Divine Mercy Sunday 2022: Return to Eden Hill

Due to the pandemic, Eden Hill is open only to those who have pre-registered. Registration is closed and walk-ins are not permitted.

View this year's Divine Mercy Weekend program.

Highlights from Saturday, April 23, 2022.

Divine Mercy Sunday, April 24, 2022, 7:00 a.m.
The Great Feast of Mercy is here! The parking lot will soon be full. 

 Everyone needs directions...

NEWS: Pope Francis celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. “From the eyes of all those who are weighed down by the trials of life,” said the Pope, “God looks out at us with mercy and says once more to us: ‘Peace be with you!’”

Divine Mercy Sunday, Apr. 24, 2022, 11 a.m.
Beneath a dramatic sky at the Mother of Mercy Outdoor Shrine, Divine Mercy Sunday Mass was celebrated at 9 a.m. Father Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, was the celebrant. 

  Father Kaz noted that, 40 years ago, the first public celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday was held here in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

"What a great grace it is, to be in a state of grace to receive the Eucharist and knowing that we have complete forgiveness of sins as well as the consequences of sin," Fr. Kaz said in his homily. "Let us welcome Our Lord today with joy. Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Transform me. Let the graces that flow from the power of Your Presence truly heal every aspect of my heart. Our Lord wants to divinize us, to make us like the Son of God. That’s the gift He wants to bestow." 

 Three generations of the McTiernan and Smith families from Massachusetts are visiting the National Shrine for the first time today. Kaylie McTiernan (second from left) is getting married this summer. "I thought it would be special to gather my grandmothers, my mother, and my sister to have this prayerful and meaningful weekend together before the big day," she explained.  Volunteers Kevin Walto (our donor relations officer) and Patricia Bisang are overseeing the Holy Family Candle Shrine. This is Kevin's first and Patricia's eighth Divine Mercy Weekend on Eden Hill.

NEWS: "One of the most important lessons that Poland has taught the world is the need to turn always to Divine Mercy: National Catholic Register editorial.

Jesus told St. Faustina,
"My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. 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 are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. 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. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy." (Diary, 699)

Divine Mercy Sunday, Apr. 24, 2022, 1:45 p.m.
The Most Rev. William D. Byrne, Bishop of Springfield, celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday Mass from the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. Watch now on EWTN. 

  "Our Catholic Faith makes a difference," Bishop Byrne said in his homily. "We who recognize our need for Divine Mercy must become vessels of Divine Mercy for Jesus to dispense His love and forgiveness through us. Vessels of His mercy. We must be dispensers of that love through our forgiveness of each other. That's a tough one. But heaven is a grudge free zone. So you're not going to get in there with a whole pile of grudges or even one. You have to let it go. Better to do it here then on the other side. I may not be able to stop the war in Ukraine, but I can increase charity in the world today. I can increase His love in the world today."

Divine Mercy Sunday, Apr. 24, 2022, 3:30 p.m.
Bathed in brilliant sunshine, the 2 p.m. Divine Mercy Sunday Mass was celebrated by Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, who was joined by many of his brother priests. Father Chris lamented the fact that town limitations restricted the gathering to 5,000 pilgrims on this, the 40th anniversary of the first public celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday on Eden Hill. 

 “But you pilgrims are meant to be here,” Fr. Chris said in his homily. “God has you here for a purpose. He has you here for a reason: Divine Mercy. As Jesus told St. Faustina, Divine Mercy is mankind’s last hope of salvation. Jesus said, ‘If you do not adore My Mercy, you will perish forever.’ The very fact that you are here today, you are adoring God’s Mercy.”   

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