St. Faustina was born 100 years ago this year on August 25, 1905. Her baptismal name was Helena. She received her religious name Sr. Maria Faustina at the beginning of her novitiate in 1926. It is likely that she was named after St. Faustus whose feast day is February 15th. There are quite a number of saints with the name Faustus. This particular one lived in the 6th century. He was a Benedictine monk and became an abbott. He is believed to have been a disciple of St. Benedict himself at Monte Cassino, Italy. He wrote the biography of another Benedictine Abott, Saint Maurus.
Our patron saints want to be particularly close to us. They are our older brothers and sisters in the faith who have already won the victory and who wish to look out for their younger siblings. We should call upon them often to help us to make the right choices in our daily lives. They know what it is like to struggle and they also know what it is like to choose wisely as we seek to follow in the footsteps of Our Lord.
St. Faustina also received permission to add "of the Most Blessed Sacrament" to her given religious name, because of her great devotion to the Eucharist.