PORTLAND

Many Maine parishes are planning Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations for Sunday, April 3, including the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, veneration of the Divine Mercy image, the sacrament of reconciliation, and the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

On May 5, 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II decreed that the Second Sunday of Easter, the Octave of Easter, would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. The feast was established by the pope after he canonized Saint Faustina, a humble Polish nun to whom Jesus revealed his message of divine mercy. A member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Sister Faustina says the Lord appeared to her several times beginning in February 1931. During her visions, she says the Lord communicated to her the depth of his mercy and his desire that all be merciful to one another.

She shared the messages she received in a diary, writing that the Lord told her, ‘I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in my mercy’ (Diary No. 687). The diary includes 14 occasions on which Jesus asks that a Feast of Divine Mercy be established. The day Christ chose, according to Saint Faustina, is the first Sunday after Easter, and Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy to begin on Good Friday. On each of the nine days, prayers are to be offered for a different group.

During the novena and on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is recited. The chaplet was given to Saint Faustina by Jesus with this promise: “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death … Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from my infinite mercy” (Diary No. 687). Jesus also gave St. Faustina the Divine Mercy Novena, nine intentions for which to pray the Chaplet.

In 2002, Pope Saint John Paul II decreed a plenary indulgence associated with the devotion of Divine Mercy Sunday “to ensure that the faithful would observe this day with intense devotion.” A plenary indulgence is the “full remission of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven.” Through the sacrament of confession, our sins are forgiven, but some of the worldly effects of those sins may remain. A plenary (full) indulgence completes the healing process.

To receive a plenary indulgence, you must go to confession, receive holy Communion and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. That should be done in the days leading up to the feast. Then, on Divine Mercy Sunday, you must “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 who, 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.”

Here is a list of many of the Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations scheduled for around the diocese:

St. Michael Parish, Augusta

A Divine Mercy Sunday celebration will be held at St. Joseph Church, located on 1 Lincoln Avenue in Gardiner, on Sunday, April 3, at 2 p.m. The celebration will include exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and adoration, recitation of the rosary, readings from the Old & New Testaments and Gospel readings on mercy, a Divine Mercy reflection, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a musical recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.

Where to celebrate

• ALL SAINTS PARISH, BRUNSWICK

A Divine Mercy Sunday celebration will be held at St. Mary Church on 144 Lincoln Street in Bath on Sunday, April 3, from 2:30-3 p.m. The celebration will include exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, readings from the Gospel and St. Faustina’s Diary, and the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. A reception will follow.

• ST. LOUIS PARISH, PORTLAND

All are welcome to gather for a Divine Mercy service at St. Louis Church, located on 279 Danforth Street in Portland, on Sunday, April 3, at 3 p.m. featuring the final Divine Mercy Novena and the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

• PARISH OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST, FALMOUTH

The celebration of the Feast of Divine Mercy will begin on Sunday, April 3, at 3 p.m. at Holy Martyrs Church on 266 Foreside Road in Falmouth.

The celebration will include veneration of the Divine Mercy image, meditation, Eucharistic adoration, recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and benediction. Mass will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m.

• PRINCE OF PEACE PARISH, LEWISTON

The parish invites you to make a Jubilee Year of Mercy pilgrimage to the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul, located on 122 Ash Street in Lewiston, on Sunday, April 3. Pass through the basilica’s holy door and join in the 10 a.m. Mass. Following the Mass, there will be a public outdoor procession with the Divine Mercy image. The image will then be enthroned in the basilica chapel. At 3 p.m., the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be recited at Holy Family Church on 607 Sabattus Street in Lewiston. There will also be exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament followed by the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation at 4 p.m.