Novena beginning Good Friday prepares for Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
March 29, 2007

In the year 2000, the late Pope John Paul II proclaimed the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday after he had canonized Sister Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun whose visions gave rise to the Divine Mercy devotions.

Since that time, an increasing number of people have begun to participate in the devotions and celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.

Through St. Faustina, who died in 1938 at the age of 33 from complications of tuberculosis, Christ revealed a powerful prayer called the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Many people opt to pray this at 3 p.m. as a reminder of Christ's ultimate act of mercy - his death on the cross for the salvation of the people.

Christ also asked that the chaplet be recited as a novena, especially on the nine days before the Feast of Mercy. As recorded in St. Faustina's diary, Christ promised, "By this novena (of chaplets) I will grant every possible grace to souls."

In addition to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which can be prayed anytime or as a novena, Christ gave St. Faustina a novena to The Divine Mercy that includes special intentions for each day. The novena is viewed as a way to spiritually prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday.

According to Larry Walsh, a member of the spiritual committee at Trinity Heights in Sioux City, all people are invited to consider participation in the Divine Mercy Novena that starts on Good Friday, April 6 and ends on April 14, the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday.

"On the first three days - Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter - people are asked to pray the novena in their own homes and then this novena will be held at Trinity Heights every night at 7:30 p.m.," said Walsh.

He pointed out that for the final six days of the novena, the following priests will lead the novena and offer a reflection at Trinity Heights: Father Ray Wieling on April 9, Father Leroy Seuntjens on April 10, Msgr. Roger Augustine on April 11, Father Matthew Hewitt on April 12, Father Mike Erpelding on April 13 and Father Dan Greving on April 14.

"Each of the days has a topic that has been dictated by Jesus himself to St. Faustina, who in her writings recorded the intentions," noted Walsh.

The intention for the first day is for all mankind, especially sinners. The intention second day is for the souls of priests and religious. The intention for the third day is for all devout and faithful souls. Other intentions: fourth day - for those who do not believe in God and those that do not yet know Jesus; fifth day - for the souls that have separated themselves from the church; sixth day - for the meek and humble souls to Christ as well as the souls of little children; seventh day - for the souls that venerate and glorify Christ's mercy; eighth day - for the souls that are detained in purgatory; and on the ninth day - for the souls that have become lukewarm.

There will also be an opportunity for confession each night of the novena.

"The purpose of those prayers for the nine days, which are directed to the father in heaven above, are for special graces for each of the special groups of people that Jesus asked us to pray for but they can be for your own special intentions as well," noted Walsh. "The novena is excellent mental and spiritual preparation for Christ's graces that are going to be available on Divine Mercy Sunday."

Novena prayer sheets are available at Trinity Heights.

Once again, Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City will host the Divine Mercy Sunday celebration slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. with adoration and confession followed by program that includes Divine Mercy prayers and speaker at 3 p.m. This year's speaker is Bishop R. Walker Nickless of the Diocese of Sioux City.

Other parishes in the Diocese of Sioux City are also planning celebrations for Divine Mercy Sunday and are encouraging parishioners to prepare through the novena.

Deb Trenary, the office manager at St. Joseph Church in Wesley, pointed out that the parish will offer the novena for the first time this year. The parish has hosted Divine Mercy devotions since last September.

"Offering to our parishioners and our cluster parishes the opportunity to set aside a special time in church to pray together, is a wonderful way to prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday," she said. "The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy can be said at anytime, but Jesus (according to the diary of St. Faustina) asked specifically that it be recited as a novena, especially on the nine days before the Feast of Mercy."

Trenary will lead the novena at St. Joseph's and all interested persons are invited to participate. The Divine Mercy Novena will begin on Good Friday in the Wesley parish, following the 12 p.m. Passion of Christ in Wesley. People are asked to pray on their own on Saturday and Sunday. She will lead the prayers of the novena at 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (April 9-13) and the final day of novena prayers on Saturday at 10 a.m.

This will be the fifth year that St. Cecelia Church in Algona plans to host a Divine Mercy Sunday celebration. The parish's pastoral minister, Lorri Larsen, mentioned that while the parish will hold a Divine Mercy Sunday celebration on April 15, they are asking parishioners to pray the novena on their own.

She pointed out that the novena prayers were included as a bulletin insert and they are available on the pamphlet racks in the church. If people have an interest - Larsen is willing to fax or mail it to interested persons. The office phone number is (515) 295-3435.

A copy of the Divine Mercy Novena may also be found on-line at www.divinemercysunday.com.

(See next week's Globe for a story that will provide more detailed information about the Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations. If your parish is hosting a Divine Mercy Sunday Celebration - contact Renee Webb at rwebb@catholicglobe.org.)