Film: Love and Mercy - Faustina

This new docudrama explores the life of the mystic Saint Faustina - the first saint of the New Millennium. It describes the apparitions she experienced and the Divine Mercy devotion she introduced to the world.

Born Helen Kowalska in 1905, she joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy as Sister Mary Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament, in Warsaw in 1925. In 1928, she took her final vows and died just ten years later. She was beatified in 1993 and canonised on April 30, 2000.

St Faustina experienced a vision in 1931, in which she saw Jesus clad in a white garment with His right hand raised in blessing. His left hand was touching his garment in the area of his heart, from where two large rays came forth, one red and one white. Jesus said: "Paint an image according to the pattern you see with the signature:- 'Jesus, I trust in You.' - I Promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.'

After this experience St Faustina devised the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, based on the prayer she recalled from her vision:

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for my sins and for those of the entire world. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

There are now many paintings of this vision and the daily devotion to Divine Mercy takes place in churches around the world at 3pm

Saint Faustina's congregation, the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy look after the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, Poland. In the United States, the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy opened their first house outside Poland in Boston in 1988. There is also the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Eden Hill, Massachusetts, run by the Marians of the Immaculate Conception.

The film Love and Mercy presents unknown facts and recently disclosed documents that shed new light on the vision of St Faustina. Aided by scientific analysis, the film reveals how the Divine Mercy image and the Shroud of Turin were compared to one another, with remarkable conclusions. Shot in the US, Poland and Lithuania, the film is being released on 18 November UK & Ireland cinemas

To see a trailer and for more information and tickets visit: www.loveandmercyfilm.co.uk