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DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
Receive mercy through God’s unconditional love

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
(Email Renee)

“For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world,” from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Parishioners who have attended special gatherings on the Feast of Divine Mercy, celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter, know well that the message of these services and that of the divine mercy devotion itself focus on trusting in God’s mercy.

Special services were held on April 19 in at least four parishes of the Diocese of Sioux City: St. Cecelia’s in Algona, Holy Trinity in Fort Dodge, Blessed Sacrament in Sioux City and St. Joseph’s in Wesley.

The observance of Divine Mercy Sunday in Sioux City started at 1:30 p.m. with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and confession. The Hour of Mercy began at 3 p.m. Kevin Keane and Claudia Hardy led the congregation as they sang the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Father Merlin Schrad, pastor at Blessed Sacrament, served as the host for the celebration. He explained the requirements needed for receiving a plenary indulgence and led the Act of Entrustment of the World to Divine Mercy.

The homily was given by Father William Vit, administrator of the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Sioux City.
He reflected on what mercy is and how it applies to people’s lives.

“All of us have had an experience of mercy – either we have been called to be merciful to someone or someone has been merciful to us,” said Father Vit.

He said that when someone has “hurt us and then returned to us with a contrite heart” it is easier to realize the importance of mercy and offer forgiveness. But when people do not show remorse, Father Vit acknowledged that it is much more difficult to be merciful.

In that same way, Father Vit said quite frequently people turn to God “sinful and sorrowful,” but often they don’t. He reminded those gathered that “it was us who handed him (Christ) over to be killed. It was us who scourged him, spat upon him and nailed him to the cross. That was us – unremorseful.”

So why does God extend his mercy?

“The answer is so simple; it is by virtue of our human dignity,” Father Vit said. “We, made in the image and likeness of God, are born into the reception of his mercy through the outstanding and overwhelming, unconditional love that he offers us. All so simple and yet profound.”

Called to be merciful
With this in mind, he said all people are called to be merciful to others even when it is difficult.

Organizers of the Sioux City celebration said with between 450 to 500 people in attendance, this was the biggest crowd since they started offering the service in 2001. Larry Walsh, a member of the spiritual life committee at Trinity Heights in Sioux City and one of the organizers of the divine mercy service, credited the response to having the relic of St. Faustina on hand for the service.

St. Faustina, a polish nun who was canonized in 2000, is credited with the spread of the divine mercy devotion worldwide through her 600-page diary, which provides an account of visions and revelations of Christ.

As the service drew to a close, Father LeRoy Seuntjens, chaplain at Trinity Heights, spoke about his “tremendous journey” to Krakow, Poland, to pick up the relic.

He explained that saints were to be venerated, not worshipped, as they - like Mary - help lead the way to Christ.

The priest explained that the relic could be venerated in a similar way as the cross is at Good Friday services.

Following benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, which was led by Father Schrad, Father Suentjens held the reliquary and people had the opportunity to venerate it. They processed up, much like a Communion line, to touch, kiss or hold a rosary against the relic (which would make the rosary or other item a third-class relic).

This was the third time that Patty Murphy and her husband, parishioners of St. Boniface Parish in Sioux City, had attended a divine mercy prayer service at Blessed Sacrament. She pointed out that they pray the chaplet daily at 3 p.m. and had read the diary of St. Faustina.

St. Faustina’s relic
Having the relic of the saint present for the service made it all the more special for them.

“How often do you get the opportunity to kiss a saint?” she asked. “It was overwhelming. I almost cried.”

Regina Ratino, one of the organizers of the service who was among the five people to go to Poland to pick up the relic, said having the relic on hand for the celebration made the day more than special.

“It was incredibly awe-inspiring to have a piece of bone from the hand of a saint whom Jesus, himself, had designated as his ‘Secretary of Divine Mercy,’ that is, the one he entrusted with the message that before he comes as the just judge, he is coming as a merciful savior. St. Faustina is truly, as Pope John Paul II has said, the ‘gift of God of our times,’” she said.

Dr. Paul Wolpert, a board member at Trinity Heights, recalled how the founder of Trinity Heights, the late Father Harold Cooper, had such a strong devotion to divine mercy. That devotion was so strong, that Trinity Heights named its chapel the Divine Mercy Chapel. The founder’s devotion was reinforced, noted the doctor, by Father Andrzej Swietochowcki, who is a native of Poland and former pastor in Jefferson, S.D. Dr. Wolpert credited these two priests with bringing the devotion of divine mercy to Sioux City.

The relic of St. Faustina will find a permanent home in the chapel at Trinity Heights.