Next Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter, the Church throughout the world marks Divine Mercy Sunday, in honour of the Divine Mercy that comes from the heart of Christ to all who seek his forgiveness. The ‘hour of mercy’ is held across the world at 3pm and in the Diocese of Clogher it will be celebrated this year via online means from the following churches –
- St Macartan’s Cathedral, Monaghan https://www.mcnmedia.tv/camera/st-macartans-cathedral-monaghan
- St Michael’s Church, Enniskillen https://mcnmedia.tv/cameras/st-michaels-parish-eniskillen
- St Joseph’s Church, Carrickmacross https://www.carrickmacrossparish.ie/our-parish/web-cam/
- The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Newtownbutler https://www.churchservices.tv/newtownbutler
- St Tierney’s Church, Roslea https://www.churchservices.tv/roslea
The celebrations will include the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the praying of the Rosary and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by Benediction.
The Bishop of Clogher, Bishop Larry Duffy, has asked that people tune in to one of these celebrations and he invites all to participate in them. ‘Divine Mercy is God’s great and eternal gift to humanity; it invites us to place our trust in our loving God, the One who died for us and rose again so that we might enter eternal life. In these tough times as we all struggle with sickness, grief, loss and lockdown, let us remember that God is with us through his divine mercy and love. The fact that we end the Octave of Easter Sunday by having the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday reminds us again that God’s actions on the Cross were borne out of love for us. Let us never fail to love and to hope. Let us place our trust in Jesus.’
This celebration of Divine Mercy flows from the apparitions of Jesus to St Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, and what her writings describe as ‘God’s loving mercy’ towards everyone, especially sinners. St Faustina was canonised by Pope St John Paul II in the Great Jubilee Year 2000 and Divine Mercy Sunday was inaugurated by him for the whole Church in 2001.
