Rome: Pope to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday Mass

The 20th anniversary of the feast of Divine Mercy takes place this Sunday.

To mark the day, Pope Francis will celebrate a special Mass at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Sassia, the centre of the devotion to Divine Mercy in Rome. The Mass will be televised live and streamed online around the world.

The devotion to Divine Mercy was introduced by the 20th-century Polish nun, Saint Faustina Kowalska, as requested to her by Jesus in visions and conversations.

Saint Pope John Paul II instituted Divine Mercy Sunday on the occasion of her canonisation, on April 30, 2000, the Second Sunday after Easter, thus opening the devotion and the feast of Divine Mercy to the Universal Church.

From his youth, Pope John Paul II had an ardent devotion to Divine Mercy, as promoted by Sister Faustina. She died in 1938 at the age of 33 in Krakow, where Karol Wojtyla was to become archbishop, cardinal and was later elected Pope in 1978.

Pope John Paul II who beatified Sister Faustina on April 18, 1993, Sunday after Easter, died on April 2, 2005, the eve of the Sunday after Easter. John Paul II himself was beatified on May 1, 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday, and declared a saint on April 27, 2014, also Divine Mercy Sunday.

In an Apostolic Letter issued on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 7, 2002, Pope John Paul II granted indulgences to Catholics who go to Confession, receive Communion and recite specific prayers on that day. Subsequently, this was formally decreed by the Apostolic Penitentiary.

During his general audience live-streamed on Wednesday, Pope Francis told Polish pilgrims that on Sunday, April 19, he will celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy, established by St John Paul II, in response to the "the request of the Lord Jesus to St Faustina."

"Jesus said: 'I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls.' Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy."

The Holy Father urged that prayers be said with "confidence to Merciful Jesus for the Church and for all humanity, especially for those who suffer in this very difficult time."

"Dives in Misericordia" (Rich in Mercy), the 1980 encyclical of St John Paul is often cited by Pope Francis, the hallmark of whose pontificate has been mercy. Pope Francis called the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy from December 8, 2015, to November 20, 2016.

Today, the devotion to Divine Mercy is widespread across the world. Churches and shrines dedicated to Divine Mercy have sprung up across the world, most importantly the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow, which houses the remains of Saint Faustina. Built between 1999-2002, the sanctuary has been visited by three popes. Millions of pilgrims from around the world visit it every year.

LINKS

Live-stream video to shrine in Krakow Lagiewniki: www.faustyna.pl/zmbm/en/life-stream-video-from-the-shrine-in-krakow-lagiewniki/

Marian Fathers Divine Mercy site: www.thedivinemercy.org/