My personal journey with Divine Mercy started in 2011 when I visited the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. I must admit that I was not a strong devotee until I reverted back to my faith around 2016.

Here’s the background to the Divine Mercy, which leads up to my story.

 In rural Poland in 1905, a young girl – the third of 10 children in her family – was born. Her family was poor but very religious, and she grew up showing a deep devotion to her faith and a strong love for God. By the age of seven, she already had a deep, spiritual understanding of the Mass and often spent time in Eucharistic adoration.

At the age of 19, while at a dance, she had a vision of a suffering Jesus. This vision affected her so profoundly that soon after praying at a cathedral, she felt called to be a consecrated religious and left for Warsaw. This was a call she could not shake and was determined to achieve, no matter the hardships. Without much education and financial means, she was turned away from many convents and deemed “unfit.” Through her determination and Divine Providence, she was finally accepted by the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.

This religious sister took the name Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament, and through her writings in her Diary, the devotion to Divine Mercy, based on the words Jesus shared with her, eventually spread throughout the world. Jesus specifically said, “I am giving mankind the last hope of salvation” (Diary 998).

When Jesus appeared to St. Faustina in 1931 as the King of Divine Mercy in Poland, he was clothed in a white robe, with two rays emanating from his heart – one red and the other a pale blue. He appeared to her again like this in Vilnius, Lithuania, where she subsequently resided. The diary her confessor Blessed Michael Sopocko asked for eventually led her to be known as the “Secretary and Apostle of Divine Mercy.”

Ethelyn David and Father Kaz Chwalek, former MIC Provincial, at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge. (Contributed photo)

The Divine image was captured in a painting in 1934 by artist Eugene Kazimirowski. After several attempts, St. Faustina was still not satisfied with it until Jesus told her, “It is good enough.” Today, this image is as revered as the Shroud of Turin and the Tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1935, on Good Friday, Jesus requested that the image be publicly honoured, and soon after, the first Divine Mercy Sunday was celebrated – although not officially until 2000, when it was instituted by the Church through St. John Paul II.

With the image, additional devotions of Divine Mercy were established. The acronym FINCH describes it in a nutshell: Feast of Divine Mercy (celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter), Image of Divine Mercy, Novena to Divine Mercy, Chaplet of Divine Mercy. We also venerate St. Faustina on Oct. 5 each year, her feast day and the anniversary of her passing.

Divine Mercy is a way to get to heaven. It is not only a devotion but also a message and the core of the Gospel. God gives us this gift of his mercy to free us from misery and sin. He loves us so much, no matter how great our sinful nature. He died for us and would do it again, even if we were the only person in the world. It is hard to understand, but all he asks from us is to trust in him, to repent of our wrongdoings, receive his mercy, and share this grace. He asks this of us as the King of Mercy before he comes as a just judge. Remembering this is as easy as A, B, C: Ask for God’s mercy, Be merciful to others, and Completely trust in Jesus.

This devotion, given through private revelation, is optional. However, its message is not. The message comes to us through God’s public revelation – the Word of God through Scripture and tradition. We receive his mercy via the sacraments, and the devotion brings us closer to him by living the message and by being messengers of mercy. One sacrament that is key and where healing begins is confession, which is the best way to ask for mercy.

To be a messenger of Divine Mercy means to express love that seeks to relieve the misery of others. It is active; it seeks to forgive, console, comfort, and heal. The Works of Mercy, both corporal and spiritual, are good ways of showing and sharing God’s love by helping others see and experience God’s unlimited love. We are all sinners but have been redeemed by the greatest love because where sin abounds, grace much more abounds (Rom 5:20-21).

Archbishop Jan Pawlowski celebrates Mass at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Plock, Poland, Feb. 22, 2021. The Mass marked the 90th anniversary of the first apparition of Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska. (CNS photo/Katarzyna Artymiak)

Since my visit to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge in 2011 and my later return to my faith, I pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily and observe FINCH. I have also incorporated sharing the devotion in my occupation as a pre-need adviser and a funeral director assistant. When meeting with my clients, I pray with them and give them an image and prayer cards of Divine Mercy – reminding them of the power of praying the Chaplet at the bedside of their loved ones who are passing. To clients who are not Catholic, I give them a prayer card and explain simply what Divine Mercy is, inviting them to reach out to me for further information. It is often comforting for them.

I attend and help out at Divine Mercy conferences in Toronto and the United States. I was blessed to stay at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Lagiewniki, Poland, this past July and to celebrate St. Faustina’s feast day in Stockbridge in September – both experiences are musts for any devotee! 

My non-profit organization, Mediatrix Conferences, will host a Divine Mercy Conference on March 8, 2025, at Our Lady of the Assumption in Port Coquitlam. It has been a blessing for me to befriend many MIC clergy, Marian Helpers, and lay apostles who are devotees, and it has been a pleasure to bring them to Vancouver. We will continue to do so. 

I was blessed to meet and work with Cynthia Leowardy, the Divine Mercy director for Asia. Cynthia and her husband Peter, as well as their two daughters, have been greatly influenced by Divine Mercy. Many miracles have abounded through this devotion. Wanting to spread the message, she coordinated with her pastor, Father Augustine Obiwumma, and Father Kaz Chwalek, MIC, from Stockbridge, Mass. With the blessing of Archbishop J. Michael Miller, we will hold the 3rd North America Congress on Divine Mercy on Nov. 15-17, at Good Shepherd Church In Surrey. All are welcome to attend and hear the teachings and testimonies of prominent speakers such as Father Chris Alar, MIC, Father Donald Calloway, MIC, Bishop 

Gintaras Grusas of Vilnius, Lithuania, Bishop Antonysamy Savarimuthu of Palayamkottai, India, Father Patrice Chosloski, Father Kaz Chwalek, MIC, Sister Inga Kvassayova, OLM, Dr. Bryan Thatcher, Dr. Robert Stackpole, formerly of Vancouver, Father Mark Baron, MIC, Father Prospero Tenorio, and Father Nap Balthazar.

Pre-registration is required. The cost is $135 for the full event. Same-day registration will be available based on availability: $40 for Friday and Sunday, $60 for Saturday. For additional information and registration, visit marian/events.org.

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