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Faustina; with Fr. Sopocko (her regular Confessor and Spiritual Director) 355 as the homilist on
the Divine Mercy. 356 Towards the end of the religious service, the Priest-Celebrant blessed the
people with the Blessed Sacrament (Diary, # 420). Sr. Faustina saw that the Lord Jesus (as
depicted in the Divine Mercy Image) gave His blessing to the people, at the same time, as well;
while the rays from His Heart encompassed the entire world. 357 Sr. Faustina also heard Jesus tell
her, “This Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast
depths of My tender mercies. Every soul believing and trusting in My mercy will obtain it”
(Diary, # 420).
On April 30, 2000, the “Feast of Mercy” was proclaimed as “universal” for the Church
by Pope John Paul II; at the time of Sr. Faustina’s canonization (Diary, xliv). It was similarly
decreed by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on May
23, 2000, “as a perennial invitation to the Christian world, to face with confidence in divine
benevolence, the difficulties and trials that mankind will experience in the
years to come.” 358
(3.3) The Novena to the Divine Mercy 359
The Divine Mercy Novena is a fitting prayerful preparation for the nine days that lead to
the solemn celebration of the Feast of Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday, as the Lord instructed Sr.
Faustina. The Novena starts on Good Friday, through the Saturday of the following week;
culminated by the Feast of Mercy on the Sunday following Easter Sunday in the Roman
355
Ibid., Faustina, Diary, # 36, 53.
Ibid., Faustina, Diary, # 420, 51, 53, Addenda: Info-Pictures on the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of
Mercy, 6; Odell, Faustina, Apostle of Divine Mercy: The Divine Feast of Mercy, 189.
357
Ibid., Faustina, Diary, # 420, Addenda: Info-Pictures on the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, 6.
358
Ibid., EWTN, “St. Faustina Kowalska: Feast of Mercy,” Internet, 1.
359
Ibid., Faustina, Diary, # 796, 1209-1229; Endnotes, 684-685n206; EWTN Catholic Network online. “St. Faustina
Kowalska: The Divine Mercy Novena,” Internet, 1-7.
356
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