Friends of Divine Mercy Scotland

The 2025 Divine Mercy Conference

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:40:00 GMT

12th NATIONAL DIVINE MERCY CONFERENCE

St Mirin's Cathedral

Saturday 25th October 2025 - 10:00am - 4:00pm

Registrations from 10:00 am

Join us for our annual Divine mercy Conference Event to be held on Saturday 25th October. at 10:00 am - 4:00pm

VENUE

St Mirin's Cathedral - Cathedral House, St Mirin's Cathedral Precincts, Incle Street, Paisley, PA1 1HR.

REGISTRATI

THEME:
May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy spirit (rom 15:13)

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EVENT PROGRAMME

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THEME: May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy spirit (rom 15:13)

10.00 a.m. – 10.15 a.m. Registration - Tea and Coffee on arrival

10.15 a.m. – 10.20 a.m. Welcome & Prayer

10.20 a.m. – 10.35 a.m. Morning prayer – Divine Office

10.35 a.m. – 10.45 a.m. Summary of 2024-2025 events - Helen Border

10.50 a.m. – 11.30 a.m. What should we hope for as brothers and sisters in Christ?
Sr Maria Vianneya

11.35 a.m. – 12.15 a.m. Pope Francis and Hope - Professor Stephen McKinney

12.20 p.m. – 12.30 p.m. Presentation to Fr Michael Kane

12.30 p.m. – 1.30 p.m. LUNCH BREAK (Tea and Coffee provided)

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1.35p.m. – 2.15 p.m. We have hope for the world. Why are we afraid? – Fr Brian McKevitt

2.20 p.m. - 2.50 p.m. Hope Does Not Put Us to Shame - Fr Mathew Szerszen

3.00 p.m. – 3.50 p.m. Exposition of the Holy Eucharist - Divine Mercy Chaplet sung, Veneration to Divine Mercy – Sacrament of Reconciliation

4.00 p.m. Celebration of Holy Mass

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The 2024 Divine Mercy Conference

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 20:12:33 GMT

11th NATIONAL DIVINE MERCY CONFERENCE

St Augustine’s Church, Coatbridge

Saturday 26th October 2024 - 10:00am - 4:00pm

Registrations from 10:00 am

Join us for our annual Divine mercy Conference Event to be held on Saturday 26th October. at 10:00 am - 4:00pm

VENUE

St Augustine’s Church 12 Dundyvan Road,

Langlan, Coatbridge, ML15 1DQ

PLEASE REGISTER FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE TO THE EVENT HERE - REGISTRATION

THEME:
Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love joel 2:13

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EVENT PROGRAMME

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10.00 a.m. – 10.15 a.m. Registration - Tea and Coffee on arrival

10.15 a.m. – 10.20 a.m. Welcome & Prayer - Fr Michael Kane

10.20 a.m. – 10.35 a.m. Morning prayer – Divine Office

10.35 a.m. – 10.45 a.m. Summary of 2023-2024 events - Helen Border

10.50 a.m. – 11.40 a.m. How do we get our brothers and sisters back to the family of God - the message of mercy for today's world. Fr Justine Dyikuk

11.50 a.m. – 12.50 a.m. “I desire that your heart be firmly grounded in total peace” (Jesus to St Faustina, 459) - Fr Hayden Williams

12.55p.m. – 1.30 p.m. LUNCH BREAK (Tea and Coffee provided)

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1.35p.m. – 2.15 p.m. Return to the Lord - Professor Stephen McKinney, University of Glasgow

2.20 p.m. - 3.10 p.m. “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Jesus to St Faustina, 300) – Fr Hayden Williams

3.15 p.m. – 3.50 p.m. Exposition of the Holy Eucharist - Divine Mercy Chaplet sung, Veneration to Divine Mercy – Sacrament of Reconciliation

4.00 p.m. Celebration of Holy Mass

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The 2023 Divine Mercy Conference

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 21:11:43 GMT

10th NATIONAL DIVINE MERCY CONFERENCE

St Augustine’s Church, Coatbridge

Saturday 7th October 2023 - 10:00am - 5:00pm

Registations from 9:30am

Join us for our annual Divine mercy Conference Event to be held on Saturday 7th October. at 10:00 am - 6:00pm

VENUE

St Augustine’s Church 12 Dundyvan Road,

Langlan, Coatbridge, ML15 1DQ

PLEASE REGISTER FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE TO THE EVENT HERE - REGISTRATION

THEME:

John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them

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EVENT PROGRAMME

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9.45 a.m. – 9.55 a.m. Registration - Tea and Coffee on arrival

10.00 a.m. – 10.30 a.m. Welcome & Morning Prayer - Fr Michael Kane

10.30 a.m. – 11.00 a.m. Summary of 2022-2023 events - Helen Border

11.00 a.m. – 11.50 a.m. Fr Frankie Mulgrew – Mary, Mother of the Living Waters

12.00 p.m. – 1.00 p.m. LUNCH BREAK (Tea and Coffee provided)

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1.10p.m. – 2.00 p.m. Professor Stephen McKinney

2.05 p.m. – 2.45p.m. Dana (keynote speaker) -

Mercy Bus Tour - 2023

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 09:58:49 GMT

MERCY BUS TOUR 2023

The Mercy Bus is back in Scotland this year, our mission is to spread the Good News to all we meet. Please come along and have tea/coffee some home baking and a chat with a priest or our team, or perhaps go to the sacrament of penance on the top deck of the Bus. All our items (rosaries, miraculous medals, divine mercy chaplets etc.) we give away have been blessed by Bishop John Keenan. Bishop John will be celebrating holy mass on the Saturday at 2 p.m. at TESCO Linwood. All are welcome on the following dates:

Monday 24 July 2023 11 a.m. – 3 pm. TESCO Port Glasgow PA14 5BP

Tuesday 25 July 2023 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. TESCO Coatbridge ML5 3SQ

Wednesday 26 July 2023 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. TESCO Port Glasgow PA14 5BP

Thursday 27 July 2023 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. TESCO Cumbernauld G67 1JW

Friday 28 July 2023 11 a.m. -3 p.m. outside Primark, Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8AG

Saturday 29 July 2023 11 a.m. – 3p.m. TESCO Linwood, Paisley PA3 3DB

Divine Mercy Sunday April 2023

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 14:06:07 GMT

Dear Friends of Divine Mercy on Sunday 16 April 2023 we will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday at St Mary's Church, 163 George Street, Paisley PA1 2UN beginning with a Holy Hour at 4 p.m. led by Father Michael Kane and Holy Mass at 5 p.m. celebrated by Bishop John Keenan, Monsignor Joe Burke, Fr Michael Kane and Fr Chido Ezeribe. Please come along and join us. Remember the promise of the Lord, Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day, the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. Our world needs God's mercy more now than ever before. Amen

The 2022 Divine Mercy Conference

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 16:09:49 GMT

9th NATIONAL DIVINE MERCY CONFERENCE

St Augustine’s Church, Coatbridge

Saturday 29th October 2022 - 9:00am - 6:00pm

Join us for our annual Divine mercy Conference Event to be held on Saturday 29th October. at 9:00 am - 6:00pm

VENUE

St Augustine’s Church 12 Dundyvan Road,

Langlan, Coatbridge, ML15 1DQ

PLEASE REGISTER FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE TO THE EVENT HERE - REGISTRATION

THEME:

Matt 5:13-14 You are the salt of the earth; You are the light of the world. Your light must shine in the sight of men, so that seeing your good works,they may give the praise to your Father in Heaven

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EVENT PROGRAMME

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9.00 a.m. Registration - Tea and Coffee on arrival

9.15 a.m. – 9.20 a.m. Welcome & Prayer - Fr Michael Kane

9.20 a.m. – 9.30 a.m. Morning prayer – Divine Office

9.30 a.m. – 9.40 a.m. Summary of 2019-2022 events - Helen Border

9.40 a.m. – 10.30 a.m. Saint Faustina-salt and light for the XX1 century - Fr Peter Prusakiewicz

10.35 a.m. – 11.10 a.m. 40 Days for Life - Robert Colquhoun, Director, International Campaigns

11.15 a.m. – 11.55 a.m. 4 workshops

12.00 p.m. – 12.45 p.m. How can we show Humility in our daily lives - Monsignor Denis Carlin

12.45p.m. – 1.40 p.m. LUNCH BREAK (Tea and Coffee provided)

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1.45p.m. – 2.35 p.m. Working with the Friends of Divine Mercy Scotland on the Mercy Bus 2022 Tour - Brother Sean Smith Supreme Director, Media, Knights of St Columba

2.45 p.m. - 3.45 p.m. 4 Workshops

4.00 p.m. – 4.55 p.m. Exposition of the Holy Eucharist - Divine Mercy Chaplet sung, Veneration to Divine Mercy – Sacrament of Reconciliation

5.00 p.m. Celebration of Holy Mass

Download the Programme | Download the Workshop Information Event Poster

Divine Mercy Sunday - 2022

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 13:34:35 GMT

Dear Friends of Divine Mercy on Sunday 24 April 2022 we will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday at St Mary's Church, 163 George Street, Paisley PA1 2UN beginning with a Holy Hour at 4 p.m. led by Deacon John Morrison and Holy Mass at 5 p.m. celebrated by Bishop John Keenan and Monsignor Joe Burke. Please come along and join us. Remember the promise of the Lord, Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy . I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day, the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. Our world needs God's mercy more now than ever before. Amen

Archbishop Nolan's Installation

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 14:27:57 GMT

What an honour to be at the Installation of Archbishop William Nolan on Saturday. May God bless you as you become the Shepherd of God's people.

