Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated each year on the Sunday after Easter. It’s based on the devotion to the Divine Mercy originated by St. Faustina Kowalska. On April 30, 2000, St. Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina and designated the Sunday after Easter as the Sunday of the Divine Mercy in our church calendar.

Divine Mercy Sunday is widely celebrated around the world, with the Divine Mercy image carried in processions and displayed in churches for veneration by those attending Divine Mercy Mass.

The alternate Opening Prayer for Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday proclaims: “Heavenly Father and God of Mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for He is alive and has become the Lord of Life.” This prayer describes Divine Mercy as the key to our salvation, because it is through God’s mercy that God offered us his only son for our redemption, freeing us from the curse of sin and death.

During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, it’s helpful for families to commemorate the gift of Divine Mercy by focusing attention to this devotion and raising awareness of God’s great gift of forgiveness, available to all.

Families can celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday at home by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet: Using rosary beads, begin with: Our Father…, Hail Mary…, The Apostles Creed; then on the Our Father bead before each decade, say: “Eternal Father, I offer to you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.” On the 10 Hail Mary beads of each decade, say: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Conclude by saying three times: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”