St. Joseph will have a Holy Hour of Adoration from 2-3 PM in the church on Divine Mercy Sunday that will include the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Veneration of the Divine Mercy image. Divine Mercy Sunday is an opportunity for extraordinary graces and plenary indulgence. Please join us for this wonderful opportunity to experience God's unfathomable mercy. 

WHAT IS DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY?

In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.  Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us, and He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others.

We are asked to do the following in observance of Divine Mercy Sunday:

• Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter;
• Sincerely repent of all our sins;
• Place our complete trust in Jesus;
• Go to Confession, preferably beforehand;
• Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;
• Venerate the Image of The Divine Mercy;
• Be merciful to others, through our actions, words, and prayers on their behalf.

EXTRAORDINARY GRACES AND PLENARY INDULGENCE

Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina His desire to literally flood us with His graces on Divine Mercy Sunday.

On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (Diary 699).

To receive the extraordinary graces promised by Jesus, you should prepare by making a good confession, so that you can receive Holy Communion in a state of grace on Divine Mercy Sunday (or the Vigil celebration). In addition, Our Lord asked St. Faustina to be sure to perform acts of mercy, and to come to Him in Holy Communion with great trust in His mercy.

Divine Mercy Sunday is also an opportunity for plenary indulgence. The usual conditions for plenary indulgence, plus specific conditions for Divine Mercy Sunday are as follows:

• sacramental confession (within 20 days or 20 days after)
• Eucharistic communion, preferably on the day of or Vigil celebration
• prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff
• in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy
• or, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!”)

THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY

Prayed on ordinary rosary beads, The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist, so it is especially appropriate to use it after having received Holy Communion at Holy Mass. It may be said at any time, but our Lord specifically told St. Faustina to recite it during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy (the first Sunday after Easter). It is likewise appropriate to pray the Chaplet during the "Hour of Great Mercy" — three o'clock each afternoon (recalling the time of Christ’s death on the cross). In His revelations to St. Faustina, Our Lord asked for a special remembrance of His Passion at that hour.

Information on how to recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy can be found online at www.thedivinemercy.org.