Divine Mercy Conference 2021

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 09:46:55 GMT

Divine Mercy Conference - Friends of Divine Mercy Scotland

Our Friends of Divine Mercy Scotland conference was a wonderful event - with beautiful speakers participating and sharing their faith, gifts and experiences. Praise God for our ministry and thank you so much for all those who contributed and participated. If you missed the event or you want to re-play the videos - We have featured the two day conference below. God Bless you all, and may He continue to bear fruit through His Church.

8th National Divine Mercy Conference

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 20:19:33 GMT

The 8th National Divine Mercy Conference, 2nd International Conference

Theme: "O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work."

Psalm 95:8-9

Disciples of Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:14:00 GMT

Disciples of Divine Mercy St. Faustina was asked by Merciful Jesus to found a new religious order of sisters and brothers to give their lives interceding for mercy for the world and to do works of mercy in His name. As part of this intercession Jesus would grant mercy for sinners and bring people who […]

Quotes from the Saints on Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:13:00 GMT

Quotes from the Saints on Mercy

If a man finds it very hard to forgive injuries, let him look at a Crucifix, and think that Christ shed all His Blood for him, and not only forgave His enemies, but even prayed His Heavenly Father to forgive them also. Let him remember that when he says the ‘Our Father’, every day, instead of asking pardon for his sins, he is calling down vengeance on himself – Saint Philip Neri

Dependent on Trust

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:13:00 GMT

Dependent on Trust by Val Conlon Your duty is to trust entirely in My Mercy, My duty is to give you all that you need. I make Myself dependent on your trust I am making Myself dependent upon your trust: if your trust is great, then My generosity will be without limit. (Diary 548) The […]

Pope John Paul II & Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:12:00 GMT

Pope John Paul II & Divine Mercy

“I considered this message my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church, and the world” (Bl. Pope John Paul II November 22, 1981)

The knowledge of St. Faustina and the revelations bestowed on her coming from Jesus became known to Pope John Paul II early in 1940. It was at the time when he was studying for the priesthood secretly, in a seminary in Krakow.

The first he heard of these revelations was from another seminarian Andrew Deskur who later became a Cardinal also. Andrew told him about Saint Faustina Kowalska and the message of Divine Mercy she claimed she had received from the Lord.

It was during the time that she received the messages from Our Lord, that Karol Wojtyla was forcibly working under the Nazi occupation forces in the factory, which was in view of the convent and can still be seen today from the convent cemetery where St. Faustina was first buried.

Karol Wojtyla visited the convent frequently, first as a priest and then as a bishop. He went there often to pray and in later years gave retreats there as well. It was Karol Wojtyla, as Archbishop of Krakow, who after St. Faustina’s death, was the first to consider bringing St. Faustina’s name before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints for consideration as a figure worthy of being put forward for beatification.

During the Second Vatican Council, he approached Cardinal Ottaviani about the desire of the faithful in Poland to have Saint Faustina raised to the honours of the altar. Cardinal Ottaviani told him the first step to take was to get together the testimonies of all those who knew her, while they were still alive.

Archbishop Karol Wojtyla delegated his auxiliary bishop, Julian Groblicki, to gather the information in order to begin the Informative Process of the life and virtues of Saint Faustina. In September 1967 the process was completed, and in January 1968, the Process of Beatification was inaugurated. Because of the positive outcome of the informative Process, inquiries from many places, especially from Poland and, in particular, from Archbishop Wojtyla, were sent to the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. They asked whether the prohibitions of the 1959 Notification were still in effect. In response to these inquiries, the Sacred Congregation issued a new “Notification” dated April 15, 1978, which stated, “This Sacred Congregation, having now in possession the many original documents, unknown in 1959 and having taken into consideration the profoundly changed circumstances and having taken into account the opinion of many Polish Ordinaries, it now declares no longer binding the prohibitions contained in the quoted “Notification”.

On the first Sunday of Advent, November 30, 1980, Pope John Paul II published his second encyclical letter “Dives in Misericordia” (Rich in Mercy) , in which he describes the mercy of God as the presence of a love which is greater than any evil, greater than any sin and greater than death. In this encyclical he calls on the Church to devote itself to pleading for God’s mercy for the whole world.

The publishing of this second encyclical was probably the most important event in the life of the Holy Father and in his relationship to St.Faustina and the message of Divine Mercy.

It was as Archbishop of Krakow, that Karol Wojtyla defended Saint Faustina when her credibility and the message of Divine Mercy was questioned in Rome. This came about due to a faulty translation in Italian of her diary, which was sent to the Congregation for the Protection of the Faith.

Pope John Paul II, who said that he felt spiritually “very near to Saint Faustina and had been thinking about her and the message of Divine Mercy when he began ‘Dives in Misericordia’. On November 22, 1981, Pope John Paul II made his first public visit outside of Rome following a lengthy recuperation. On the Feast of Christ the King, he travelled to the Shrine of Merciful Love in Collevalenza, near Todi, Italy. There, within a few days, an international congress was held to reflect on the encyclical ‘Dives in Misericordia’.

After celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist, he made a strong public declaration about the importance of the message of mercy.He said, “A year ago I published the encyclical ‘Dives in Misericordi’. This made me come to the Sanctuary of Merciful Love today. By my presence I wish to reconfirm, in a way, the message of that encyclical. I wish to read it again and deliver it again. Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter’s See in Rome, I considered this message my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church, and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God”. (Extract from the homily by Pope John Paul II at The Shrine of Merciful Love in Collevalenza, Italy, November 22, 1981)

On Mercy Sunday, April 10, 1991, two years prior to the beatification of Saint Faustina, Pope John Paul II spoke about Saint Faustina, relating her to his encyclical and emphasising her role in bringing the message of mercy to the world, “The words of the encyclical on Divine Mercy (Dives in Misericordia) are particularly close to us. They recall the figure of the Servant of God, Saint Faustina Kowalska. This simple woman religious particularly brought the Easter message of the merciful Christ closer to the whole world”.

On Mercy Sunday, April 18, 1993, Saint Faustina was beatified by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square. He began his homily with a quotation from her diary: “I clearly feel that my mission does not end with death, but begins”. Her mission continues and is yielding astonishing fruit. It is truly marvellous how her devotion to the merciful Jesus is spreading in our contemporary world and gaining so many human hearts!

“Where, if not in the Divine Mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope?” is an expression of the theme of Pope John Paul II’s pontificate. In his ‘Regina Caeli’ talk of April 23, 1995, immediately after he had concluded celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday at the Holy Spirit Church, Pope John Paul II exhorted us to personally experience God’s mercy, “In a special way, today is the Sunday of thanksgiving for the goodness God has shown man in the whole Easter mystery”.

This is why it is also called the Sunday of Divine Mercy. Essentially, God’s mercy, as the mystical experience of Saint Faustina Kowalska, who was raised to the honour of the altar in 2000, helps us to understand, reveals precisely this truth: good triumphs over evil, life is stronger than death and God’s love is more powerful than sin.

All this is manifested in Christ’s paschal mystery, in which God appears to us as he is, a tender-hearted Father, who does not give up in the face of his children’s ingratitude and is always ready to forgive.

We must personally experience this mercy if, in turn, we want to be capable of mercy. Let us learn to forgive! The spiral of hatred and violence which stains with blood the path of so many individuals and nations can only be broken by the miracle of forgiveness. When Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, Poland, on June 7, 1997, he addressed the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in a very personal way, reflecting on Divine Mercy and giving an amazing personal witness to the influence of Saint Faustina and her message, “I have come here to this Shrine as a pilgrim to take part in the unending hymn in honour of Divine Mercy. The psalmist of the Lord had intoned it, expressing what every generation preserved and will continue to preserve as a most precious fruit of faith.

There is nothing that man needs more than Divine Mercy, that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights of the holiness of God. In this place we become particularly aware of this. From here, in fact, went out the Message of Divine Mercy that Christ himself chose to pass on to our generation through Saint Faustina. And it is a message that is clear and understandable for everyone. Anyone can come here, look at this Image of the merciful Jesus, His Heart radiating grace and hear in the depths of his own soul what Saint Faustina heard, “Fear nothing l am with you always” (Diary, 586).

And if this person responds with a sincere heart, “Jesus, I trust in you,” he will find comfort in all his anxieties and fears. The message of Divine Mercy has always been near and dear to me. It is as if history had inscribed it in the tragic experience of the Second World War. In those difficult years, it was a particular support and an inexhaustible source of hope, not only for the people of Krakow but for the entire nation. This was also my personal experience, which I took with me to the See of Peter and which in a sense forms the image of this Pontificate. Do not neglect any of these dimensions of the apostolate”.

On Mercy Sunday, April 30, 2000, before some two hundred and fifty thousand pilgrims and the television cameras of the world, Pope John Paul II canonized Saint Faustina Kowalska, ‘the great Apostle of Divine Mercy’. In doing so, he also approved the Divine Mercy message and devotion by declaring the Second Sunday of Easter as “Divine Mercy Sunday” for the universal Church. In one of the most extraordinary homilies of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II repeated three times that Saint Faustina is “God’s gift to our time.” She made the message of Divine Mercy the “bridge to the third millennium.” He then said, “By this act of canonization of Saint Faustina I intend today to pass this message on to the third millennium. I pass it on to all people, so that they will learn to know ever better the true face of God and the true face of their neighbour. In fact, love of God and love of one’s neighbour are inseparable.

