Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will celebrate Mass marking Divine Mercy Sunday. He invites all Catholics to join priests and religious in this celebration of the devotion recognizing God's mercy and love.

Mass for Divine Mercy Sunday
April 3, 2005
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia

Catholics will pray to Jesus Christ in several ways, including: adoring His presence in the exposed Blessed Sacrament, which is poignant in the Catholic Church's Year of the Eucharist; confessing their sins and receiving forgiveness; praying a Divine Mercy prayer; concluding their period of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament; and finally celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass.

Schedule of Events:
12:00 Noon: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
12:30 - 2:30 p.m.: Sacrament of Penance
2:30 p.m.: Recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet
2:50 p.m.: Benediction
3:00 p.m.: Mass

While praise of God's mercy is a central and ancient practice in the Church, popular devotion to Divine Mercy is relatively new. Sister Faustina Kowalska of Poland noted in her 1931 diaries that Jesus appeared to her and called for greater devotion to divine mercy. Pope John Paul II canonized Saint Faustina in 2000 and announced that the second Sunday of Easter will be given the additional title of Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Church. The devotion fosters repentance for one's sins, and through the mercy and forgiveness of God, one's closer union with Jesus in the Eucharist.



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Donna Farrell
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215-587-3747