WHAT IS DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

What is Divine Mercy Sunday?

        Divine Mercy Sunday is now the title of the Second Sunday of the Easter season.  It was named by Pope John Paul II at the canonization of St. Maria Faustina on April 30, 2000, and then officially decreed by the Vatican.

       Pope John Paul II described Mercy Sunday:  “In a special way, it is the Sunday of thanks-giving  for all the goodness that God has shown us in the whole Easter mystery” (April 23, 1995). Here, he is underscoring the Church’s understanding that Divine Mercy Sunday as the Octave Day of Easter brings us the fullness of Christ’s Resurrection—pointing back to the first day of our celebration on Easter Sunday, and now to its fullness on the eighth day, the Octave.

       Divine Mercy Sunday, then, can be seen as the convergence of all the mysteries and graces of Holy Week and Easter Week.  It is like a multi-exposure photograph of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Week; or, we can think of it as a converging lens that focuses the light of the Risen Christ into a radiant beam of merciful love and grace for the whole world.  It combines both the first and eighth days of Easter, celebrating the great graces that are available to us through our Risen Lord’s victory over sin, death, and the Evil One.

In fact, Our Lord revealed various revelations about his mercy to St. Faustina including the flood of mercy which is available on this day “for all souls, especially for poor sinners”.

Why do we need Divine Mercy Sunday?

       Your sins and my sins are the short answer!  Mercy Sunday brings us Our Lord’s promise of an “ocean of graces” for souls, “especially for poor sinners.”  And each one of us, as a sinner, sorely needs these graces of the Risen Christ to wash away the misery of our sins.  Even those of us who are striving for holiness need deeper conversion and renewal.

       Look at it this way:  Sin is the problem; Divine Mercy is the answer; and now we have a special day on which to receive that mercy in great abundance.  We would be foolish not to avail ourselves of God’s generous offer.

What is the significance of the day being celebrated worldwide”

       The significance of the worldwide celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday is that the graces promised by Our Lord aren’t just for you and me—they are now made known and available to the whole world!  No one is to be excluded.  We are all sinners. Remember that our Merciful Savior told St. Faustina:  “My daughter tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy”  (Diary, 699).

Canonization of Sister Faustina

April 30^th 2000 the Church celebrated the first canonization of the JUBILEE YEAR, and the Holy Father announced that the Sunday after Easter would be known as “DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY”. The Holy Father said, in His homily,  that we accept in its entirety the message that comes to us from God’s Word on this second Sunday of Easter. From now on throughout the whole Church, this day will take the name of “DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY”. The Vatican announced the canonization date on March 10.  St. Faustina’s elevation to the honors of the altar follows the miraculous healing of an American priest.  The Vatican announced December 20^th that the 1995 healing of Fr. Ron Pytel of Baltimore, Maryland, was a miracle.  This set the stage for Sr. Faustina’s canonization.

       Her canonization on Mercy Sunday (the second Sunday of the Easter season) took place on the same Sunday on which she was beatified in 1993.  She is the first saint of the new millennium.

The first miraculously-cured person by Sr. Faustina’s intercession was Maureen Degan of Lee, Massachusetts.  The recognition of her healing as a miracle in December 1992 led to Sr. Faustina’s beatification in 1993.  The second miracle through her intercession was the healing of Fr. Ronald Pytel, Pastor of Most Holy Rosary Church, Baltimore, Maryland in 1995.  In October, 1995, a group of parishioners of the Holy Rosary Church travelled to Poland on a pilgrimage.  On October 5, 1995, the anniversary of Saint Faustina’s death, members of Fr. Pytel’s parish gathered for a day of prayer at Sr. Faustina’s shrine in Lagiewniki-Krakow to seek his healing through St. Faustina’s intercession.  Upon venerating a relic of the Saint, the priest was miraculously cured at that moment.  More than 200,000 people packed St. Peter’s Square April 30, 2000, as His Holiness canonized the Great Apostle of Mercy.

 

JESUS  I  TRUST  IN  YOU !!!

 

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PRO-LIFE VIGIL

       Nationwide during Lent pro-lifers are gathering outside abortion clinics in peaceful prayerful vigils. Hundreds of babies have already been saved by this witness.

       Join us for such a vigil every Friday and Saturday during Lent 7:30 - 9:30 AM across the street from 200 Webster Street (between 2nd and 3rd streets), Oakland. There is free parking on 2nd and 3rd streets for four hours.

 

PRAY FOR THE DEAD:

For deceased members of our families, friends, parishioners & benefactors of our parish: Bill Leitao; Harry Winkler; Inetta Calori; those who died recently: Jack Russel; Roy Zahn; Simon Tang & his mother See Chou Ho; Clement Mansfield; Maria de Andrade; Ron Durling (Sr); Jenny Maderious; Michalina Halaj; Irene Omernick; ...................................................................... and for all the faithful departed, especially for all the Poor Souls in Purgatory.