Exhorting all of us to join our voices to Mary, Mother of Mercy, and St. Faustina, “who made her life a hymn to mercy” and directing us to “sing the mercies of the Lord forever” (Ps 89:2), he ended the homily with these words, “And you, St. Faustina, a gift of God to our time, a gift from the land of Poland to the whole Church, obtain for us an awareness of the depth of Divine Mercy; help us to have a living experience of it and to bear witness to it among our brothers and sisters. May your message of light and hope spread throughout the world, spurring sinners to conversion, calming rivalries and hatred, and opening individuals and nations to the practice of brotherhood”. Devotion to Divine Mercy is the strong and clear mandate given to the Church in these revelations We have seen in St. Faustina’s canonization to sainthood the fulfilment of this mandate. By canonizing her, the Church itself has established Divine Mercy as today’s devotion for all. So today, fixing our gaze with Bl. Pope John Paul II on the face of the risen Christ, let us make our own prayer of trusting abandonment and say with firm hope, Jesus the risen Lord, I trust in you.

The Importance of Vilnius

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:11:00 GMT

The Importance of Vilnius The City of Vilnius, became the Birthplace of the Divine Mercy Devotion, when Saint Faustina began her mission under the guidance and discernment of her new Spiritual Director Fr. Michael Sopocko S.T.D. When Saint Faustina lived in this City before the Second World War, it was politically part of Poland, but […]

History of the Brothers of Merciful Jesus

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:11:00 GMT

History of the Brothers of Merciful Jesus Father Igor Simonovis was a diocesan priest in Concordia-Pordenone in northern Italy, near the Austrian border. For about ten years He was a pastor of four parishes in the mountain region Val d’Arzino, and in one of his parishes the first community of Brothers of Merciful Jesus came […]

The Importance of Fr. Sopocko

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:10:00 GMT

The Importance of Fr. Sopocko The Importance of Fr. Michael Sopocko in Jesus’ plan for Divine Mercy revelations can not be over estimated. Jesus said to St. Faustina: “He will be My visible help for you on earth. He will help you to carry out My will” (Diary 53).”His thoughts are closely united to Mine, […]

History of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:10:00 GMT

History of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus Many people associate the Divine Mercy message and St.Faustina with Poland but St. Faustina lived the biggest part of her convent life in Vilnius, Lithuania. The confusion arises because it was politically part of Poland at that time and this is why many people confuse Poland and Crakow […]

Main Elements of Devotion

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:09:00 GMT

Main Elements of Devotion Between 1928 – 1938, Jesus revealed to St. Faustina the new Devotion to Divine Mercy. He desired that there be a new Feast in honour of His Divine Mercy within the Church. He told her that, “This Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in […]

Chronology of Revelations of Devotion to Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:09:00 GMT

Chronology of Revelations of Devotion to Divine Mercy 1931 1931 – Revelation of the Image of Divine Mercy (Diary 47) 1931 – Revelation of the Feast of Divine Mercy (Diary 49) 1934 1934 – Revelation of the Meaning of the Rays in the Image of Divine Mercy (Diary 299) 1934 – Revelation regarding the Inscription […]

Devotion to Divine Mercy by Fr. Sopocko

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:09:00 GMT

Devotion to Divine Mercy by Fr. Sopocko Our Lord’s love for us is both divine and human, for He possesses both a divine and a human nature and will. Hence we may regard the Savior’s Most Sacred Heart as the symbol of His threefold love for us-divine love, spiritual human love and sensitive human love. […]

St. Faustina and Important Facts

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:08:00 GMT

St. Faustina and Important Facts After Saint Faustina’s final vows she was sent to the convent in Vilnius. She said, because of my frequent changes (to many different convents), I did not have a permanent spiritual director and I had great difficulty in speaking of these things, (the messages received from God). So I prayed […]

Biography of Fr. Sopocko

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:08:00 GMT

Biography of Fr. Sopocko

His Childhood

Michael Sopocko was born into a noble family on November 1, 1888 in Nowosady, in present day Lithuania. From his earliest years he was raised in a deeply religious atmosphere and a patriotic tradition. In spite of their poor standard of living, his parents made sure that Michael received at least an elementary education. The difficult conditions in which the Sopocko family lived, the arduous labour in the fields and the constant struggle for survival, was a tough character building upbringing for Michael Sopocko in effect a school of life. The healthy morality of his parents, their deep piety and parental and family love, had a profound and positive effect on the spiritual development of Michael. Daily family prayer and frequent attendance at services in the parish church 18 kilometres away, where they travelled by horse-drawn cart, was normal practise for the family. Receiving the holy sacraments was a significant experience for Michael. When he was a young boy he built a small altar in the house, which he used to pray before. Already in childhood, the spiritual atmosphere which reigned in the Sopocko home awakened in him an ardent piety and the desire to offer himself to the service of God in the priesthood.

Studying for Priesthood in Vilnius

Michael entered the Seminary in 1910, and studied for four years. He could not rely on any material help from home, and it was only due to the financial support granted him by the Rector of the seminary that he was able continue his studies. He was ordained a priest on June 15, 1914.

Assistant Priest in Taboryszki

After being ordained a priest, Father Michael Sopocko, was appointed to work in the parish of Taboryszki, near Vilnius, in the capacity of parish priest. In this capacity he gave catechism classes on Sundays to the youth of the parish. In the summer of 1915 the German-Russian front passed through Taboryszki. In spite of the danger from the war activities, Father Sopocko continued to celebrate all the devotional services that were prescribed for this time. He was very involved in the lives of his parishioners, helping all those who were injured or harmed by the passing armies. During his stay in Taboryszki, despite the war, Father Sopocko knew how important education was for the youth. He opened new schools for children in neighbouring villages for which he was often persecuted by the occupying German authorities even although initially these same authorities were tolerant of his activities and even helped him materially. Their attitude however hardened with time and matters began to change for the worse. Finally the German authorities began to prevent Father Sopocko from travelling to Vilnius to bring back teachers for his schools and in the end they forced him to leave Taboryszki altogether.

Studies at University of Warsaw and Service as Military Chaplain

In 1918, Father Michael received permission from the Church authorities in Vilnius to go to Warsaw, where he registered for study in the Theology Department of Warsaw University However, he was unable to begin his studies due to illness and the political situation at the time. After his recovery he returned to Warsaw intending to begin his studies in January 1919, but he found the university was closed as a result of the war, so instead, he signed up as a volunteer for the military chaplaincy. The field Bishop of the Polish army appointed him as an army chaplain, and assigned him to pastoral service in the Warsaw Field Hospital.

After a month he requested to be moved back to Vilnius to the military front and immediately received a transfer to the Vilnius Regiment where he began serving the soldiers who were fighting on the front line. After one particularly long and arduous march with the fighting troops Fr. Sopocko again began experiencing difficulties with his health and as a result, he was sent for treatment to a military hospital where, during the several weeks of his recovery, he helped with spiritual ministry to the sick.

Vilniusbeing part of Poland during the first world war, Fr. Sopocko was assigned as the military chaplain to a Training Camp for Polish officers in Warsaw. His duties included weekly religious and moral talks for officers and non-commissioned officers of the various units, as well as service in two military hospitals. As a military chaplain to the Training Camp officers, he raised issues of dogma and Church history. He discussed the catechism as well as taking up actual problems associated with military service. The religious moral and patriotic issues he raised in his talks were held in such high regard by his superiors that the Ministry of Defence published his talks and instructed the officers to introduce his work to the cadets in all units.

In October, 1919, in spite of the on-going war, the university resumed its activities. Fr. Sopocko registered for study in the moral theology department, and for additional lectures on law and philosophy. He had to divide his time between study and military service. During this time he also organised a school for orphaned children of military families.

In the summer of 1920, Fr. Sopocko witnessed the collapse of the front line; he lived through the heroic defence of Warsaw by the Polish army, and the final victory over the Soviet offensive. Years later, in his memoirs, he judged this victory over vast superior odds as being an exceptional sign of Divine Mercy for Poland obtained through the prayers of the faithful who filled the churches at that time.

While fulfilling his duties as an army chaplain and studying in the moral theology department, he also registered for a higher degree in education. In 1923 he received his master’s degree in theology and became even more involved in the field of pedagogy. The results of his research into the effects of alcohol on the development of the youth became the basis for his diploma work, “Alcoholism and School-aged Youth,” the crowning achievement of his studies in the Pedagogical Institute.

Military Chaplaincy and Work in Vilnius

The Bishop of Vilnius, Jerzy Matulewicz, knowing the merits and achievements, as well as the theological and pedagogical background of Fr. Sopocko, wanted to have him back to work in his diocese. He wanted him particularly for the organisation of a pastoral ministry for young people who were not at school and for college-aged adults.

Father Michael accepted the bishop’s proposal and returned to Vilnius. There he was formally appointed as Director of the Military Chaplaincy for the Vilnius Region, which consisted of 12 independent units, numbering over 10,000 soldiers altogether. The transfer of Fr. Sopocko to Vilnius was a promotion, but, at the same, time it imposed on him more obligations and a greater responsibility.

In union with the conference of military chaplains, Father Sopocko decided that in addition to sacramental ministry, the chaplains should also give talks on religion and morals at least twice a week in every unit. He also took on the task designated by the bishop to organise the youth ministry for young adults. And with the help of teachers specially invited by him, he managed to set up several Fraternities for the youth.

