In the Diary of St. Faustina, Jesus asked that the Feast of Divine Mercy, known today as Divine Mercy Sunday, be preceded by a Novena to The Divine Mercy. A Novena is nine days of prayer in preparation for a feast. In the case of the Novena to The Divine Mercy, we pray the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy each day for a specific intention.
Our Lord told St. Faustina, "I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw ... strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death" (Diary, 1209).
The Chaplet can be said anytime, but the Lord specifically asked that it be recited as a novena. He promised, "By this Novena (of Chaplets), I will grant every possible grace to souls."
For each of the nine days, our Lord gave Saint Faustina a different intention:
All mankind, especially sinners; the souls of priests and religious; all devout and faithful souls; those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Jesus; the souls who have separated themselves from the Church; the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children; the souls who especially venerate and glorify His mercy; the souls detained in purgatory; and souls who have become lukewarm.
Please join us as we follow our Lord's wish to bring to Him various intentions during our nine days of prayer. At St. Francis Borgia Parish, the Novena Chaplet will be prayed daily after the morning Masses from Good Friday until the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday. It will be livestreamed and can be viewed on our parish website homepage, Facebook, and YouTube channel.
The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us – all of us. And, he wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.
The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC:
A - Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world.
B - Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us.
C - Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.
This message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God's mercy. Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to The Divine Mercy had begun to spread.
There is a strong devotion at St. Francis Borgia for the Divine Mercy. The purpose of this group is to experience the beauty of the Catholic Faith through the study of Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Diary of Saint Faustina. Members will be encouraged to discern and exercise the Faith through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and to help people become sensitive to the gift and beauty of all life, especially through care for the rejected, lonely, disabled, elderly, sick and dying. This program will help you better understand the role of trust, forgiveness, and mercy in your daily lives. Divine Mercy is not just devotional prayers; it is a Way of Life to be lived.
The Cenacle will be taking a summer break in June and July. We will resume our Wednesday mornings on August 21 and meet weekly.
Beginning in the Fall, there will be two sessions:
~ Morning Session:
7:45 am in Jesuit Hall Choir Room
Contact: Mary Armistead | 636.221.1454
~ Evening Session:
6:30 pm at home of Joe & Robin Scherer
Contact: Joe & Robin Scherer | 636-667-2824
This five-part video series is offered at St. Francis Borgia Parish during Lent.
In this vastly popular talk, Fr. Gaitley describes the "second greatest story ever told" - a story that encompasses Divine Mercy, the life of St. Pope John Paul II, and the crucial role that Marian Consecration can play in your life. Fr. Michael Gaitley is a priest in the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception and the director of formation for the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy.
Watch for bulletin and website announcements on the next showing of this amazing story. You won't want to miss this!
A group of dedicated Borgia parishioners share their carpentry skills and construct various Divine Mercy yard signs. Proceeds from the smaller signs are used to provide larger images to parishes and religious orders, as well as for evangelization along major highways.
The larger highway images are also available for personal display upon request and have been installed on barns and farms around Franklin and Warren counties.
Help spread the Good News of Jesus’ unending love and mercy for everyone!
If you are interested in ordering a yard sign or making a donation, please contact:
Parish Office | 636.239.6701
Kenn Obermark | 636.239.7456 or 636.358.3053