By CECILE SAN AGUSTIN
Reporter

CLIFTON - Throughout the diocese, devotions celebrating the feast of Divine Mercy will be held the second Sunday of Easter on April 23. Many parishes in all three counties will be holding Holy Hours and other devotions consisting of confessions, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction, recitation of the Divine Mercy chaplet and rosary and blessing of the Divine Mercy image.

Bishop Serratelli will celebrate Mass at 10:30 a.m. Sunday for the Solemnity of the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, in Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church, Cedar Knolls.

Msgr. Stanley Schinski, pastor of Annunciation Parish in Wayne said, "Certainly, in our times, we see so much going on, and there is a need for Divine Mercy. Our nation itself is changing, and it is losing its moral values. Divine Mercy is offered for sinners, the sick and for many others."

At Annunciation Parish, the feast day has been celebrated for four years. This year, retired Bishop Frank Rodimer will be the main celebrant at 3 p.m. Mass in Annunciation Church. Devotions at Annunciation before the Mass will also include confessions, rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet.

The late Pope John Paul II inaugurated the annual feast to be observed the Second Sunday of Easter as a day of devotion to Christ's tender mercy for all humanity. He declared the day on April 30, 2000 when he canonized St. Faustina Kowalksa, the young Polish nun and visionary of Jesus as the Divine Mercy. Many people unofficially celebrated it for many years before being made into a feast for the entire Church.

Father Pawel Szurek, parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Lake parish in Sparta who was born in Krakow, Poland where St. Faustina lived the last years of her life, has been inspired by her diaries in many ways.

"Pope John Paul's devotion to Divine Mercy has influenced my life and my vocation," said Father Szurek, who has been an ordained priest in the diocese for less than a year. "I have devotion to the chaplet. Everything that Jesus gave us through the Divine Mercy is in the Gospels, which is nothing new, but St. Faustina reminds us of this love."

At Our Lady of the Lake Parish, devotions will also be held in honor of Divine Mercy Sunday. "It is important because we need mercy and forgiveness and this is a special devotion. Most people are missing something in their lives," Father Szurek said.

In addition to devotions on Divine Mercy Sunday, Our Lady of the Lake also held a nine-day novena, which traditionally starts on Good Friday and ends on the feast day. For each day of the novena a different intention is prayed for:

The Novena Intentions are:
ﾥ First Day: All mankind, especially all sinners.
ﾥ Second Day: The souls of priests and religious.
ﾥ Third Day: All devout and faithful souls.
ﾥ Fourth Day: Those who do not believe in God and those that don't know Jesus yet.
ﾥ Fifth Day: The souls of those who have separated themselves from the Church.
ﾥ Sixth Day: The meek and humble souls and the souls of little children.
ﾥ Seventh Day: The souls who especially venerate and glorify my mercy.
ﾥ Eighth Day: The souls who are detained in purgatory.
ﾥ Ninth Day: The souls that have become lukewarm.

For Romanita "Mengie" Ayala, a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Passaic and devotee of Divine Mercy, she prays the novena all year round.

She was introduced to Divine Mercy in 1992 when a man from her native country of the Philippines showed a video of St. Faustina's life, which was in Tagalog, the native language of the Philippines.

"We were touched by Divine Mercy, and we cried as we meditated the passion of Jesus Christ," said Ayala, who visits the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass. every year on Divine Mercy Sunday. The feast of the Divine Mercy at the National Shrine is North America's largest Divine Mercy celebration each year. This year the celebrant of the Mass will be Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston.

Ayala, who will be traveling with a bus from Our Lady of Mount Carmel to Stockbridge again this year recalls, "You feel very uplifted being there. Twenty thousand people visit there on that day."

St. Faustina's prayers also have been much comfort for Ayala especially during the passing of her mother. Ayala said, "Before my mother died, at her bedside I prayed the Divine Mercy prayer for the dying and it was really moving." 

While Divine Mercy Sunday holds traditional devotions such as Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and rosary, two devotions are exclusive to Divine Mercy Sunday: the blessing of the Divine Mercy image and the chaplet.

The image of Divine Mercy is the earliest element of the devotion. On Feb. 22, 1931 Jesus appeared to St. Faustina with rays radiating from his heart. On this visit, Jesus told St. Faustina to paint an image with what she saw and the signature: "Jesus, I trust in you." In honor of this moment, parishes bless Divine Mercy images as a reminder of God's salvation.

In addition, the Divine Mercy chaplet is recited. St. Faustina used rosary beads to say this prayer now proclaimed today.  On the Our Father beads and the Hail Mary beads, prayers specific to Jesus' mercy are said.

As Divine Mercy devotion grows each year in the diocese, Father Szurek believes it will become even more popular in years to come. "Usually, when we think of God, he's our judge. Through St. Faustina's diaries, we realize his divineness, and he is merciful. Especially with people so busy in their lives, this message can give them hope."