Despite the many responsibilities of his pastoral work, Fr. Sopocko continued his theological studies by distance learning, preparing his doctoral work on moral theology entitled, “The Family in Law-making.” He submitted his thesis in the Theology Department of the University of Warsaw on 1 March 1926. Because his research work required knowledge of foreign languages, he also studied German, English and French.

After obtaining his doctorate, he prepared for a further post doctoral degree. In 1927 and 1928, while continuing to work as director of the chaplaincy of the local Military District, Fr. Sopocko was appointed to the prominent position, of spiritual director of the Seminary and head of the Pastoral Theology Department at the Vilnius University. These new duties forced him to gradually withdraw from military chaplaincy work.

Spiritual Director of Seminary in Vilnius

Work in the seminary and the role of Spiritual Director, eventually began to suit him. As Spiritual Director, Fr. Sopocko was also the moderator of the Marian Sodality, the Eucharistic Association, the Third Order of St. Francis and the Union of Seminarians Associated with the Mission Clergy. Another service he was appointed to by the bishop, at this providential time in Vilnius, was that of confessor to religious orders and the hearing of confessions of religious sisters.

His duties now in addition to his function as Spiritual Director in the Seminary included giving lectures and carrying out research. Since books and manuscripts for teaching were scarce in those times, Fr. Michael had to write his teaching material by hand for the subjects he taught. These scripts were copied and used by the students as study aids for many years after. The research of Fr. Sopocko was mostly connected with his post-doctoral thesis, on the problem of spiritual upbringing and formation. In the summer of 1930 Fr. Sopocko visited various libraries in Western European countries to collect materials for the research work he had undertaken.

He was able to visit places of devotion and centres of religious life as well as libraries. While working on his post-doctoral thesis, Fr. Michael was also writing articles and lectures related to his research within the scope of pastoral theology, and articles for church encyclopaedias. He presented research reports and took up journalism. In September 1932, Fr. Michael moved into a monastery building occupied by the Sisters of Visitation where he was able to finish writing his post- doctoral work. His thesis was called: “The Purpose, Subject and Object of Spiritual Formation according to M. Leczycki.” On the basis of this work, he qualified as assistant professor on 15 May 1934. The Ministry of Religious Confessions and Public Education nominated him as Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw, and this title was then forwarded to the Department of Pastoral Theology at the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius.

Meeting Sister Faustina

From 1932 Fr. Sopocko was the confessor for the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, who at that time had a convent in Vilnius. It was here, in 1933, that he met Sister Faustina Kowalska, who, after coming to Vilnius in May of 1933, became his penitent (see Memories).

Their meeting proved to be a defining moment in his life and the part he would play, as designed by Jesus, in bringing the message of Divine Mercy to the world. It was to be his mission alongside Sister Faustina for the rest of his life defining his future. In the person of Sister Faustina, Fr. Sopocko met another apostle of the Divine Mercy, a Mercy that he himself knew he had experienced in his own life on more than one occasion. Sister Faustina, having having been told by Jesus that Fr. Sopocko was to be her confessor, spiritual director, and visible help on earth began to share all her spiritual experiences and visions with him. To enable him to assess and discern their content, he asked the sister to write down all her inner experiences, and then he would look over the texts and discern the Lords words. In this way the DIARY of St. Faustina came into being.

Sister Faustina, recited to him the revelations of Jesus that she had already experienced before coming to Vilnius and every message from then on. She told Fr. Sopocko about the requests she had received from Jesus during her apparitions. These included instructions to paint an Image of the Divine Mercy (see Image), to institute a Feast of Divine Mercy on the First Sunday after Easter (see Feast), and to set up a new Religious Congregation (see new Congregation). and to proclaim this message including the Chaplet ( see Chaplet) and Novena to the world. (see Novena) (see Proclamation).

From July 1934 Fr. Sopocko was the Rector of St. Michael’s Church in Vilnius where thanks to his efforts the first Image of the Merciful Jesus was blessed and displayed on 4 April 1937. This followed positive assessments of the Image given by the two commissions of experts appointed by the Metropolitan Archbishop Jalbrzykowski of Vilnius (see history of Image).

Sr. Faustina left Vilnius in March, 1936. Fr. Sopocko, continuously remained in contact with her by letter, and visiting her in Krakow, and it was he who brought to fruition all the work that had been entrusted to him through Sr. Faustina’s revelations. That was the work of bringing the message of Divine Mercy to the attention world. Fr. Sopocko pursued this work by seeking out the theological grounds for the propagation of all the elements of the Divine Mercy message based on the teachings of the Church. He was also to establish the basis for the institution of the Feast that was requested in Faustina’s visions. He presented the results of his research and the arguments for introducing the Feast in several articles in Theological periodicals. He also presented them in separate works on the subject of Divine Mercy.

In June of 1936 in Vilnius Fr. Michael published his first book, “The Divine Mercy,” with an image of the Divine Mercy on the cover. He sent this first publication out to all of the Bishops who were gathered for the Episcopal Conference in Czestochowa, but did not receive an answer from any of them. In 1937 in Poznan he published his second book entitled “The Divine Mercy in the Liturgy.”

At the end of 1937 the health of St. Faustina visibly deteriorated. Fr. Sopocko visited her at the beginning of September 1938, and she was already practically on her deathbed (see Congregation). Sister Faustina died on October 5, 1938. After the outbreak of war in September 1939, Fr. Sopocko decided to bring Sister Faustina’s revelations into the open. He sensed that the tragedy of war and the connected events had begun to confirm the contents of the message and urgency of his work.

Also connected with the concept of Divine Mercy was the building of a new church in Vilnius in the Name of Divine Mercy. In 1938 a Divine Mercy Church Building Committee was created, which soon received the approval of the State Office and of Archbishop of Vilnius Bishop R. Jalbrzykowski. With the outbreak of the second world-war however Vilnius was occupied by the Soviet Army. A new political situation followed, which brought a halt his intention for Divine Mercy churches and, in the end, completely thwarted him. The Soviet Army plundered the accumulated building materials and the money earmarked for the first construction of a Divine Mercy church, and the money he had in the bank for this work was also taken by the Soviets. Undaunted, even in 1940, Fr. Sopocko was still trying to obtain permission to build at least one church, but was refused.

The Years of Occupation and Post World War II

The Second World War, engulfing Europe, deepened the conviction of Fr. Sopocko of the need of God’s Divine Mercy for the world. And so he proclaimed wit even greater conviction the concept and ideology of Divine Mercy, which he perceived as the only hope for the world. He was invited by parishes from all around Vilnius, and from the provinces, to give conferences on Divine Mercy. During Lenten devotions in the Vilnius Cathedral, he would give homilies on Divine Mercy which drew crowds of thousands of the faithful from all over Vilnius. The words of these homilies resounded all over that city.

During this time, Fr. Sopocko also began working on a treatise “De Misericordia Dei Deque Eiusdem Festo Instituendo.” about the concept of Divine Mercy and about the Feast in its honour. He was encouraged by Cardinal August Hlond even before the war to pursue this work at the time when Fr. Sopocko had presented the Cardinal with his research regarding the message of Divine Mercy. But in June of 1940 Lithuania was again taken over by the Red Army, and a month later was merged into the Soviet Union as its fifteenth republic. Fr. Sopocko was forced to stop meeting with the Divine Mercy groups that he was moderating to. He was also stopped publishing his treatise on Divine Mercy.

Then a girl called Hedwig Osinska, who was an expert in classical languages, came to his aid and took care of the literary aspect of the treatise. With the help of her friends, she took it upon herself to copy his work in secret. Then she would send it to different people who had the opportunity of leaving Vilnius. In this way, Fr. Sopocko’s work was able to reach many countries, and particularly was able to fall into the hands of Bishops in Europe and throughout the world.

Fr. Sopocko became a suspect of the Gestapo because he was proclaiming the Divine Mercy and spreading its devotion. Forewarned by a Registration Office worker, he was able to evade arrest and he left Vilnius to avoid danger. When the threat had passed, Fr. Sopocko returned to Vilnius and began teaching in the Seminary, where, in spite of the difficult material conditions and problems, the new academic year 1940/41 began. He once again took up residence at St. Michael Church, where the Image of Divine Mercy was still displayed and gaining ever greater devotion in Vilnius.

Before the Second World War there was a large Jewish population in Vilnius, Fr. Sopocko had taken up instructing those Jews who had heard of the Divine Mercy devotion and wanted to join the Catholic faith. The fruit of his efforts was the baptism of some 65 Jewish people in Vilnius to the Catholic faith. When on 22 June 1941 the German-Soviet war broke out, Vilnius soon found itself under new occupation. The Jewish people were subjected to particular discrimination. Fr. Sopocko who had become friends of the large Jewish community began assisting the Jewish people in every way he could and so became engaged in a very dangerous activity that could have far-reaching consequences for him, including the loss of his life. The Gestapo had uncovered some traces of his activities and even held him under arrest for several days, but he got away.

