
our children, our whole life to the Divine Mercy love
and to Jesus, and we have put up a few votive offerings
as a thanks to God for our family, our life, our faith. For being at such
a miraculous, wonderful place. Who would have thought that we are
living in the true presence of God, in such a chosen place,
where Lord appeared so many times. Where this image was painted.
There are many inspired images, inspired
by the Holy Spirit, a lot of them. But this image was
commissioned by Jesus himself. Sometimes people ask me: how can you work
with a painting that is miraculous? My response is always the same: during the process you must treat every painting as a piece
of canvas. That sounds terrible. It's a piece of canvas
that is very ill and needs help. You can't do
the restoration while kneeling, because that would be
very uncomfortable, and you'd be
limited in your activities. Edyta Hankowska-Czerwinska,
restorer of the painting It's difficult to forget the context,
but I managed to do that. I looked at it as an ordinary
painting and did my best. But if I'm asked,
what is the work of my life, I always answer - that painting. And precisely
that one, painted in 1934, which is deemed a bit tasteless, because all rosy, because Lord
Jesus is portrayed so sugary. And I respond:
He is not sugary at all. That image is full of reflection,
an the face is so deep. We have come
to the Church Heritage Museum, which is Sapieha family mausoleum and the Church
of the St. Michael Archangel. And here is the image,
which, of course, is a copy, a perfect copy of the original,
and its hanging place is very exact, because in 1936,
Father Michal Sopočko hung the image
of Merciful Jesus right here, having transferred it
from some unknown corridor, where it had hung before. However, Sister Faustina
did not live up to this day, because in 1936 she had left
for Poland due to severe illness. I have no information that people would hang here
their votive offerings or any other
visible signs of devotion, on the other hand, it is likely that
this flame of love and devotion had no time to start because
of an imminent occupation, that is, World War II
and subsequent occupation. Krakow, Poland As a painter myself,
I first had problems with accepting all those images of Mercy. I saw their
advantages and shortcomings, what I liked and didn't like, Sister Gaudia Skass, Congregation
of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy what I would
have done in a different way, because I didn't like
any of those images. But Lord Jesus made me fall
on my knees and change my heart, because I have come to see
that it is more than an image. That Jesus touches
me through that image. Since then it didn't matter anymore,
which of the images it was, because there are
more versions of it, not only those of Vilnius and Krakow. I have been to the West many times,
there are many more images there, like those painted in the USA. I had to cross the barrier of form.
No matter which version it is, this or that, or the umpteenth one, -
it is Lord Jesus who touches me, guides me, opens my heart,
and I feel grateful for that. Vilnius, Lithuania I had first heard
about this image of Mercy, when I embarked
on my journey towards priesthood. When I enrolled in the preparatory
course at Steubenville in the USA, I found an already advanced
Divine Mercy devotion - including both
the chaplet and the image. On the other hand,
when I arrived in Lithuania, Gintaras Grušas,
archbishop of Vilnius I was almost bluntly told
that it is a Polish devotion, and Lithuanians do not practice it. And I saw progress,
the change of things in Lithuania: from the position
that this is a Polish devotion, unbecoming to Lithuanians,
to the renewed interest, sparked by John Paul II's visit,
and finally to the Cardinal Bačkis' founding the new shrine and this
image becoming truly international. This is one of the gifts
of living in Lithuania. The fact that here, in this very
place, where everything started, there is so little fervour,
used to puzzle me. When I came to Lithuania, I would ask people - Saint Faustina
Kowalska, you know her? You have been blessed to have
that history here, in Vilnius, where you can be close to it
and pray. And they would answer: it's Blessed Faustina
Kowalska, not the Saint. And I would answer: not only a saint,
but one of the most prominent saints, one weekend after the Easter is dedicated entirely
to her, don't you know? There was a period in my life,
when I started reading her diary, and she became very close to me.
The chaplet of mercy has become the prayer of my family
at the most difficult moments. Gian Luca Demarco, chef I remember that moment from
her diary, saying that if you pray the chaplet at the deathbed, that person will be
saved without any judgement. Then there came the moment, when I
had to say goodbye to my father. It was an accident,
and the doctors told me that my father will not
make it through the night, that they've done
everything they could. They dressed us up to go
into the operating theater, and each family member
had their own 5 minutes, - my sister and me, while my mother
had more time to bid farewell, because he was still half-conscious. And I told him three things:
I said I love you, because as a man
I had never told him that; second, that I'm proud
to have a father like him; and third, if he really has to die,
I will pay his ticket to Heaven. Then I left, and the worst thing
was that because of the stress I couldn't remember that prayer, which was so familiar
to me and said so many times. So I phoned my friend,
who also prayed the chaplet, and that night he helped me
to remember those words that I had forgotten
due to all confusion. I got the idea to provide
a special space for this image after the canonization
of Sister Faustina in 2000. I found out her whole story,
also that of the image, and at that time, the former Church
of Holy Trinity became available. It was built in the XVIth century, afterwards turned
into an Orthodox church, then returned to the Catholics. Father Sopočko used
to celebrate Mass in Russian there, but it was eventually closed
and turned into a workshop. So when it was
returned to us again, I thought it would be no harm to the faithful
of the Church of the Holy Spirit, because it's only about 200 metres
from there, and they will not lose their chance to pray at the image. Cardinal Audrys Juozas Bačkis But then a small group formed,
those people didn't want to give the painting away, that's normal
thing, because parish people become attached to their paintings, which they see for so many years in
their churches. Thus there was some unnecessary noise, but thank God, it only made the image famous
throughout Vilnius and all Lithuania. Many people ask me:
is this the original one, could it have been modified? I have worked at this painting,
almost touching its surface with my nose. I know every
centimeter of it, every crack, every stain.
I could recognize it day and night. Edyta Hankowska-Czerwinska,
restorer of the painting The true original image
hangs here, in this Shrine. People care not only about
the place, but the devotion as well. This place is marked
by the visit of Saint John Paul II, Father Miroslav Grabovski who has prayed right here,
at the original image. I remember how he called this image
- that would be "swięty wizerunek" - in other words, sacred image. When people found out that
the first image is here, in Vilnius, and that it must be here -
many of them were shocked, but actually there was joy, too.
Vilnius is called the city of mercy, because both Our Lady of Mercy and
the image of Merciful Jesus are here. Of course,
it was transferred from this church under the tragic circumstances,
but everything is in God's hands. The Church is one, catholicos,
that is, universal, so in this case it would be stupid to think
of whom this image belongs to - Lithuanians or Poles. Rimas Šapauskas,
TV and radio presenter As we know,
God cherishes people of every nation, and thank God, such things are
disappearing, and mercy helps to heal the old wounds of the past. In fact, this is Lithuanian-Polish
relationship, their communion, their friendship - we
must never forget all those years, when we were friends and allies, compared to that rather
short 20-year period of hostility. Mysliborz, Poland Here we see the copy
of the image of Merciful Jesus, of the Vilnius image,
which we love most of all, which touches us
in the most special way. We can see that it's a copy. But it has a soul,
because here Jesus is smiling. Sister Teresa Szalkowska, Congregation
of Sisters of Merciful Jesus Jesus appears
in the black background. If He wasn't in this painting,
only darkness would remain. The same is true with the human
soul, when it has no God, no love. And love does not perish. Love
conquers darkness within ourselves. It is possible
to really go to Him and say: "I thirst. Jesus, I trust in You", and He will fill us. He will fill our
inner emptiness with his Mercy. When we are with Him,
one becomes a whole person. Then we are happy, we are full.
But we can turn away from Him. We can, because
we have a freedom of choice. People used to stitch such
holy cards into their clothes, because they weren't
that hard, made of paper. During the war,
they served as a sign of God's love and protection. There is a special
testimony of Bishop Juozas Tunaitis. Sister Dominika Stec, Congregation
of Sisters of Merciful Jesus In 1990, our small group
sat together with him, and we remembered those times.
For me that was a history, but for the bishop, World War II
was not a history, but reality. We talked about holy cards,
their distribution among the people. The bishop unbuttoned his cassock, pulled out a card
exactly like this one, and said: "I carry it
since World War II". I can tell from my own experience
that when you have to travel a lot, it's always very good to find recognizable icons, images or signs
of faith in any country of the world. Dalia Michelevičiūtė, actress A few years ago, we were in
Melbourne with the theatre company of Oskaras Koršunovas
and the play "Romeo and Juliet", and being a Catholic, I always
go looking for a Catholic church. I was at a Mass there,
and suddenly I looked up and saw the copy
of the Merciful Jesus image. Of course, there are just visible
signs, but it is very important to feel that you are being protected
and embraced by God's mercy, and then feel
this mercy sort of embracing and holding together all the world. I try to live like that:
wherever I go, whatever I do, Jesus, I trust in You. It's like an arrow
prayer, which very often sustains you in difficult moments,
in awkward and joyous ones. Today, standing at this shrine
and looking through its doors I can feel tears in my heart, when I remember
that line in Faustina's diary, where she writes that before coming
to Vilnius, she saw a small church, and the image of Merciful Jesus
in its central altar, and she saw that small church turning into a
glorious shrine. That never happened, Father Vaidas Vaišvilas,
rector of the Divine Mercy Shrine and today we can understand
that this thing In Faustina vision - and many other things -
were about the present times. See how Divine Mercy spreads
around. The shrine has been open for prayer day and night
for more that a year already, so that every person,
no matter who they are, could come here.
Life is full of different moments, sometimes they
are good, sometimes bad. What if a trouble strikes at night,
and instead of jumping off a bridge, God or other people
would lead that person here, where they would calm down
and think that God loves them, and maybe Jesus does ask
them: do you trust in me? Bialystok, Poland I have graduated
from the medical academy full of joy, because I always dreamt of becoming a doctor and helping
people to overcome their illnesses. After seven years of practice,
I was offered a place at the group of artificial insemination programme. It looked as if
I finally found my true place. I would have continued
helping people, doing my job, having it all and putting on
my white smock at 8 a.m. Tadeusz Wasilewski,
obstetrician-gynaecologist But once I woke up
in the middle of the night and heard a voice, repeating
these words for three times: "Trust in Jesus,
trust in Jesus, trust in Jesus". These are the same words that Lord
Jesus gave over to Sr. Faustina, explaining how to pray
the Divine Mercy chaplet. Afterwards, there were more signs,
and eventually I understood that I must quit the In Vitro programme, because that programme does not
guarantee life to all human beings. It violates the dignity of that tiny
human being, because embryo is the very first,
early stage of the human life. There are other ways to help
future parents and their child without trampling their dignity. "Doctor Wasilewski has gone mad" - that was the reaction
in the Polish media. "He saw Jesus and left
the IVF programme, it is said". Now I respond to that: "Yes,
I have really gone mad. I saw Jesus, I left the IVF programme,
but I still continue to help people". As a doctor and as a human person
in a white smock, I must always understand the definition of life - from the very start to the
very end. And that's very important. Warsaw, Poland On August 1, 1925, Helena Kowalska, today known
as the St. Sister Faustina, has entered through
the gates of this monastery. She lived here,
in this house, for eighteen months. Lord Jesus said that these graces
are intended not just for her, but for multiple souls, who can fill
with courage and trust in Lord by reading her diary. They will
see the image of Divine Mercy and thus be able
to get closer to God. The Saint has seen things that
are hidden for us - in one place, she writes of great
many souls, who perish: "I saw souls falling down
into hell like leaves from trees, especially those souls
that do not believe in the existence of Satan and hell". Sister Symeona Stopiak, Congregation of Sisters
of Our Lady of Mercy She told Jesus: "I give my
life as a sacrifice for those souls, who are in the biggest
