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LEWISTON — “Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy,” the live theatrical one-woman drama performed by actress Maria Vargo and directed by Leonardo Defilippis of Saint Luke Productions, will be presented at Gendron Franco Center Wednesday, May 24, at 7 p.m. Sponsored by Immaculate Heart of Mary and Prince of Peace parishes, admission to the performance is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6 for youth ages 13-18.
With this production, audiences experience first-hand the spirit and life of Polish mystic St. Faustina, whose personal encounters with Jesus have inspired a world-wide devotion to Christ’s Divine Mercy. A parallel modern story within the drama offers audiences a compelling personal connection to the current moral issues of our times. Audiences are calling the production a “wake-up call.”
An inspiring dramatic portrayal not to be missed, the production is 90 minutes and is suitable for ages 13 and up.
Faustina Kowalska was born Helena Kowalska in 1905 into a large peasant family in Poland. She really had no potential for greatness — a poor girl, destined to be a housekeeper, with no education or prospects. She longed for God, and despite the protests of her parents, and after a vision of Jesus telling her to head for Warsaw and become a nun, she secretly hopped on a train. Upon reaching the city, she knocked on the doors of convents until The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy finally took a chance on this young girl and let her in. As a nun she took the name Sister Maria Faustina, and spent the rest of her life doing menial work as a cook and as a gardener.
In 1930, the mystical visions started for the young nun. Jesus appeared to her in a white garment, with rays of white and red light emanating from near His heart. He asked her to paint His image, with the message, “Jesus, I trust in You” across the bottom. That was the beginning of a very special mission that took years to develop into a powerful devotion for the Church — the Divine Mercy.
Jesus continued to speak through Sister Faustina, with an urgent message for our times, and gave her a special prayer, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which spread throughout the world like wildfire. Faustina continued to keep a diary of her visions, until she died of tuberculosis in 1938.
It was Pope John Paul II who declared the Sunday after Easter as Mercy Sunday, and in April 2000, Faustina Kowalska was declared the first saint of the 21st Century.
Maria Vargo is a Hollywood-based actress and a member of the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Actors’ Equity, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. She brings a wealth of experience in theater and film to the role of FAUSTINA. Her résumé includes numerous roles in film, television, and theater, in addition to work as an artistic director and producer. Aside from her work on stage and screen, Vargo’s many talents encompass a far-reaching spectrum from singer and songwriter to voice teacher for actors. She looks forward to sharing the message of God’s endless mercy with the world, since she has experienced His mercy in her own life.
For more than three decades, Saint Luke Productions has produced live dramas, feature films, and television, radio and web programming on the lives of the saints and the scriptures. Their feature film “Thérèse” was a grassroots hit, playing in movie theaters for more than a year. The company is well known for its other films and popular live productions, including “Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz” and “Vianney,” which are also currently touring the country.
Saint Luke Productions brings the quality of a professional production right into the local community, meeting people where they live with performances that include talented actors, theatrical lighting, sets, video imagery and original musical scores.