At the end of 1941, the terror of the German occupation intensified. On the last Sunday of Advent, all the churches in Vilnius were closed down, and arrests followed. On 3 March 1942 the Germans started a widespread hunt for priests. They arrested professors and students of the seminary, as well as almost all of the priests who were working in Vilnius. Soon after this Archbishop R. Jalbrzykowski, was himself also arrested and detained. On the day of the arrests in the seminary, the Gestapo set a trap for Fr. Sopocko at his apartment. But, forewarned by his housekeeper, he was able to escape. He managed to reach the Archbishop’s office, where he informed the Archbishop that the Gestapo was searching for him, and he requested to be released from teaching in the seminary. Fr. Sopocko also asked for the Archbishop’s blessing for the time that he was going to be in hiding. The refuge was provided by the Ursuline Sisters who sheltered him in an old house they owned deep in the forest, two kilometres from the town of Czarny Bór.

Through the mediation of some trusted people, Fr. Michael obtained a falsified identity card under the name of Waclaw Rodziewicz and he became a gardener and a carpenter working for the local people. Every day, he would celebrate Holy Mass early in the morning, after which he would spend a lot of time in prayer and personal reflection. Every few weeks he would also go to the Sisters’ Convent in Czarny Bór to hear confessions, while at other times he busied himself with research work, based on literature provided by Hedwig Osinska his long time collaborator and her friends.

In the fall of 1944, despite the exceptionally difficult conditions, Archbishop Jalbrzykowski ordered that the Vilnius seminary resume its activity and Fr. Sopocko returned to Vilnius to resume his duties. To keep the seminary going, in addition to his teaching responsibilities, he would travel with professors and seminarians to collect free agricultural produce from the locals that helped to keep them alive.

Fr. Sopocko also undertook pastoral work outside of Vilnius, in order to make known the message of Divine Mercy. In the beginning, the authorities of the Lithuanian Republic, despite their anti-religious disposition, tolerated the pastoral activity of priests. However, they gradually began to limit their work particularly tightening up on the granting of permission to catechise the youth and children. Fr. Sopocko held courses in secret, but eventually word of these meetings reached the authorities who summoned him and he was faced with the real danger of being deported and exiled to Siberia.

In July 1947 he received a call from Archbishop Jalbrzykowski, who was now staying in Bialystok, Poland who obviously thought Fr. Sopocko should get away from the danger in Vilnius where the authorities were accumulating too much evidence against him. He invited him to come and work in that Archdiocese. He decided to leave Vilnius as quickly as possible, since the time granted for the repatriation of people from Lithuania to Poland was coming to an end and it would be very hard to leave Lithuania after that.

Wishfully hoping that his leaving Vilnius would be short -lived, Fr. Sopocko left for Bialystok at the end of August 1947, on the very last transport of people from Lithuania going to Poland. Before his departure he paid one last visit to his beloved shrine, the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy.

Fr. Sopocko founds the Sisters of Merciful Jesus asked for by Jesus in the revelations to Sister Faustina.

Upon his arrival in Bialystok, Fr. Sopocko reported to Archbishop Jalbrzykowski to receive his commission for his new appointment. At the end of September, he went to Myslibórz for a few days, where Hedwig Osinska and Isabel Naborowska (the first sisters of the Congregation of Merciful Jesus founded by Fr. Sopocko) were organising the beginnings of religious community life. This was his first meeting with the sisters since they had left Vilnius.

From that time he had kept in constant touch with the sisters, giving them advice and spiritual support, and keeping watch over the development of the Congregation of which he was the founder (see The Shrine).

Professor in Seminary in Bialystok

In October 1947 classes began in the seminary in Bialystok. Fr. Sopocko taught the same subjects that he had taught in Vilnius (Lithuania). Namely, Catechises, Pedagogy, Psychology, and the History of Philosophy. The activities and presence of Fr. Michael in the seminary were not limited to teaching. He was confessor of the seminarians, as he had been in Vilnius and many times when asked by the spiritual director he led retreats for them. Alongside his duties in the seminary, he also carried out pastoral, social and educational work. While an important part of his activities was his educational program promoting abstinence from alcohol amongst the general public.

The work he was most involved in however, and which was the dearest to him, was the matter of the devotion to the Divine Mercy, to which he himself was ardently devoted and faithful till the end of his life. He did not become discouraged by the opposition of Church authorities in approving the devotion. An opposition caused firstly by inconsistencies arising through the spontaneous, grass-roots response in the spreading of the devotion and secondly due to inaccuracies in some publications. Fr. Sopocko tirelessly corrected the errors and ideas that did not accurately represent the true concept of the message of Divine Mercy, explaining the theological bases of the devotion.

Similarly as in Vilnius, so too in Bialystok, Fr. Sopocko was the confessor of religious sisters. Amongst others, the sisters from the Congregation of Missionaries of the Holy Family, who had a house on Poleska Street. Whilst there, engaged in spiritual ministry on Poleska Street, Fr. Sopocko took the opportunity for spreading the Divine Mercy devotion among the local people.

In addition, thanks to his efforts, a chapel under the patronage of the Holy Family was consecrated in the religious house on 27 November 1957, on the Solemnity of Christ the King. And in this way, a pastoral centre was created for the local residents.

After retirement, Fr. Sopocko lived in that same building taking part in pastoral ministry till the end of his life. (Presently a room containing his personal effects can be found there as well as a religious house of the Sisters of Merciful Jesus, the Congregation he founded.)

Towards the end of the nineteen fifties, Fr. Sopocko took on one more initiative that of building a church dedicated to Divine Mercy in Bialystok. A plot of land was purchased with a house on it, half the cost of which he covered himself with his savings. Through this church project, Fr. Sopocko was once again enacting plans drawn up much earlier in Vilnius to build a church of Divine Mercy. However, this time also, as before, he was forced to abandon the project.

In 1958, while giving a retreat to priests, Fr. Sopocko suffered damage to a facial nerve. From this time on, speaking aloud to large audiences was very difficult for him and cost him a great deal. In addition to this, in February 1962 he was involved in a car accident in Zakopane (Poland) while taking part in a meeting of theology professors. This also had an adverse effect on his health and in this state it became necessary for him to go into retirement.

Toward the End of His Life

The sudden retirement caught Fr. Sopocko off guard. He had always been active and involved in numerous works and duties, and for the first time (excluding his time in hiding in Czarny Bór) he had unlimited time at his disposal.

While fulfilling his priestly duties in the Chapel on Poleska Street, he took up the work of finishing the treatises on concept of Divine Mercy that he had begun earlier. When the atmosphere surrounding the revelations of Divine Mercy began to change for the better, he devoted himself to it with renewed fervour. The priestly character of Fr. Sopocko, his spiritual formation and authority stemming from his remarkable life experiences, as well as his great modesty, all served to draw the faithful to him. Having more time now, Fr. Sopocko took up research to broaden the concept of Divine Mercy further. Apart from some new ideas on the matter, he had collected a large amount of material, while some studies he had already begun, so diligently he launched himself into writing. Several works were completed, one after the other, with a four-volume work, “The Mercy of God in His Works,” taking the lead. The first volume was published in London in 1959, and the next three volumes were published in the 1960’s in Paris, due to the generosity of people devoted to the Divine Mercy who were living in the West. This work was also translated into English.

The constant development of the devotion to the Divine Mercy and the interest arising from many theologians were important occurrences that boosted Fr. Sopocko’s commitment. Another significant incentive encouraging him to mission work for the cause of the Divine Mercy was the opening of the Informative Process relating to sister Faustina Kowalska by Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow in 1965. Fr. Sopocko testified as one of the main witnesses.

Father Michael Sopocko lived to celebrate the beautiful jubilees of 50 and 60 years of priestly service. The most edifying part of these celebrations was the speeches of the jubilee celebrant himself. Nearing the end of his priestly life, worn out by age and the difficulties of life, as well as by the painful inner trials he suffered, Fr. Sopocko made the shortest of the speeches given on that day. He expressed, first of all, his deep gratitude to God for the gift of the priesthood, and then, with great humility, he stated that in his long priestly life, he was not always faithful to the duties entrusted to him, and for that he desired to sincerely apologise to God and to ask all those gathered for prayer that the Merciful God would forgive him his unfaithfulness.

This celebration, according to the feelings and judgments of many participants, was a much belated moral reward and recompense for the venerable priest who had merited so much for the cause of God, especially for having being the first to spread the Divine Mercy revelations around the world. The one sign of recognition for the manifold meritorious works he accomplished for the Church and the Archdiocese was his being named as honorary Canon of the Chapter of the Metropolitan Basilica, though this was not until 1972, already near the end of his life.

Throughout his whole life, Fr. Michael was a man of action. Action based on a strong spiritual foundation. When his physical ability deteriorated due to illnesses, and ailments struck, the spiritual domain became the place of his commitment to God and to His service. Some quotations found in his diary give testimony to this. For this is how he actually understood his final service: “Old age should be treated as a vocation to greater love of God and neighbour. God has new plans regarding the elderly, plans for deepening the human being by revealing to him, face to face, his inner life. The only effective action that we are capable of is prayer. In this active passivity everything prepares us, everything counts, everything works for our gain. Heaven will be the praying of the “OUR FATHER.”

What is this Divine Mercy Devotion? by Val Conlon

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:07:00 GMT

What is this Divine Mercy Devotion? by Val Conlon

This is my understanding of why God gave us this message for our times

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way”.(Isaiah 53:6)

Many people today have said to me they are not religious anymore in as much as they are not attached to any religious sect, but they are still spiritual.

What does this mean?

This to me means they like sheep have gone astray, and each of them has turned to his own way. Jesus said: “Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation…. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell all souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near”.(Diary 965)

In the days of the Crusades, when philosophers were preaching a belief in the material world only, a man called Dominic started promoting the Blessed Virgin Mary through a prayer called, The Holy Rosary of Our Lady. In the next few years this special prayer spread all over the world and brought many people back from materialism to belief in Jesus Christ. The Church finally instituted the feast of “Our Lady of the Rosary”.

