St. Anthony's Parish is deeply involved in preparation for Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday following Easter. People are being called forth from the various ministries to give of their time, talents, and treasures to celebrate this feast.

A special mass will be offered on this day, preceded by a Eucharistic Procession from the Church to the Logan County Courthouse Gazebo. Here there will be a public witness to our Faith. A letter to all the Rulers of the World, written by Saint Francis of Assisi (the same letter which was presented to the former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, during his time in office) will be read publicly to encourage our local, state, national, and world leaders to create a world of love and peace and transform all nations to serve the needs of all God's people, especially the poor and downtrodden.

The procession will return to the Church, where the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed, to be followed by Mass (this Mass will fulfill your Sunday obligation). There will be a blessing of the Divine Mercy Image and veneration of the First Class relic of St. Maria Faustina Kolwalska.

Be patient my brothers and sisters in Christ - more to come about this special feast day.

Father Robert will give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to those who have signed a register, stating their illness (cancer, diabetes, heart problems, terminal illness, etc.). For those who have lesser illnesses and need prayer, there will be a healing ministry and laying on of hands.

That's not all! A delightful evening meal will be available to all who desire to share their experiences and come to know their neighbor - Community Time. What a great culmination for such a blessed day.

Whoa - Hold up a minute - You never told us what Divine Mercy Sunday is!

When Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina on April 3, 2000, he declared: "It is important that we accept the whole message that came to us from the Word of God on this second Sunday of Easter, from which now on throughout the Church, will be called 'Divine Mercy Sunday'". What did Pope John Paul II mean by "the whole message"? Simply put, he was referring to the connections between the "Easter Mystery of Redemption" - in other words, the suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ; followed by the sending of the Holy Spirit - and this Feast of Divine Mercy, the Octave day of Easter, which fulfills the grace of atonement as lived through Christ and offered to all who come to him with trust.

Liturgically speaking, the Easter Octave has always been centered on the theme of Divine Mercy and forgiveness. Divine Mercy Sunday, therefore, points us to the merciful love of God that lies behind the whole paschal mystery of the death, burial, and resurrection - Christ made present in the Eucharist. In essence, it sums up the whole Easter Octave.

Pope John Paul II summed it up so beautifully when he stated, "the whole Octave of Easter is like a single day," and "Octave Sunday is meant to be the day of thanksgiving for the goodness God has shown to man in the whole Easter mystery".

Divine Mercy Sunday is not an optional title for the solemnity. Divine Mercy Sunday is the Octave day of Easter, a day that celebrates the merciful love of God shining through the whole Easter Triduum and the whole Easter mystery. IT IS A DAY OF DECLARATION OF REPARATION FOR ALL SIN, THUS THE DAY OF ATONEMENT.

Next week, we will talk about how to prepare for receiving God's mercy on this Feast Day and how this promise draws us to the sacrament.

May almighty God bless you and keep you!

Deacon Ron Michieli

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Solemnity – liturgical celebrations that have the highest rank in the Church calendar.

Octave - the liturgical celebration of a feast for eight days - on the day itself and seven following days.

Feast - days in the Church year commemorating certain events in salvation history, sacred mysteries, by which special honor accrues to God, Our Savior, the angels, the Blessed Mother and Saints - the regular occurrence of feasts throughout the year remind us to grow in holiness and prepare us for the Coming of Christ.