The Divine Mercy painting by Adolf Hyla. The Polish writing at the bottom means "Jesus I trust in You"

The Feast of the Divine Mercy or Divine Mercy Sunday falls on the Octave of Easter (the Sunday immediately following Easter). The Octave Day of Easter, sometimes known as Low Sunday (and also known historically as White Sunday Whitsunday St It is dedicated to the devotion to the Divine Mercy promoted by St. Faustina, and is based upon an entry in St. The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic devotion based on the visions of Polish Nun and Canonized Mary Faustina Kowalska, commonly known as Saint Faustina, born Helena Kowalska (August 25 1905 Glogowiec Poland then in the Russian Empire &ndash Died October Faustina's diary stating that anyone who participates in the Mass and receives the sacraments of confession and Eucharist on this day is assured by Jesus of full remission of sins. The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The confession of one's Sins is a religious practice important to many faiths e The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)

According to the notebooks of Saint Faustina, Jesus made the following statements about this day: "On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. " (Diary of Saint Faustina, 699)

The devotion was celebrated unofficially in many places for some years. On April 30, 2000 (Divine Mercy Sunday of that year), Pope John Paul II canonized St. Pope Canonization is the act by which a particular Christian church declares a deceased person to be a Saint and is included in the canon or list of recognized saints Faustina and designated the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in the General Roman Calendar, with effect from the following year. For earlier forms of the General Roman Calendar see the Tridentine Calendar, the General Roman Calendar as in 1954, General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius He also decreed a plenary indulgence associated with this devotion. An indulgence, in Roman Catholic Theology, is the full or partial Remission of temporal punishment due for Sins which have already been forgiven Pope John Paul II said he felt a closeness to St. Faustina when he was writing Dives in misericordia ^[1]. Dives in Misericordia ( Latin for "Rich in Mercy" is the name of the second Encyclical written by Pope John Paul II. He died during the vigil of the Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005. Pettie The Vigiljpg|right|thumb|200px|"A Knight's Vigil" by John Pettie]] A vigil (from the Latin vigilia, meaning wakefulness) is

On the calendar observed for the traditional Latin Mass, this day is not observed. It remains Low Sunday; Dominica in albis depositis; the Octave Day of Easter; Pascha clausum; Thomas Sunday; or Quasimodo Sunday. Thomas the Apostle, also called Judas Thomas, Doubting Thomas, or Didymus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.

External links

• Divine Mercy Shrine in Plock
• English version of Faustina's Notebook entries
• Explanation of the feast
• Divine Mercy Sunday - TheDivineMercy.org
• Feast of the Divine Mercy
• Extraordinary Graces and Plenary Indulgence
• Plenary Indulgence Decree
• Divine Mercy Sunday, On the grace offered on Divine Mercy Sunday, distinct from the indulgence

Notes and References