Again, in the 13th Century, when people began falling away from their faith in large numbers, a new devotion emerged from revelations to Juliana of Liege called “Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament”, and a new feast day was introduced by the Church called “The Feast of Corpus Christi”.

Then, when Jansenism began to take hold in the world and change the relationship developed by the Church between God and man, a new devotion began from revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque called “Devotion to the Sacred Heart” and the Church declared a special feast day called ‘The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus”.

Again, when evil began to emerge on a large scale in the time of Pius XI, he himself instituted the “The Feast of Christ the King”.

And today again in our time, “Many like sheep, have gone astray, and many have turned to their own way”.

Yes today, in our time the very foundation, the Rock itself, is shaking from the onslaught of betrayal by many Catholics. This has even happened with some of the consecrated and protectors of all we hold dear. And because of this like in Isaiah’s time, people are turning away from the true faith to their own spirituality. This I am told means they talk to God directly and don’t need anyone in between.

So what is God’s answer in our time? Well this is what the message of Divine Mercy is, Christ’s help to overcome to days evil. As He has done down through the ages through different messengers, He has once again shown us the way through a new messenger Saint Faustina, how to bring people back in ‘Devotion to His Divine Mercy’.

This devotion is a way for His faithful followers to help bring souls back to the faith.

This is evident with the prayers He has given us, the very powerful prayer given to Saint Faustina in Vilnius, “ The Chaplet of Divine Mercy” is firstly to atone for those who have strayed in our own family, when you say “ in atonement for OUR sins” and then you pray for everyone else who has strayed, when you say “ and those of the whole world”.

Then you have the prayer He gave us for conversion of sinners, this unfortunately has been called the 3.o.c prayer when it would have been better to call it the title Jesus gave it “The Conversion Prayer” it is given to us to help convert sinners and bring them back to the faith.

Jesus said: “The prayer most pleasing to me is the prayer for conversion. This prayer is always heard and answered”. “This is the prayer” “O blood and water that gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You” (Diary 186-1397)

“The Feast of Mercy” again has one purpose, it is a special day like an amnesty for even the most vile sinners, to wipe the slate clean like a second Baptism, come back to the faith and start all over again.

“The Novena” he gave us shows the kind of sinners He wants us to give special attention to. ‘Those who have separated from the Church’ ‘The souls of Priests and Religious’ ‘the souls of little children’ ‘those who do not yet know him’ ‘those who do not believe in God’ ‘Those who have become luke warm’ .

“The Proclamation”

We must now make the ultimate effort to get peoples attention, and make them aware of this message from God. We can with the message of Divine Mercy expose God to the world through His greatest attributes…

His infinite Forgiveness, His infinite Love, His infinite Mercy. Devotion to the Sacred Heart was the Flower. Devotion to Divine Mercy is the Fruit.

Mercy is the flower of love. God is love. Mercy is His deed.

In love it is conceived, in mercy it is revealed.

The Hill of Crosses

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:05:00 GMT

The Hill of Crosses The Hill of Crosses is one of the most special places we will visit on our Divine Mercy pilgrimage. The Hill of Crosses is a small hill were thousands of Catholics place a cross and say a prayer for their personal intensions. The Hill of Crosses is a solemn testimony to […]

Revelations in Vilnius

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:05:00 GMT

Revelations in Vilnius Introduction to Vilnius Pilgrimage The following extracts from the Diary of St. Faustina are a small sample of many of the extraordinary events that took place during St. Faustina’s time in Vilnius. On our pilgrimage, we will visit the convent where she received the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and where Jesus explained […]

Siluva – Apparition of Our Lady

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:04:00 GMT

Siluva – Apparition of Our Lady On our pilgrimage we will also have an opportunity to visit Siluva, which is one of the first apparition sites of Our Lady in Europe. In order to appreciate the holiness of this religious site, it is necessary to know its history. Lithuania was actually one of the last […]

Lithuanian Culture

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:04:00 GMT

Lithuanian Culture The culture of Lithuania, like all countries, has been greatly influenced by their turbulent past. Lithuania has endured long periods of occupation by outside forces, but this has contributed to the construction of their modern country. Nowadays, Lithuania is a parliamentary democracy which was influenced by the injustice of their past occupiers. Approximately […]

Vilnius Cathedral

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:04:00 GMT

Vilnius Cathedral While on our pilgrimage, we will visit the famous Vilnius Cathedral in the Old Town. This is one of the most beautiful churches in Lithuania and on its walls are some of the most inspiring paintings and frescos in the world. Vilnius Cathedral is over 900 hundred years old. Unfortunately, the current building […]

Brothers of Merciful Jesus

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:03:00 GMT

Brothers of Merciful Jesus On our pilgrimage, we will visit with the Brothers of Merciful Jesus. This congregation was founded because Jesus asked St. Faustina to start a new congregation whose charism would be to pray for mercy and to tell the world about the unfathomable mercy of God. During the time we will spend […]

Sisters of Merciful Jesus

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:03:00 GMT

Sisters of Merciful Jesus The “Sisters of the Merciful Jesus” which Jesus asked Saint Faustina to found, were founded in Vilnius on the instructions and guidance of Jesus Himself. This order asked for by God to give their lives praying for mercy for the world. This is a very special convent and a special religious […]

St. Casimir’s Catholic Church – Vilnius

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:03:00 GMT

St. Casimir’s Catholic Church – Vilnius While we are on pilgrimage in Vilnius, you will have an afternoon off for shopping and wonder around the breathtakingly beautiful city of Vilnius. One of the places we strongly recommend you visit is St. Casimir’s Church in the heart of Vilnius. St. Casimir’s Catholic Church is over 400 […]

The Gate of Dawn – Vilnius

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:02:00 GMT

The Gate of Dawn – Vilnius During the 16th Century, Vilnius had many enemies who were trying to invade their city. In order to protect themselves, they build a large wall around the city with nine gates. Each of the gates had religious icons and pictures for the purpose of asking God’s help for the […]

Fr. Sopocko’s House

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:02:00 GMT

Fr. Sopocko’s House On our pilgrimage we will visit Blessed Fr. Sopocko’s house. This house has been renovated by the ‘Divine Mercy in Action’ foundation’ HUDT and was converted to the the first convent for the Sisters of Merciful Jesus in Vilnius, a congregation asked for by Jesus and founded by Blessed Sopocko on Saint Faustina’s request. In the […]

Divine Mercy Shrine

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:02:00 GMT

Divine Mercy Shrine The Shrine of Divine Mercy is a very special shrine in the centre of Vilnius because it displays the original Image of Divine Mercy. This special Image of Divine Mercy was painted by Eugene Kazimirowski under the direction of St. Faustina and Bl. Fr. Sopocko in Fr. Sopocko’s parish house in Vilnius. […]

St. Faustina’s Convent

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:01:00 GMT

St. Faustina’s Convent On our pilgrimage, we will have the honour of visiting the convent where St. Faustina lived while she stayed in Vilnius during the 1930s. St. Faustina referred to Vilnius as “my beloved Vilnius” and it was, without doubt, one of the happiest periods of her life, in spite of her debilitating illness. […]

Mother of Mercy Image

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:01:00 GMT

Mother of Mercy Image The beautiful Image of the Mother of Mercy in Vilnius is one of the highlights of our pilgrimage to Vilnius. This famous and old image of the Mother of Mercy is one of the most popular religious shrines in Lithuania and every year thousands of Catholics come to visit the Shrine […]

Main Sites of Pilgrimage

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:00:00 GMT

Main Sites of Pilgrimage St. Faustina’s Convent We will visit the fully restored convent where St. Faustina lived while she lived in Vilnius Divine Mercy Shrine We will visit the new Shrine to Divine Mercy in Vilnius where the original Image of Divine Mercy is now displayed. We will have Mass here. Mother […]

Divine Mercy Pilgrimage to Vilnius, City of Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 20:00:00 GMT

Divine Mercy Pilgrimage to Vilnius, City of Divine Mercy Every year we organise a retreat pilgrimage to Vilnius, the City of Divine Mercy, in Lithuania. St. Faustina lived the biggest part of her convent life in Vilnius, it was politically part of Poland at that time and this is why many people confuse Poland and […]

The Miracle of Brendan O’Neill

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:59:00 GMT

The Miracle of Brendan O’Neill Brendan O’Neill was a very successful businessman who comes from a very religious family. His mother, in fact, had always a great devotion to Divine Mercy and was a great friend of Fr. Berchmans Walsh, who was the first priest to promote Divine Mercy in Ireland. However, because of his […]

The Promise of Miracles by Jesus

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:59:00 GMT

The Promise of Miracles by Jesus “Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this Chaplet. Write down these words, my daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize my unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. […]

The Miracle of Ugo Festa

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:58:00 GMT

The Miracle of Ugo Festa Ugo Festa was born in Vicenza, Italy in 1951. He was struck down at an early age with multiple sclerosis. Gradually his health deteriorated. This led to many other problems in his young life. By the age of 39, he was suffering from multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and epilepsy. Early […]

The Miracle of Maureen Dignan

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:58:00 GMT

The Miracle of Maureen Dignan Before the age of 15, Maureen Digan enjoyed a normal healthy life as an active teenager. Then suddenly, she was struck down with a slowly progressive but terminal disease called Lymphedema. It is a serious cancer which causes massive swelling of the limbs. This painful disease is caused by a blockage […]

