Mercy at St. Aloysius Church/Divine Mercy Parish in Sauk City. (Contributed photo)
Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison will be celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday on April 7, at St. Aloysius Church/Divine Mercy Parish, 115 Madison St. in Sauk City.
St. Aloysius Church began celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday in 2008 and this will be the second time that a bishop will celebrate Mass here on this feast day. Bishop Robert C. Morlino celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday here in 2010. This will also be the last time this merciful day will be celebrated under the name of Divine Mercy Parish and we feel so honored and blessed to have Bishop Hying sharing and leading us forward as Mary, Mother of Mercy Pastorate.
The history of Divine Mercy Sunday
St. John Paul II declared in the Great Jubilee Year 2000 that throughout the universal Church, the Sunday after Easter will be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. He stated, “When I was called to the See of Peter, I felt impelled to pass on those experiences of a fellow Pole that deserve a place in the treasury of the universal Church.”
In 1931, Jesus chose a humble Polish Nun, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, to receive private revelations concerning Divine Mercy that were recorded in her Diary. St. Paul explained, “This was precisely the time when those ideologies of evil, Nazism and communism, were taking shape. St. Faustina became the herald of the one message capable of offsetting the evil of those ideologies, the fact that God is mercy — the truth of the merciful Christ.”
The message of Divine Mercy is that God is love itself poured out for us and this love is more powerful than any kind of evil in which individuals, humanity, or the world are entangled. Believing in this love, means believing in mercy. We all need Divine Mercy. “Where, if not in the Divine Mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope?” asked St. John Paul II at the beatification of St. Faustina on April 18, 1993.
St. John Paul II referred to the many instructions that Jesus gave to St. Faustina regarding His request for a Feast of Mercy on the Sunday after Easter. St. Faustina’s Diary records 14 occasions when Jesus requested that a Feast of Divine Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday) be observed. Jesus promised, “On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I, Myself am waiting for you. Snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace.” He also instructed her to paint an image of Him just as He appeared to her and to have it blessed and venerated on the first Sunday after Easter throughout the world. The Image of the Divine Mercy will also be on display at St. Aloysius Church.
“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 Blessed Faustina heard: ‘Fear nothing; I am with you always’,” shared St. John Paul II when celebrating in Poland in 1997. He added, “Those who sincerely say, ‘Jesus, I trust in you’ will find comfort in all their anxieties and fears”.
Celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday in 2022, Pope Francis urged all to open themselves to Christ’s mercy and extend this same mercy to others. “The joy God gives is indeed born of forgiveness. It bestows peace. He comforts us in the same way he did in today’s Gospel: He offers us his wounds. We must not forget this fact. In response to our sin, the Lord is always present offering us his wounds.”
Celebrating in Sauk City
The festivities will begin at 1 p.m. with the Sacrament of Reconciliation continuing through the afternoon. Four bilingual priests will be available. The bilingual Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will follow at 2 p.m., Eucharistic Adoration will begin at 3 p.m., and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be sung. All will be invited to venerate the Divine Mercy Image and a first class relic of St. Faustina. Benediction will follow at 4 p.m. Childcare is available from 3 to 4 p.m. Assisted listening is available with the T-coil hearing loop and a separate loop is also available in one of the confessionals. A free taco dinner hosted by the Hispanic Knights of Columbus will then be available to all in the school gym. Framed Divine Mercy Images, books, CDs, blessed scapulars, medals, and other items will also be available in the gym. The Eucharistic Miracles of the World exhibit will begin in the school gym and continue up into the school hallway. This exhibit was designed and created by Blessed Carlo Acutis to help others discover the mystery, beauty, and riches of the Holy Eucharist.
Registration is encouraged, but not required. RSVP at www.divinemercy-parish.org/events-1/divine-mercy-sunday.