Jul
25
2006
0
By Anonymous (not verified)
There is a lovely little church just a few blocks from the Vatican called The Holy Spirit in Saxony (Santo Spirito in Sassia). It is one block south of the large boulevard that runs into St. Peter's Square, Via della Conciliazione. It is not a parish church, but rather a church that had been originally been built as a hospital chapel. It stands next to the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, which is 800 years old!
Several years ago, Pope John Paul donated a large image of the Divine Mercy to the church and designated it as the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Rome. The image is located in a side altar, which also has a beautiful statue of St. Faustina. It is surrounded by votive offerings on the walls, signifying graces received. The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy - the community that Sister Faustina belonged to - staff the church and the Rector is a Polish priest, but almost all services are in Italian. There is daily Mass and confession. At 3 O'Clock each day, one of the Sisters leads the Chaplet of Mercy and the Stations of the Cross. There is also an hour of Eucharistic Adoration each evening. Once a week, there is a catechesis on the Divine Mercy and once a month, adoration for youth. Next to the main altar is a wonderful gift shop with material on the Divine Mercy in a number of languages (including English).
It is worth a visit to the gift shop to see a beautiful statue of St. Faustina with arms lifted toward heaven in prayer. It is very lifelike. Even if you don't understand Italian, the shrine is worth visiting, especially at 3:00 or 5:30 for Eucharistic Adoration, both for the Adoration and to see the locals and the tourists who come to give thanks to the Lord for His great Mercy! They also celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday here in a special way. The church is located at 12 Via dei Penitenzieri. The website for the Shrine (in Italian) can be found at this link. The e-mail address (although they might not speak English) is santuario@divinamisericordia.it
Several years ago, Pope John Paul donated a large image of the Divine Mercy to the church and designated it as the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Rome. The image is located in a side altar, which also has a beautiful statue of St. Faustina. It is surrounded by votive offerings on the walls, signifying graces received. The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy - the community that Sister Faustina belonged to - staff the church and the Rector is a Polish priest, but almost all services are in Italian. There is daily Mass and confession. At 3 O'Clock each day, one of the Sisters leads the Chaplet of Mercy and the Stations of the Cross. There is also an hour of Eucharistic Adoration each evening. Once a week, there is a catechesis on the Divine Mercy and once a month, adoration for youth. Next to the main altar is a wonderful gift shop with material on the Divine Mercy in a number of languages (including English).
It is worth a visit to the gift shop to see a beautiful statue of St. Faustina with arms lifted toward heaven in prayer. It is very lifelike. Even if you don't understand Italian, the shrine is worth visiting, especially at 3:00 or 5:30 for Eucharistic Adoration, both for the Adoration and to see the locals and the tourists who come to give thanks to the Lord for His great Mercy! They also celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday here in a special way. The church is located at 12 Via dei Penitenzieri. The website for the Shrine (in Italian) can be found at this link. The e-mail address (although they might not speak English) is santuario@divinamisericordia.it