The Miracle of Fr. Ronald Pytel

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:58:00 GMT

The Miracle of Fr. Ronald Pytel In 1995, Fr. Ronald Pytel was only 48 years old. He had resigned himself to an early death because of the terrible condition of his heart. His heart was so damaged that even a short walk left him exhausted and he needed to rest most of every day. His […]

Trust in God by Fr. Michael Sopock

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:57:00 GMT

Trust in God by Fr. Michael Sopocko

The Miracles of Divine Mercy

Advent – The Time for our Spiritual Awakening by Sr. Maximiliana Kroczak, CSMJ

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:56:00 GMT

Advent – The Time for our Spiritual Awakening by Sr. Maximiliana Kroczak, CSMJ Alive but Asleep Advent is the time of a call from God to wake up because man sometimes falls asleep during his life. A sleep, unlike natural sleep, he may never wake up from but continues to sleep for evermore. Let us […]

Let Jesus Lead You

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:56:00 GMT

Let Jesus Lead You by Fr. John Harris Learning from the Past There is a story in the memory of the Church which I believe can help us in our understanding of the crisis facing the Church today and the challenges facing us all at this moment. The story tells of how after the great […]

God’s Mercy Transforms Us

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:55:00 GMT

God’s Mercy Transforms Us What Do You Seek? St. John’s Gospel describes the moment as Jesus was walking by the River Jordan and John the Baptist identified Him as the “Lamb of God”. After hearing this proclamation, two of John the Baptists disciples started walking after Jesus. He turned and asked, “What do you seek?” […]

Insight into God’s Love by Fr. Igor

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:55:00 GMT

Insight into God’s Love by Fr. Igor A Worthless Person by Human Standards One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him. Jesus accepted and went to his home that evening. A woman from the town, who had lived a very sinful life, learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so […]

The Role of the Divine Mercy Devotion in the Future of the Catholic Church by Fr. John Harris

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:55:00 GMT

The Role of the Divine Mercy Devotion in the Future of the Catholic Church by Fr. John Harris Tired of being a Catholic An elderly lady came to me recently and said she was “tired of being a Catholic”. She was tired of fighting with her children and grandchildren for not attending Sunday Mass or […]

Conversion of our Spirit by Val Conlon

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:54:00 GMT

Conversion of our Spirit by Val Conlon Our Personal Journey through Life In life, each of us is engaged in a personal journey to save our soul, but it cannot be just about ourselves, it has also to be with our fellow man. It is, in effect, a group journey; a pilgrimage we are all […]

Confession is about the Future by Fr. John Harris

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:54:00 GMT

Confession is about the Future by Fr. John Harris Catholics are Guilt Ridden It is often said that we Catholics are guilt-ridden. It is said that the Church is obsessed with sex and most of this criticism is particularly focused on the Sacrament of Confession. People say that Confession is about raking-up the past and […]

Living Mercy Daily

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:53:00 GMT

Living Mercy Daily The Pope reminded us that the very essence of the Good News is its message of hope and real optimism. He wrote “Optimism is the fruit of Christian hope and the result of its action on the Christian soul. It flows from the trust of man in Divine Providence. This optimism is […]

Crisis in our Life by Br. Marius

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:53:00 GMT

Crisis in our Life by Br. Marius An extract from a letter by Fr. Sopocko to the Sisters of Merciful Jesus during World War II “I have spent a second week in isolation, where I have been contemplating and adoring Divine Mercy in action. At the same time, I have been passing through my whole […]

The Good Thief by Fr. Sopocko

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:52:00 GMT

The Good Thief by Fr. Sopocko On each side of Our Lord hung a thief on a cross. “Now one of those robbers who were hanged was abusing him, saying: ‘If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us!’ But the other in answer rebuked the first and said, ‘Dost not even thou fear God, […]

A Crisis of Faith by Val Conlon

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:52:00 GMT

A Crisis of Faith by Val Conlon Today in Ireland many people whom I knew as solid Catholics most of my life, that is, in their own quite reserved way, they went to Mass every Sunday, said their prayers at night, supported the Church when it made a decision on political or social matters, and […]

St. Faustina’s Praises of God’s Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:52:00 GMT

St. Faustina’s Praises of God’s Mercy The love of God is the flower – Mercy the fruit. Let the doubting soul read these considerations on Divine Mercy and become trusting: Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You. Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You. Divine […]

Complete Confidence in Jesus

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:51:00 GMT

Complete Confidence in Jesus To have complete confidence in Jesus is to truly know Him. This confidence in Jesus comes from deeply contemplating the ‘works of His hands’ during His earthly life and His many gifts of grace during ours. It comes from knowing that Jesus is infinite goodness. It is knowing that such goodness […]

Trust in Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:51:00 GMT

Trust in Divine Mercy In October 1936, St. Faustina wrote in her Diary, ‘Today, I heard these words, “The graces I grant you are not for you alone, but for a great number of other souls as well… And your heart is My constant dwelling place, despite the misery that you are. I unite Myself […]

Complete Confidence in Jesus

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:51:00 GMT

Trust in Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:51:00 GMT

Our Invaluable Faith in Jesus Christ

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:50:00 GMT

Our Invaluable Faith in Jesus Christ In this “Year of Faith”, it is good to stop and reflect for a moment on what it is we are talking about when we mention the faith. If you ask people, they will give you a variety of answers. This, I think, is the first mistake we are […]

The Virtue of Trust by Val Conlon

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:50:00 GMT

The Virtue of Trust by Val Conlon The most difficult virtue but the most noble of mankind is Trust. It is also the most important and respected virtue a person can have in life; trust in one’s neighbours, relatives, and friends. Nearly always, without exception you will find this trust is reciprocated. Trust is what […]

St. Faustina’s life of Intercessory Prayer

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:49:00 GMT

St. Faustina’s life of Intercessory Prayer St. Faustina’s Concern for Mankind “Jesus, I have so much to tell You.” And the Lord said to me with great love, Speak, My daughter. And I started to enumerate the pains of my heart; that is, how greatly concerned I am for all mankind, that “they all do […]

Jesus, Messiah, Saviour of the World

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:49:00 GMT

Jesus, Messiah, Saviour of the World Jesus, Messiah At the centre of the Divine Mercy Devotion is the person of Jesus. Jesus is the Second Divine Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, eternally loved by the Heavenly Father and eternally loving in return. But due to our sinfulness and our need for forgiveness and healing, […]

The Power of Intercessory Prayer

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:48:00 GMT

The Power of Intercessory Prayer The Prayer of Sinners I was asked by a mother to pray for a daughter, that she felt was in danger of losing her soul. It poses the question how good are our prayers, the prayers of simple sinners, in these situations. For the answer, all we have to do […]

Interceeding for Sinners

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:48:00 GMT

Interceeding for Sinners “If you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith, on behalf of some sinner I will give that soul the grace of conversion”. “O Blood and water that gushed forth from the heart of Jesus, as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You”. The Chaplet of […]

The Power of St. Faustina’s Intercession

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:48:00 GMT

The Power of St. Faustina’s Intercession A True Miracle Healing of Divine Mercy Devotion “You will be the secretary of my Mercy in this life and the next”. Maureen Dignan’s Illness Before the age of 15, Maureen Digan enjoyed a normal healthy life as an active teenager. Then suddenly, she was struck down with a […]

3 O’Clock Prayer

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:47:00 GMT

3 O’Clock Prayer The Diary of St. Faustina is more than a religious book and more than a record of the profound mystical events that shaped her life. The Diary gives us precise instructions from Jesus as to how He wanted the new devotion to His Mercy to be formulated. From the very depths of […]

Stay Open to Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:46:00 GMT

Stay Open to Divine Mercy Praying for Grace God will never give you the grace to do the things you want to do, only the grace to do the things He wants you to do. When in her convent in Cracow, Poland, St. Faustina prayed to the Lord for the grace of a spiritual director. […]

True Story – The Miracle of the Diary

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:46:00 GMT

True Story – The Miracle of the Diary Brendan O’Neill is a very successful businessman who comes from a very religious family. His mother, in fact, had always a great devotion to Divine Mercy and was a great friend of Fr. Berchmans Walsh, who was the first priest to promote Divine Mercy in Ireland. However, […]

Too Sinful to Pray

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:46:00 GMT

Too Sinful to Pray Our Human Weakness One of the hardest parts of being a Catholic is that when our human weakness leads us to fall from grace, we find it difficult to believe that God forgives us for this failure every time we go to confession. We promise in confession not to sin again, […]

My Memories of Sr. Faustina

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:45:00 GMT

My Memories of Sr. Faustina There are some truths of the Holy Faith, that we apparently know and we often recall them,but we do not understand them well, neither do we live them. It was like that with me in respect to the Truth of the Divine Mercy. I thought about this Truth so many […]

The Eucharist in the Life of St. Faustina

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:45:00 GMT

The Eucharist in the Life of St. Faustina During the celebration of Corpus Christi in Rome in 2004, the Pope announced the Year of the Holy Eucharist. Saint Faustina’s full religious name was Sister Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament and her whole life revolved around the Holy Eucharist. If you read her diary […]

The Wisdom of St. Faustina

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:45:00 GMT

The Wisdom of St. Faustina On the Use of Words I tremble to think that I have to give an account of my tongue. There is life, but there is also death in the tongue. Sometimes we kill with the tongue: we commit real murders. And we are still to regard that as a small […]

