Sample News Stories

Diocese to follow Pope in
Celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday

The Diocese of ___________________ has vowed to follow Pope John Paul II this year in celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday in an evangelization effort to bring alienated and inactive Catholics back to the practice of their faith.

Why, you might ask, would someone want to come back on this Special Sunday? It is because of a promise that Jesus made for the total forgiveness of sins and punishment for anyone that goes to Confession and receives Holy Communion.

On April 30th in the Great Jubilee Year 2000, the Pope declared that from now throughout the universal Church the Second Sunday of Easter will be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. He also indicated that he had fulfilled the will of Christ by this action.

What John Paul was referring to was the numerous requests from Jesus made to St. Faustina in the 1930's. Fourteen times in the diary that the Lord had asked her to keep were the appeals for a Feast of Mercy to be established in His Church.

He specifically asked for the feast to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Jesus also asked that His image of Divine Mercy be venerated publicly on that day. It's the one with the red and pale rays with the words, "Jesus, I Trust In You!"

The main message that the Lord was revealing to the World was that He wanted to pour out His Mercy before His return. Jesus told Faustina, "Before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy." (Diary, 1146) This wide-opened door is Divine Mercy Sunday and the promise of the forgiveness of all sins and punishment for going to Confession and Communion on that feast day.

Jesus said, "On that day are open all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls." (Diary, 699)

"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 the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment." (Diary 699)

This year the feast is on ______________. Contact your local parish for more details or visit www.divinemercysunday.com.

Calling All Catholics!

Could This Be Our Last Hope Of Salvation?

Catholics around the world are returning to the practice of their faith despite attacks from evil forces to discredit the Church. The attacks are meant to turn people away from the confession of their sins, which is the key to receiving the mercy of God. In recent revelations that have been accepted by the Church Our Lord Jesus indicated to St. Faustina that He would give mankind "the last hope of salvation."

This "last hope of salvation" is the recourse to His mercy. Jesus first appeared to St. Faustina in 1931 and He told her that she was to prepare the world for His return. He told her that before He comes again, He would pour out His mercy. In that vision Jesus was dressed in a white garment and had two brilliant rays of light coming from His Heart, one red as blood, the other clear as water. He asked her to paint an image of Him just as she had seen Him and to sign it "Jesus, I Trust In You." She was also to work on establishing a Feast of Mercy in the Church and to have the painted image venerated throughout the world. Our Lord said that this feast is to be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. On May 5th, 2000 the Vatican issued a decree and fulfilled the will of Christ by establishing this feast called "Divine Mercy Sunday".

Jesus told St. Faustina, "I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet."(Diary, 699) One who had been a terrible sinner all their life could return and be totally pardoned by going to Confession and Holy Communion on that Feast of Mercy. But why that day and why now? Because Our Lord said it was to be so. The Bible says that in the last days that He would pour out His spirit and all those who ask for His mercy would receive it. Wake up all Catholics! We could be in those last days!

Jesus said, "Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy.....Tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice is near." (Diary, 965) It doesn't take a genius to see the times that we are in. We only need to look at what is happening in our world today. Repent of your sins and ask for His Mercy.

Don't ever be afraid to go to Confession. Jesus said, "When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. Never analyze what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of... I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy." (1602,1725, 723)

One should attempt to go to Confession before Divine Mercy Sunday. We must also remember the precepts of the Church which are:
   1. Attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days.
   2. Confess sins at least once a year.
   3. Receive Holy Communion at least during the Easter season.
   4. Observe days of fast and abstinence.
   5. Provide for the material needs of the Church. (Catechism of the Catholic Church,    2041-2043)

It would be a mistake for someone who has been away from the Church to think that they could return just for that one day. Our Lord knows our intentions and part of making a good Confession is intending never to sin again. Missing Mass on Sundays and Holydays offends Our Lord very much. We should be serious about our faith and do the best we can to help to support our Church and to save as many souls as possible.

Our Lord also said, "I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. The first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy...." (742) A good act of mercy would be to tell everyone about this feast. Some people have been away for a long time. What better reason to come back, when we can be granted a complete pardon of sins and punishment?

The Last Hope of Salvation

Have you ever thought about what happens to you after you die? If you haven’t done it, you should. When we die, we all face an eternity, either in Heaven or in hell.

There is nothing that is more important than to be ready for the moment of death. Jesus told us to always be ready. What determines our eternity, is the state of our souls, at the exact moment of our death. If we suddenly die, in the state of un-repented mortal sin, we’ll be cast forever, into the everlasting flames of hell, and suffer for all eternity.

Mortal sin is a sin which causes death to a soul and a separation from God. You can tell when you have committed a mortal sin, you feel like hiding your face from God, because you know you did very wrong. Examples of mortal sin are: abortion (murder), adultery, and fornication. These sins can be committed in thought, word, or deed.

God’s laws have not changed. We will all be held responsible for the least un-repented sin when we stand in judgment. At the Judgment, there is no turning back. You will either go straight to hell, or if you have repented, end up in the fires of Purgatory for quite a long while. Very, very few saintly souls go directly to Heaven.

There is a very simple way, for each and every one of us to avoid the flames of Hell and Purgatory. Jesus Himself, asked for a new feast to be celebrated in His Church on the Sunday after Easter in which He would be pouring forth His mercy in great abundance as a “last hope of salvation”. Only the Catholic Church has responded to His request.

Jesus has made a really incredible promise; that the soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on that feast, will obtain the complete forgiveness of all sins and all punishment. Normally, going to Confession just only wipes away the sin, not the punishment. On this Feast of Divine Mercy, Jesus is offering us a very special and complete pardon of all sins and all punishment as a perfect preparation for our Day of Judgment.

So all that you need to do is to make a good Confession and receive Holy Communion on that feast. A good Confession must include the promise not to sin again. If you have been away from the Church and have not been going to Sunday Mass, then you must promise the Lord not to miss Sunday Mass ever again. If you fail with that promise, you will not gain the complete forgiveness of all sins and punishment.

The entire world-wide Catholic Church is celebrating this feast, this coming Sunday, April 19th. If you have been away from your faith, then don’t miss this incredible opportunity to get right with God. It does not matter how bad or how many sins that you have, Jesus will forgive you if you make a good Confession. In fact, Jesus said that it gives Him the greatest pleasure to forgive the worst of sinners and He promises to fill them all with special graces and blessings on this great Feast of Divine Mercy.

Jesus also said for us to never analyze what sort of a priest that He is making use of to hear our Confessions. Jesus told St. Faustina that He is always there waiting for us in the Confessional and that the priest is only a screen for Him. When you go to Confession, just close your eyes and confess all your sins to Jesus Himself. Our sweet Lord Jesus is truly there waiting for you and will receive you back with open arms.

Jesus cares for you, more than anyone else. He said that the loss of each soul plunges Him into mortal sadness. Can you imagine the depth of His love? Make Jesus happy; go to Confession and go to receive Him in Holy Communion of this Feast of Divine Mercy. You will not believe how good it feels to start your journey all over again!

To find out about Confession and Mass times for this feast, call your local Catholic Church. For a printable Guide to Confession and for more information about this wonderful Feast of Mercy, go to: www.MercySunday.com or call 772-873-4581

Paid by the Apostles of Divine Mercy

Sample News Stories

Diocese to follow Pope in Celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday

Calling All Catholics!

Could This Be Our Last Hope Of Salvation?

Diocese to follow Pope in
Celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday