Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe / Website
CV NEWS FEED // On April 27, Catholics around the world will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Divine Mercy Sunday, honoring the message of extraordinary mercy that Jesus entrusted to the Polish nun Saint Faustina Kowalska.
Pope Saint John Paul II established the feast in 2000 on the same day he canonized St. Faustina. This year’s celebration also marks two other milestones in the history of the devotion: the 90th anniversary of the first public display of the Divine Mercy image in Vilnius, Lithuania, and the 25th anniversary of the designation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy chapel in Płock, Poland, as a diocesan sanctuary.
Divine Mercy Sunday is a day of extraordinary graces. In her diary, St. Faustina recorded Jesus’ desire to grant mercy: “I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy” (Diary, 1109), and elsewhere emphasized that “the soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment” (Diary, 699).
To fully participate in these graces, the faithful are called to receive Holy Communion worthily, make a good confession beforehand, venerate the Divine Mercy image, and practice mercy toward others through deeds, words, and prayer.
More than 15,000 pilgrims are expected to gather at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, who have promoted the message of Divine Mercy since 1941, will lead the Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations.
Father Donald Calloway, MIC, vicar provincial and vocation director for the Marian Fathers, will celebrate the Sunday liturgy. Fr. Calloway, known for his bestselling Consecration to St. Joseph, will lead the outdoor Mass at the Mother of Mercy Shrine at 1 p.m. EST, which will be livestreamed via Facebook and DivineMercyPlus.org.
Meanwhile, in Springfield, Massachusetts, St. Michael’s Cathedral will offer “24 Hours of Mercy” beginning Friday, April 25, with continuous Confession and Eucharistic adoration.
>> ‘Happiest day of my life’: National JP2 shrine opens exhibit celebrating Divine Mercy <<
