DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

Thousands braved the rain and cold temperatures to attend Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass., on Sunday, April 28. Bishop Edward Scharfenberger celebrated the Mass, blessed the crowd with the heart of St. Jean Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, and distributed Communion along with other priests. Bishop Scharfenberger said in his homily the beauty of Divine Mercy is ‘God doesn’t wait until we are ready to come to God; God comes to us while we are still in our sins.’ Divine Mercy is based on St. Faustina Kowalska’s visions and conversations she had with Jesus Christ, who asked St. Faustina to paint the vision of Divine Mercy. St. Faustina wrote down her visions in her diary, which was later turned into the book “Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul.” The main themes in the book are to trust in the goodness of God and to show mercy to others. Divine Mercy Sunday is the first Sunday after Easter. (Nate Whitchurch photos)