Parish News

Each year, on the Second Sunday of Easter, the Church celebrates the Sunday of Divine Mercy. Mankind’s need for the message of Divine Mercy took on dire urgency in the 20th Century, when civilization began to experience an “eclipse of the sense of God” and lost the understanding of the sanctity and inherent dignity of human life. In the 1930s, Jesus chose a humble Polish nun, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, to receive private revelations concerning Divine Mercy, which were recorded in her Diary.

Divine Mercy Sunday is not a feast based solely on St. Faustina’s revelations. It is not about St. Faustina and it is not a new feast. The Second Sunday of Easter was already a solemnity as the Octave Day of Easter. The title “Divine Mercy Sunday” effectively highlights the meaning of the day.

The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist, so it is especially appropriate to use it after having received Holy Communion at Holy Mass. It may be said at any time, but our Lord specifically told St. Faustina to recite it during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy (the Second Sunday of Easter). He then added: “By this Novena, [of Chaplets] I will grant every possible grace to souls.”

In His revelations to St. Faustina, Our Lord asked for a special prayer and meditation on His Passion each afternoon at 3 p.m., the hour that recalls His death on the cross. It is typical to pray the Stations of the Cross or attend Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We may not be able to devote much time to this everyday. Still, we can all mentally pause for a “brief instant,” think of His total abandonment at the hour of agony, and say a short prayer such as “Jesus, Mercy,” or “Jesus, for the sake of Your Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1471): “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints”.

A plenary indulgence for Divine Mercy Sunday is available to Catholics under the usual conditions for the faithful who participate in the following:

-Attend any church or chapel’s prayers and devotion held in honor of Divine Mercy Sunday.

-In the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, recite the Our Father, the Creed, and add a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus, e.g., “Lord Jesus, I trust in You.”

Dr. Ben Akers and Fr. Mateusz Ratajczak discuss St. Faustina Kowalska and her role of bringing the message of Divine Mercy to the Church.

Click here to watch.

Divine Mercy is the urgent message of hope for our world. Learn the powerful devotion and graces associated with it in this dynamic presentation with Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, filmed live at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Divine Mercy 101 provides a clear and concise overview of Divine Mercy and the role and mission of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), the apostle of Divine Mercy whom St. John Paul II called “a gift of God to our time.”

Those who are new to Divine Mercy as well as those looking to achieve an advanced level of knowledge will find this presentation ideal. The instructional format makes it perfect for religious education classes, prayer groups, and individuals.

Jesus told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.”

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Renowned speaker and author Fr. Michael Gaitley tells the dramatic history of God’s love and mercy as interwoven through the transformative message of St. Faustina, the miraculous appearance of Mary at Fatima, the witness of Maximilian Kolbe, and the world-changing papacy of Pope St. John Paul II. Featuring the brilliant cinematic artistry of the Augustine Institute’s film studio, the vast panorama of God’s work of mercy in the world unfolds as a story to be experienced.

Click here to watch.