The Message of Divine Mercy Sunday

By virtue of a Decree issued on May 5, 2000 by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Holy See proclaimed the Second Sunday of Easter also as Divine Mercy Sunday. 

The message of mercy is that God loves all of us.  He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Then, all will come to share in His joy.

I am Love and Mercy itself.  When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces, that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls  (1074)*.

Through the passion and death of Jesus, an infinite ocean of mercy was made available for all of us.  But God, who created us free, will not force anything on us, not even His mercy.  He must wait for us to turn from our sinfulness and ask.   

“Ask and it will be given to you…for everyone who asks, receives” (Mt 7:7,8).

The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is –trust.  The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive (1578).   

 I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy.  That vessel is this image with the signature:  Jesus, I trust in You  (327).

Pope John Paul II, in his Divine Mercy Sunday homily, on April 30, 2000, made clear that the Image of The Divine Mercy St. Faustina saw, represents the Risen Christ bringing mercy to the world.  The risen Christ bears the message of Divine Mercy and entrusts its ministry to the Apostles in the Upper Room.  “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you…Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:21-23).

Jesus shows His hands and His side to the Apostles.  He points to the wounds of the Passion, especially His Heart , the source from which flows blood and water,  mercy poured out on humanity.  The blood recalls the sacrifice of the cross and the gift of the Eucharist, the water represents Baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is in the Paschal Mystery that Jesus reveals to us the full measure of God’s love.  God is love.

I desire that this image be displayed in public on the first Sunday after Easter.  That Sunday is the Feast of Mercy.  Through the Word Incarnate I make known the bottomless depth of My mercy (88).

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 `  (1109). 

A plenary indulgence, is granted under the usual conditions (sacramental confession within 8 days before or after, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff) to the faithful who, on the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday, in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honour of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!");



*parenthetical numbers refer to paragraphs in the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska

The Three Images of Divine Mercy

The Chaplet and Novena 
of Divine Mercy

The chaplet is prayed on regular rosary beads and can be prayed at any time.  It is often prayed at the bedside of the dying or for those who will die.  The Novena is prayed as a parish beginning Good Friday through the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday but can also be prayed at any time.  Red pamphlets from the Marian's of the Immaculate Conception are generally available in the church or from the parish office.

The Message Of Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy Sunday was established as a Solemnity by Pope John Paul II on May 5, 2000 as decreed by the Office of Divine Worship. 

St. Faustina's Message

On February 22, 1931, a young Polish nun, Sr. Faustina Kowalska, saw a vision of Jesus with rays of mercy streaming from the area of His Heart.  He told her to have an image painted to represent this vision and to sign it, “Jesus, I trust in You!”  Calling her the Apostle and secretary of His mercy, He ordered her to begin writing a diary so others would come to know and trust in Him.
Join Us Divine Mercy Sunday, April 11, 2021  for a special Mass of Devotion to His Divine Mercy at 3:00 p.m.
Confessions will begin at 1:00 p.m. until all are heard.  The rosary and chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed continuously from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.   A potluck social will follow the 3:00 p.m. Mass in the school hall (if current restrictions are lifted).  
Please join in celebration of the gift of His Mercy poured out upon us!