PROVIDENCE — Catholics throughout the world will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday March 30, praying through the intercession of St. Faustina to trust in Jesus’ endless mercy and to be merciful toward others.
“Mercy is God’s love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,” said Archbishop George H. Pearce S.M. in an interview this week, who re-translated the Diary of Blessed Sister M. Faustina Kowalska in 1979-80.
The archbishop, now living at the Cathedral residence in Providence, was asked by the Marians of the Immaculate Conception in Stockbridge, MA, to do the translation from Polish to English in certain portions of the diary, using proper English terminology for the theological concepts and spiritual experiences St. Faustina described.
The diary, which the saint said was kept at the behest of Jesus for the four years prior to her death, is a journal in which she recorded events related to the encounters of her soul with God. She said she experienced her first encounter at age seven, when for the first time she heard a voice in her soul, calling her to a more perfect way of life.
Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska, known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy, was born in Poland in 1905, the third child of ten in a poor and very religious family. She was baptized with the name Helena, and stood out among her peers because of her devotion to prayer, strict obedience, and sensitivity to the plight of the poor.
During her first Communion at the age of nine, the child became more aware of the presence of a divine guest within her soul. After attending school for three years, she sought her parents’ permission to enter the convent, which was denied, so Kowalska went to work as a housekeeper for wealthy families as means of supporting herself and helping her parents.
In her diary, the young woman recalled being at a dance, and while everyone was having a good time, Faustina was experiencing great pain.
“As I began to dance, I suddenly saw Jesus at my side, Jesus racked with pain, stripped of his clothing, all covered with wounds, who spoke these words to me: ‘How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting me off?’” she wrote.
“Then I heard these words: ‘Go at once to Warsaw; you will enter a convent there.’”
After seeking admission to several religious communities and being denied, Kowalska entered the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy.
The young religious sister served in several convents throughout Poland, was a housekeeper and portress, and was blessed with a special communion with God throughout her life.
“She stood firm with the grace that God gave her,” said Archbishop Pearce.
“Jesus called her the Secretary of his Mercy,” he added, noting that the religious sister was given the mission by Jesus to spread his great message to the world: “I sent prophets yielding thunderbolts to my people. Today I am sending you with my mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my merciful heart.”
Sister Mary Faustina, ridden by tuberculosis which she accepted as a voluntary sacrifice for sinners, died in 1938 in Kracow at age 33.
Recognition of her holiness swelled, as did a following to the Divine Mercy and the graces that were obtained from God through her intercession.
During 1965-67, an investigative process into her life and heroic virtues was undertaken in Poland, and in 1968, the beatification process was initiated in Rome. Faustina was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993, and canonized seven years later.
The late pope said of Divine Mercy Sunday, "In a special way, it is the Sunday of thanksgiving for all the goodness that God has shown us in the whole Easter mystery.”
He emphasized the church's understanding that Divine Mercy Sunday as the Octave Day of Easter brings Catholics the fullness of Christ's Resurrection — pointing back to the first day of the celebration on Easter Sunday and now to its fullness on the eighth day, the Octave.
Divine Mercy Sunday, then, can be seen as the convergence of all the mysteries and graces of both Holy Week and Easter Week. On this special day, Catholics celebrate the graces that are available to them through the risen Lord’s victory over sin, death and Satan.
Archbishop Pearce emphasized that there is a growing trend for Catholics to observe Divine Mercy Sunday.
“The world is increasingly in need of trusting in God’s mercy,” he said.
On March 30, Archbishop Pearce will preside at confirmation at St. Mary, Star of the Sea Church in Narragansett.
“What better day than to have a confirmation than on Mercy Sunday, and to be the instrument to pour the Holy Spirit into the hearts of the young folks being confirmed?” he asked.
Schedule of events:
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: 2:15 p.m.
Rosary, Glorious Mysteries: 2:30 p.m.
Chaplet of Divine Mercy, 3 p.m.
Adoration and confession: 2:15-4:15 p.m.
Veneration of first-class relic of St. Faustina Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament: 4:45 p.m.
Holy Mass, celebrated by Father Anthony Mancini, 5 p.m.
The Cathedral is handicapped accessible.