Diary and the Mercy of God

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:44:00 GMT

Diary and the Mercy of God There seems to be three principal themes in the Diary of St. Faustina. The first is Trust. Jesus greatly desires that every soul be absolutely convinced that no matter what sins they have committed, they should never fear to approach Him to ask His forgiveness and mercy. He has […]

The Words of Jesus

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:44:00 GMT

The Words of Jesus When we read the Diary of St. Faustina, we must always try to remember that we are reading the actual words of Jesus. In many ways, we have been extremely blessed to live in a time when a book of this magnitude exists. A countless number of saints and holy people […]

The Diary of St. Faustina

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:29:00 GMT

The Diary of St. Faustina The Diary of St. Faustina is the second most important book in the world, after the Bible. It is a record of the inspiring life of St. Faustina, as she experienced the profound supernatural events that shaped her entire life. It reveals the supremely holy and wise personality of the […]

The Enthronement of the Image

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:28:00 GMT

The Enthronement of the Image The Enthronement of the Divine Mercy Image in the home is the recognition and honouring of the existence of God our Creator by the family. Those who give themselves to trusting in the wonderful love and mercy that His Son, Jesus, brings to us through this Image. This Image which […]

Diary Passages about the Image of Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:28:00 GMT

Diary Passages about the Image of Divine Mercy February 22, 1931 – In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn […]

The Artist who Painted the First Divine Mercy Image

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:27:00 GMT

The Artist who Painted the First Divine Mercy Image Eugene Kazimierowski was the artist who painted the first Image of Divine Mercy which currently hangs in the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Vilnius, Lithuania. He was born on November 11, 1873. He was a Polish Realistic painter and he preferred to paint landscapes and portraits. […]

The Vessel of Graces – Divine Mercy Image

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:26:00 GMT

The Vessel of Graces – Divine Mercy Image The Image of Divine Mercy is far more than just a religious icon or painting. Although it was painted by a man, it was not imagined by a man. The Image is a painting of a vision of Jesus which Jesus deliberately designed so that this Image […]

The Miracle of the Image – Ugo Festa

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:26:00 GMT

Ugo Festa was born in Vicenza, Italy in 1951. He was struck down at an early age with multiple sclerosis. Gradually his health deteriorated. This led to many other problems in his young life. By the age of 39, he was suffering from multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and epilepsy. Early in 1990, his spine was […]

History of the First Image of Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:25:00 GMT

History of the First Image of Divine Mercy Since medieval times anyone entering into Vilnius, through the old City gates, are entering through the gates which protected medieval Vilnius from the enemy, for over five hundred years. These are the only remaining gates left intact in the old city walls from the middle ages . As […]

A Living Image (by Val Conlon)

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:25:00 GMT

A Living Image (by Val Conlon) Image of Divine Mercy is alive In this article I hope to convey my belief that the Divine Mercy Image is a living Image, and that this Icon of Jesus is much more than just a religious painting. This conviction is supported by many passages from the Diary. Christ’s […]

Diary Passages about the Novena

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:24:00 GMT

Diary Passages about the Novena The Lord said to me today: Go to the Superior and tell her that I want all the sisters and wards to say the chaplet which I have taught you. They are to say it for nine days in the chapel in order to appease My Father and to entreat God’s […]

Divine Mercy Image Introduction

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:24:00 GMT

Divine Mercy Image Introduction The Image of Divine Mercy is the painting of a vision of Jesus which St. Faustina saw on 22nd February 1931 while she was living in her monastery in Plock, Poland. Jesus specifically instructed her to have the vision painted and asked that the painting would have the words, “Jesus, I […]

Meditation on the Novena

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:23:00 GMT

Meditation on the Novena There are a number of points regarding the Novena to Divine Mercy which are worth earnestly reflecting upon as we grow in our understanding and knowledge of the most important Devotion in the history of the Catholic Church. The first of these is the purpose of the Novena. In order to […]

Novena before the Feast of Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:23:00 GMT

Novena before the Feast of Mercy In the Diary of St. Faustina, she records that Jesus asked her to write down the Divine Mercy Novena which He would dictate to her each day and she was to start this novena on Good Friday. This novena however was intended for her personally, the novena we must […]

Novena

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:23:00 GMT

Novena The Novena to Divine Mercy is a truly unique novena for a number of reasons. This novena is different from all other novenas because it is the first novena in the history of the Catholic Church which was created by Jesus. St. Faustina records in her Diary that Jesus instructed her to write down […]

Never Be Satisfied

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:22:00 GMT

Never Be Satisfied Start Again We all need a New Year. We all need to begin again. That is why these first weeks of 2012 are so important. We can become cynical and say that in the past we have made many New Year’s resolutions and we have not kept them. But, as Christians, such […]

We Can Be Transformed by Holy Communion

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:22:00 GMT

We Can Be Transformed by Holy Communion by Val Conlon In her Diary, St. Faustina wrote, “I find myself so weak that were it not for Holy Communion I would fall continually. One thing alone sustains me, and that is Holy Communion. From it I draw my strength; in it is all my comfort. I […]

The Power of Prayer by Blessed Fr. Michael Sopocko

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:21:00 GMT

The Power of Prayer by Blessed Fr. Michael Sopocko Ask and You Shall Receive Our Lord showed the need for prayer when He said, “Without me, you can do nothing”. (John 15:5) Then He assured us of the power of prayer, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock […]

The Promises of Jesus to those who Pray the Chaplet

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:21:00 GMT

The Promises of Jesus to those who Pray the Chaplet Introduction In the Diary of St. Faustina, she recorded a number of promises which Jesus made to those devoted to His Divine Mercy. We selected a few of the most powerful of these promises for this article, with a special focus on praying the Chaplet […]

Saving a Soul May Depend on You

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:21:00 GMT

Saving a Soul May Depend on You The Need to Pray for Sinners In the message given to St. Faustina, Jesus emphasises many times the need to pray for sinners: “The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is […]

How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:20:00 GMT

How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy by Val Conlon The following is the passage from the Diary where Jesus explains to St. Faustina how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. It is important to remember that this is a truly special prayer as it was created by Jesus for us as a […]

The Importance of the Feast of Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 19:20:00 GMT

The first revelation of Jesus in His message of Divine Mercy to St. Faustina on 22nd February 1931 was to say how much He desired mankind to avail of the infinite mercy of God on earth and this was why He was establishing the Feast of His Mercy. So, the Feast of Mercy was the […]

The Borrowed Tomb

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:59:00 GMT

The Borrowed Tomb Life Giving Mercy It is no coincidence that the Feast of Divine Mercy takes place during the season of Easter. It is during these days of Easter that the Apostles got used to Jesus being with them in a new way. During these days, they experience mercy as life-giving and life-renewing. In […]

Bored at Mass?

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:59:00 GMT

Bored at Mass? Bored at Mass? by Fr. John Harris Do you ever get bored at Mass or do you hear people complaining that the priest is boring? Usually when I am faced with such complaints I ask, “what do you do when you go to Mass?” This always causes a certain unease because most […]

Pope John Paul II & The Feast of Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:59:00 GMT

Pope John Paul II & The Feast of Mercy In his homily on 30th April 2000 John Paul II said, “by this act today, I pass on the message of Divine Mercy to the new millennium. I pass it on because I want people to know the better face of God, and that of his […]

Prepare for the Afterlife

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:57:00 GMT

Prepare for the Afterlife by Val Conlon John Paul II said at the canonisation of St. Faustina “By this act today I pass on the message of Divine Mercy to the new millennium. I pass it on because I want people to know the better face of God, and that of his Divine Mercy, and […]

A Second Baptism

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:57:00 GMT

A Second Baptism The following is from a lecture by Canon Ignacy Rozycki Doctor of Dogmatic Theology, and a member of the International Theological Commission. He said “Among the external manifestations of the Devotion to The Divine Mercy the Feast of Mercy occupies the first place”. The Lord Jesus made known His will (about this […]

The Victory of Mercy Over Justice

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:56:00 GMT

The Victory of Mercy Over Justice by Val Conlon Jesus’ death on the cross was in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world. In the message of Divine Mercy revealed to Saint Faustina, Jesus asks that at 3 O’Clock we immerse ourselves in His Passion. John the Baptist immersed people in […]

Preparation for Feast of Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:56:00 GMT

Preparation for Feast of Mercy by Val Conlon The Feast of Mercy was first introduced to the church as a solemn feast day on Low Sunday in Lithuania and Poland in 1996, but was not formally recognised as a Feast Day until the Canonisation of St. Faustina in 2000 and Pope John Paul II inauguration […]

Importance of the Feasts of Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:55:00 GMT

The Importance of the Feast of Mercy The first revelation of Jesus in His message of Divine Mercy to St. Faustina on 22nd February 1931 was to say how much He desired mankind to avail of the infinite mercy of God on earth and this was why He was establishing the Feast of His Mercy. […]

The Hand of God in the Feast of Mercy

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:55:00 GMT

The Hand of God in the Feast of Mercy by Val Conlon “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6) Many people today have said to me they are not religious anymore in as much as they are not attached to any religious sect, but they […]

Feasts

Thu, 03 Mar 2016 17:55:00 GMT

The Feast of Mercy The Physician If a physician knew that with a new method available to him on one day of a year, he could heal as many people as he could gather together in one place with a serious cancerous condition, and if he was told that the procedure would only take about an hour […]