Divine Mercy Sunday celebration set for April 23 in Sioux City

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
April 13, 2006

When St. Faustina Kowalska was canonized a saint on April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II called her a "gift of God for our time."

At her canonization ceremony, the Holy Father asked that people celebrate the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in honor of the new saint and her message that was centered on God's mercy. The pontiff, who died on the eve of Divine Mercy last year, had been greatly influenced by the writings of the Polish sister.

A member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Sister Faustina inspired the Divine Mercy devotion worldwide through her 600-page diary account of visions and revelations of Christ.

The diary was published in English with the title Divine Mercy in My Soul.

According to Larry Walsh, member of the board at Trinity Heights, a Divine Mercy celebration is planned for April 23 at Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City. Organizers of the service are Roxanne Lohr and Regina Ratino.

The celebration will begin at 1:30 p.m. with exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Confessions will be offered from 1:30 to 2:50 p.m. At 3 p.m. those gathered will recite and Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Father Dan Greving, pastor at St. Joseph Church in Ellendale, will deliver the homily.

"This is a devotion that has been flourishing in years past and it is certainly appropriate for our time - the whole theme of God's mercy, his great love for us and how we need to turn to him for that mercy," said Father Greving.

He plans to focus his talk on the need for people to trust in God's care and in God's mercy. The priest will use an acronym for TRUST - total reliance upon saving truth.

"The saving truth is Jesus Christ. It's our whole call to trust in him. So often people do not trust in his goodness," noted Father Greving. "If we but turn to him, he is willing to forgive us and offer us his mercy."

The priest spoke of the late pope's devotion to St. Faustina and mentioned that he believes it was no coincidence that Pope John Paul II died on the vigil of Divine Mercy last year.

Walsh mentioned that special graces are available to those who fittingly observe the Feast of Mercy.

"Part of the message of Divine Mercy is that we can't just be the receiver of Christ's mercy without turning around and carrying out those acts of mercy with others that we come in contact with," said Walsh. "Christ wants us to do the spiritual and corporal works of mercy throughout the world."

Afflicted with respiratory ailments for much of her life, Sister Faustina died of tuberculosis in the convent Oct. 5, 1938, at age 33.

In her diary, she wrote that she experienced God's love for the first time at age 7, when he revealed to her divine things.

Divine revelations continued, and six years later she witnessed her most famous vision: Jesus dressed in white, one hand raised in benediction and the other resting on his breast, from which emanated two rays of light.

As she recorded in her diary several years later, Jesus asked her to paint the image she had seen and to have the painting blessed on the first Sunday after Easter.

Walsh pointed out that the organizers of the Divine Mercy Sunday celebration - Lohr and Ratino - are also organizing a Divine Mercy Novena. People are asked to start the novena on their own on Good Friday. Then, starting on the fourth day of the novena, April 17, people may opt to join others in prayer each night at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Heights in Sioux City. The novena will conclude on April 22, the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday.

"The novena is good mental and spiritual preparation for Christ's graces that are available to us on Divine Mercy Sunday," noted Walsh.