WHAT IS THE DEVOTION TO THE
DIVINE MERCY?
THE DEVOTION TO THE DIVINE MERCY is a "Charity" and a "private
Association of the faithful" whose goal is to make known and to
put into practice confidence in the Mercy of God based on the
messages given by Jesus to Sister Faustina.
It is important that this devotion not be simply one of action,
but must also include prayer. Besides, by being welcoming in the
office or during telephone conversations, we endeavor to transmit
through word the great Tenderness and infinite Divine Mercy of
God.
We try to respond to the request that Jesus made to Sister
Faustina:
"My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My
mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this
confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which
are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your
neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or
try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your
neighbor:
The first - by Deed,
The second - by Word,
The third - by Prayer.
In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it
is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul
glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday
after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of
mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast
and through the veneration of
the image which is painted. By means of this image I
shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the
demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no
avail without works." (Diary of Sister Faustina, no. 742)
THE FIRST - BY DEED.
Our office, where we promote devotion to the Divine Mercy through
various tasks: mailings, responding to mail and telephone
inquiries, and through the sales of religious articles, as well as
the store are located in
the basement of "Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs" church (284 de
l'Église street, Verdun) . The office is open from 9:30 am to 11:30 am and from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Monday through Thursday.
THE SECOND - BY WORD.
It is certain that the volunteers who work for the Devotion of
the Divine Mercy certainly try their best to witness and to spread
God's infinite mercy by word of mouth. We listen to those
experiencing spiritual difficulties in order to be a spiritual
support for them. Moreover, every
third Friday of the month, from September to June, we
have a prayers mid-afternoon
which starts at 2:00 pm
and finishes around 4:00 pm with
the holy Mass. A resource person gives a teaching on
Divine Mercy.
THE THIRD - BY PRAYER.
The chapel located in front of the office is shared with the
parishioners. Persons desiring to come and pray are most welcomed.
You may come during office hours, it will be our pleasure to open
the chapel for you.
We must mention that, every year, we celebrate the Feast of the Divine Mercy, the
first Sunday after Easter, as requested by our Lord to Sister
Faustina. This day of prayer
begins at 10:00 am and ends after the high solemn mass at 4:15
pm. (We have Eucharistic adoration, an outdoor
procession, confessions, recitation of the Chaplet of the Divine
Mercy and the Way of the Cross.)
Father Stephan Roy has
been appointed Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Devotion to the
Divine Mercy by the archdiocese of Montreal. All others, working
for the Devotion, are laity. This apostolic work is done mostly by
volunteers. The devotion relies on donations contributed
generously by the public in order to operate.
We are working towards one purpose:
that the Divine Mercy be better known in our neighbourhood, in our
country and in the whole world.