“We each one of us by our Baptism — we are made advocates of His mercy,” said the Most Reverend J. Michael Miller, CSB, Archbishop of Vancouver, in his homily. “We are entrusted with the great mission that Jesus entrusted to the Church. And what is that? To make disciples … to bring other people into the knowledge and friendship of Jesus Christ. O Fount of Life, envelop the whole world and empty yourself — Your Merciful Self — upon us!"
The Third North American Congress on Mercy (NACOM III) is taking place Nov. 15-17 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Under the theme “Divine Mercy and Mary: Our Hope,” the Congress is held at Good Shepherd Church in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver.
Day 1: Friday, November 15, 2024
A beautiful crisp morning here on the campus of Good Shepherd Church. Time to begin setting up for this evening's launch of NACOM III!
But first, Mass celebrated by Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, NACOM Coordinator.
The entrance to Good Shepherd Church, where all of the talks will be held.
Terry and Monique, volunteers in the parish library.
Many volunteers make set-up a breeze! God bless them!
Bill Debiuk, a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 7014 White Rock/Star of the Sea Council, is one of many Knights directing traffic in the parking lot for NACOM. Thank you, Knights!
At left, Brother Josh, MIC, visits with Sister M. Inga Kvassayová, OLM, a member of St. Faustina Kowalska’s order, the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, based in Washington, D.C. Sister Inga is one of the speakers at NACOM, as well as Father Chris Alar, MIC (at right), greeting Angela from Vancouver.
Another NACOM speaker is Dr. Bryan Thatcher, founder of the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy (EADM), an international apostolate of the Marians Fathers. Here he visits with Cynthia, Amanda Michelle, and Astrid.
Students from Star of the Sea Catholic School help set up the school gymnasium, where meals will be served and Sunday morning meetings will be held.
Father Mark Baron, MIC, the Director of the Association of Marian Helpers (“Father Joseph, MIC”), admires the school's patroness!
"People who promote Divine Mercy are almost instantaneous friends," said Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, NACOM Coordinator, as he welcomed speakers, volunteers, and special guests. He introduced Dr. Robert Stackpole (below), Emeritus Director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy. Dr. Stackpole is is the emcee for the Congress and its first speaker.
Ashley Nemeh led the singing of the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy to open the first day of NACOM III. Nearly 700 people are here!
Before the Opening Mass, Fr. Kaz greets the Most Reverend J. Michael Miller, CSB, Archbishop of Vancouver (right); Fr. Augustine Obiwumma (center), Pastor of Good Shepherd Church; and the Most Reverend Antonysamy Savarimuthu (left), Bishop of Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Entrusted with the Great Mission
“The Lord has called us together tonight to praise and worship Him, and especially to praise His Mercy.” In his homily at the Mass to open NACOM III, Archbishop Miller (above) spotlighted the role of St. John Paul II, the Great Mercy Pope, in establishing the Divine Mercy message and devotion in the global Church. As a Cardinal, Karol Wojtyla launched St. Faustina’s cause for canonization; as pope, he beatified and canonized her. Indeed, St. John Paul II himself said, “Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter’s See in Rome, I consider this message [of Divine Mercy] my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God.”
Archbishop Miller described the close connection between St. John Paul II’s landmark encyclical Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy) and Pope Francis’ recently released encyclical Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us) on the Sacred Heart. Pope Francis draws heavily on the life and writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whom St. John Paul II had declared a Doctor of the Church, in connecting the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the Merciful Love of God. Saint Therese, though a cloistered nun, is the patroness of the missions because of her fervor for spreading the Gospel to the whole world.
“We each one of us by our Baptism — we are made advocates of His mercy,” said the Archbishop. “We are entrusted with the great mission that Jesus entrusted to the Church. And what is that? To make disciples … to bring other people into the knowledge and friendship of Jesus Christ.
“O Fount of Life, envelop the whole world and empty yourself — Your Merciful Self — upon us,” he concluded.
Grateful for God's Mercy
At the end of Mass, Fr. Kaz addressed the Congress, welcoming everyone. “How grateful we are for this gift of God’s mercy as we open the Third North American Congress on Mercy here in Canada,” he said. “This world is crying out for mercy, and the Lord is choosing us to be His instruments to proclaim that mercy, to live it out, and to make His mercy concrete in the environments where we live.”
He thanked Archbishop Miller for his extraordinary openness to Divine Mercy and to hosting NACOM III in his archdiocese, as well as offering his thanks to Fr. Augustine Obiwumma, Pastor of Good Shepherd Church, for opening the doors of the parish to the Congress. “I consider those extraordinary signs from God that we are meant to have it here in Canada,” he said, noting that the first two congresses had been held in the United States, and indicated the next would most likely be held in Mexico.
Father Kaz noted the presence of a relic of St. Faustina (below) on one side of the altar. After Mass, many pilgrims came forward to venerate that relic, as well as a relic of St. John Paul II to the left of the altar.
Doctor of the Church?
The first talk of the Congress (“St. Faustina: Teacher of Human and Divine Mercy”) was delivered by the noted Divine Mercy theologian Dr. Robert Stackpole, who also will serve as emcee of the Congress. He explained the outlines of the case for her to be declared a Doctor of the Church, offering a brief summary of the case he has made in the course of some 900 pages, as Fr. Kaz explained when he introduced the talk.
“You know, in times of spiritual struggle, historical periods marked by moral and intellectual confusion, abounding persecution of the Church, the Lord in His mercy raises up faithful servants to proclaim afresh by word and deed, the Good News of Jesus Christ,” Dr. Stackpole explained.
Citing St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Catherine of Siena as two outstanding examples, he surveyed the case for St. Faustina to be declared, like them, a Doctor of the Church. He highlighted her re-presentation of the nucleus of the Gospel, the Divine Mercy, and her application of it to her times. Her outstanding works of charity; her wonderfully rich writings; her deep, abiding personal sanctity; all together, Dr. Stackpole explained, make the case for her to be a saint among saints.
Dr. Stackpole also spotlighted the high role of Confession in the writings and life of St. Faustina, encouraging all attending the Congress to make it a priority to receive that Sacrament in the course of the gathering. Often treated as a burden or a chore, he noted, it’s actually a Sacrament of Healing, a means of resurrecting the soul, no matter what sins we have committed.
Return to main NACOM III page.
Photos by Chris Sparks and Giuseppe Mignano.
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