danger of losing their salvation". Lord Jesus accepted
her sacrifice and endowed her with many graces,
but also with sufferings, which she offered up for
those souls. Jesus said: "I choose you as an apostle of Mercy, this is my wish,
and it will not change". I had a very serious accident
and was very close to death. After this event,
various things happened in my life that became
the reason of my conversion. However, the biggest
turning point was that accident. When my family found out about it, when the news
was passed to my wife, who at that time
wasn't my wife, but my partner, Radoslaw Pazura, actor then she started to pray
the truest of all the prayers; she opened up to Lord Jesus,
confessing all our wrongdoings and so on, she was very
exhausted, and after that prayer everything started to change: all
the X-rays, which looked hopeless, changed and showed that
things are all right and that doctors will start to wake me up. The doctor
told us that she couldn't give any explanation, but this is how it
happened, that was the turning-point. Of course, at that time
we didn't interpret it in this way, we were just happy to have survived. Afterwards, a difficult period
of rehabilitation followed, because I was all broken,
but it was also a chance to stop. Now, looking from a perspective, I
know that it was a blessing, a gift. And I give thanks to Lord for giving
us St. Faustina and showing us what we can do
not only for ourselves, but for other people, and for the glory of God… Amen. There is a certain paradox
in that God acts here and now, and not elsewhere and
not yesterday or the day before. He acts in present. And now, when
you rewind all the film and look again, you see all those wonderful
things that have happened. First of all,
this message has deepened my faith; second -
everything started to change: the circle of friends, acquaintances
- many friendships started precisely due to the image of Mercy; both of our children -
Elžbieta and Juozapas - are in a way related to Mercy. We can see all things
as individual fragments of a mosaic, but when this mosaic starts
to form into a larger picture, you see it and understand
that there were no accidental things. The image of Divine Mercy is
a great gift and a great obligation to Vilnius and Lithuania. From here the message of Mercy
spreads throughout the world. It is the message
of the present age, the new era, Gintaras Grušas,
archbishop of Vilnius the message that the
world in the greatest need now. Mercy isn't just the image or a cult, it's an understanding
that the face of God is the face of a merciful father. It is not a new revelation,
people are free not to believe it, but it's a reminder of a truth, which is very visible throughout the
Old Testament, the New Testament and in the words of Christ, Cardinal Audrys Juozas Bačkis it is this message - Sister
Faustina used it in her visions… I'm not the one
to interpret those visions, they are hard for us to understand.
But here God speaks into the soul, so maybe this mercy touches
us and our hearts as well. This is the fight
between the good and the evil. During the Soviet occupation, the image was redeemed from
the deserted Church of St. Michael by Bronė Miniotaitė
and Janina Rodzievič. It was hid in an apartment. However, in 1956 the image
was taken out of Lithuania and eventually placed at the small
church of Nova Ruda, Belarus. After thirty years, in 1986,
the image of Divine Mercy was secretly taken back to Vilnius and hung on the side altar
at the Church of the Holy Spirit. In 2005, it was transferred into a specially designed
space - the Divine Mercy Shrine. The message of Divine Mercy
has spread all over the world after the canonization
of Sr. Faustina in 2000. This image of Merciful Jesus
is credited with being the most widely associated
with Vilnius and Lithuania. This documentary
is dedicated to everyone, who helped to retain this image. Director Screenwriters Cameraman Composer Sound Film editor Participants Special thanks for
the contribution to the documentary: Media Support Foundation Lithuanian Catholic Religious Aid Archbishop Gintaras Grušas Father Vaidas Vaišvilas Congregation of Sisters
of Merciful Jesus Congregation of Sisters
of Our Lady of Mercy Sisters
of the Holy Family of Nazareth Urszula Grzegorczyk
Eglė Gudavičienė
Janas Baranovskis
Andrius Jurevičius Vitalija Šiškaitė
Agnieszka Greinert
Adomas Jablonskis The documentary uses video material from the LRT (Lithuanian
National Radio and TV) archives. English translation of subtitles
by Rūta Tumėnaitė.
