SAUK CITY — Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated on April 28 at St. Aloysius Church on 115 Madison St. in Sauk City.
The festivities will begin at 12:30 p.m. and conclude with The Taste of Divine Mercy, which promises a fabulous food celebration at 4 p.m. in the school gym.
Ann Black, parishioner, has the following question for all of us: “If God gave you one special Sunday when Jesus asks us to come to him for his mercy, why wouldn’t you come to him on that day?”
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 states, “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. John Paul explains, “This was precisely the time when those ideologies of evil, Nazism and communism, were taking shape. Sister Faustina became the herald of the one message capable of off-setting 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. We all need Divine Mercy.
Pope 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 that “on that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open” and the he would open his heart and pour out his mercy like a “whole ocean of graces” to those who go to Confession and receive Holy Communion.
Jesus told her, “My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? . . . Come then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain . . . You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of my graces.”
He instructed her to paint an image of him 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 be on display at St. Aloysius Church.
Festivities on April 28
The festivities on Sunday, April 28, will begin at 12:30 p.m. with a Divine Mercy movie in the church basement. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be at 2 p.m. in the Church.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available in the church during Mass and throughout the afternoon. Four priests will be available until all are heard.
Eucharistic Adoration will begin at 3 p.m., and the Divine Mercy Chaplet will be sung. All will be invited to venerate the Divine Mercy image, the first class relic of St. Faustina, and Our Lady of Guadalupe image.
A Eucharist procession along with the Divine Mercy image will follow the Holy Hour. Benediction will follow. Divine Mercy images and materials will be available to all. Assisted listening devices will also be available.
Taste of Divine Mercy
The Taste of Divine Mercy will follow in the school gym. Bids will be taken on an assortment of delicious foods provided by parishioners with special recipes they share.
Dishes will compete against other dishes, and votes will be based on monetary donations. Tasting is free, and all monetary donations will determine the winner, who will be announced at 6 p.m.
All proceeds from the celebration will be geared toward the upkeep of the Adoration Chapel at St. Aloysius Church.
Jeff Mahoney, who is the force behind the Divine Mercy celebration, shared, “The laity dedicated to Divine Mercy seek to serve our Lord by telling the world about his mercy and bring souls to the font of his Mercy.
“This must begin within the family. The family is the basic building block of the domestic Church and of society. Once his mercy takes root in the family, it will blossom and bear fruit.
“We seek to spread the devotion of Divine Mercy within the family by enthronement of the Divine Mercy image and recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Our Lord promised many graces by these things. Most importantly, families must embrace his mercy by living a true sacramental life while striving to be in a state of grace.”
Fr. Pedro Escribano, parochial vicar of St. Mary Church in Merrimac, will be one of the four priests offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation on April 28. He presents us with a quote from James 2:13, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Divine Mercy Parish would like to encourage everyone to come for a portion or all of the afternoon and take advantage of the incredible promises available on this great Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday.