To order a beautiful canvas Image hand-crafted by Marian priests, brothers, and seminarians at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, visit DivineMercyArt.org.
By Dr. Robert Stackpole
In 1931, our Lord appeared to St. Faustina in a vision. She saw Jesus in a white garment with His right hand raised in blessing. His left hand was touching His garment in the area of the Heart, from where two rays came forth, one red and the other pale.
She gazed intently at the Lord in silence, her soul filled with awe, but also with great joy. Jesus said to her:
Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 47, 48).
As Jesus requested, the Image of Divine Mercy is now displayed and venerated in homes, churches, and other places throughout the world. But get a group of Divine Mercy devotees into a room, and it won’t be long before they are discussing which version of the Image they use most in their own land and which one they like best. And of course, new ones are being created all the time.
Three versions of the Image are particularly outstanding in the history of the Divine Mercy message and devotion, and they go by rather unusual names: the original “Vilnius” Image; the very popular “Hyla” Image; and the more recently created “Skemp” Image.
Let’s take them in turn.
The first Image: Vilnius
Although St. Faustina was frequently consulted about the progress of the original painting of the Image, it was her spiritual director and confessor, Blessed Fr. Michael Sopocko, who was directly responsible for hiring the artist Eugene Kazimirowski.
The Kazimirowski painting of 1934-35 is therefore the “original” Image of the Divine Mercy, the painting of which was overseen by St. Faustina and Blessed Fr. Sopocko. It presently hangs in the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Vilnius, Lithuania, having been faithfully restored to its original colors and contours with the support of the Marian Fathers and Helpers. It also has one more remarkable feature about it: Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, with the help of an Italian photographer, thoroughly investigated and corroborated the claim that this version of the Image is an almost exact match of the head, face, and shoulders of the figure on the Holy Shroud of Turin!
Nevertheless, that does not mean that this version of the Image is perfect, or even necessarily “the best” version in every respect. In a 1958 letter, Blessed Fr. Sopocko notes that St. Faustina wept after she saw this painting because it so inadequately represented the radiant beauty of the Risen and Glorified Lord whom she had seen (see Diary, 313). After all, who could ever fully capture that heavenly beauty in an earthly image?
A popular Image: Hyla
Some people devoted to the Divine Mercy prefer the Image painted by Adolf Hyla, who gave it to the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland in thanksgiving for the preservation of himself and his family during World War II. The sisters placed it over the tomb of St. Faustina at their convent in Lagiewniki. The image was blessed by Fr. Joseph Andrasz, SJ, one of St. Faustina’s confessors, on the Feast of Divine Mercy in 1944. It can still be seen in Lagiewniki today.
It seems to be the favorite version of European and Latin American devotees of the Divine Mercy. Nevertheless, some aspects of this version of the Image are also not entirely in accord with what St. Faustina requested. For example, Christ’s hand of blessing is raised too high, and the gaze of Christ is directly at the viewer, and not slightly downward as Faustina insisted. Furthermore, it is arguable that this version still does not do justice to the rays of mercy, which are supposed to be shining more toward the viewer.
A Filipino favorite: Skemp
A few decades later, therefore, the Marian Fathers commissioned a new image in the 1970s from an American painter, Robert Skemp. Completed in 1982, this version tried to rectify the issues with the Hyla Image with an Image that showed the rays from the breast of Christ radiating almost directly at the viewer. This famous, ultra-realistic rendition of the Image became the most popular version in the Philippines, and it can be found there over the altar at the Divine Mercy Shrine outside of Manila. But of course, this version is not perfect either!
As Jesus said, “Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace” (Diary, 313). All three of these famous versions of the Image have ecclesiastical approval for display in churches and for dissemination to the faithful. Therefore, all three are special vessels of grace and mercy, as Jesus promised (see Diary, 47-48; 327).
Whichever you prefer, just remember to be respectful of all the approved versions of the Image, for they are all imperfect renditions of our infinitely perfect and radiant Savior!
Robert Stackpole, STD, is director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy.
To order a beautiful canvas Image hand-crafted by Marian priests, brothers, and seminarians at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, visit DivineMercyArt.org.
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