April 29, 2025

Filled with hope, thousands flock to Stockbridge for Divine Mercy Sunday

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Carolee McGrath

STOCKBRIDGE – It was windy and cold for late April, but that didn’t deter the nearly 15,000 pilgrims who arrived at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27. They filled up the lawn at the Mother of Mercy Outdoor Shrine on Eden Hill for a 1 p.m. Mass which was broadcast live on EWTN Global Catholic Network. The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy is a ministry of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, who have been promoting the message given to St. Faustina since 1941.

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, received revelations from Jesus about his message for the world in the 1930’s. This year marked the 25^th anniversary of the canonization Mass of St. Faustina, during which St. John Paul II made Divine Mercy an official feast of the church, to be celebrated each year on the Second Sunday of Easter.

“On this day, Jesus cleanses us and tells us if you’ve been to confession, received Holy Communion, you will receive complete forgiveness of not only all sins, but all punishment. We seem to forget that when we come out of the confessional. So, this is a special day,” said Marian Father Chris Alar, the provincial superior of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in the United States and Argentina. Father Alar was the co-host for EWTN’s live coverage of the solemn celebration beginning at noon, with a one-hour program preceding the Mass. He was joined by Marian Father Joseph Roesch, superior general of the Marian Congregation.

Father Alar hosts the network’s “Living Divine Mercy.” He also produced the popular YouTube series, “Divine Mercy 101,” and “Explaining the Faith.” He is the author of two best-selling books, “After Suicide: There’s Hope for Them and You,” and “Understanding Divine Mercy.”

“Jesus said any soul, no matter how much we are mired in sin, can receive this grace of cleansing. It’s like a second baptism. Only in baptism are we wiped so clean of sin and punishment and this is another day he offers to do that,” he said.

Sister Dede Byrne, second from the right, was a speaker at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27.

There were several speakers throughout the weekend including Sister Deirdre Byrne, the superior of her order, Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Washington, D.C. Sister Dede, as she is known, is the sister of Bishop William D. Byrne, of the Diocese of Springfield. She retired with the rank of Colonel from the U.S. Army after 29 years of service. She is double-board certified in family medicine and general surgery, serving as an Army surgeon in Afghanistan. Sister Byrne runs a free medical clinic in her convent and provides the abortion reversal pill that has saved a dozen babies.

“I just shared about my parents and the Eucharist,” Sister Byrne said of her talk. “It was our founder that said, ‘It was before the Blessed Sacrament that I found the love of Jesus and the power of that love.’ And to encourage everyone to be in the state of grace. I try to live it myself, but as Joan of Arc said when the canon lawyers asked Joan, ‘are you in the state of grace.’ Her answer was just Lord if I’m here keep me there, if I’m not put me there,” she said. She also encouraged men to be leaders of the faith in their families.

“I just shared about my father, the way he was and how it affected our own family,” she said of her father, a doctor who attended daily Mass. “The father has to be the leader of the family spiritually,” she said.

Pilgrims from as far away as Ontario and South Carolina traveled by bus to take part in the Divine Mercy celebration.

“I grew up Catholic with the strong knowledge of Sister Faustina,” said Maria Magtangob, who traveled by bus with a group from Maryland. “We are inspired with her devotion and her faith. And of course we love Jesus. We believe in him. He’s our God and savior,” she said.

The theme this year was “Visions of Hope,” which correlates with the Jubilee Year of Hope. The focus was to bring the message of God’s mercy to the poor, marginalized and the unborn.

After Mass, there was exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and the Thomas Aquinas College choir led the singing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

A video version of this story will be featured on Saturday’s edition of “Real to Reel,” which airs at 7 on WWLP-22NEWS.