Friday Five - April 10
- All Saints Roman Catholic Church
- Apr 10
- 5 min read
Divine Mercy Sunday
“Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 300; see also 699).
This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us – all of us. And, He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.
This message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God's mercy. Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to The Divine Mercy had begun to spread. Extraordinary graces are available on this feast day. In her Diary, St. Faustina records a special promise given to her by Jesus. He told her to communicate it to the whole world:
My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy (699).
In three places in her Diary, St. Faustina records our Lord's promises of specific, extraordinary graces:
I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy (1109). Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (300). The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (699).
To receive these graces, the only condition is to receive Holy Communion worthily on Divine Mercy Sunday (or the Vigil celebration) by making a good Confession beforehand and being in the state of grace and trusting in His Divine Mercy. By these conditions, our Lord is emphasizing the value of confession and Holy Communion as miracles of mercy. The Eucharist is Jesus, Himself, the Living God, longing to pour Himself as Mercy into our hearts.
Please stay for a few minutes after the 5pm Mass this Saturday to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet as a parish!
Easter Triduum - Thank you!
On behalf of all who attended the Good Friday liturgy, the Easter vigil, and the Easter Sunday High Mass, we extend our heartfelt thanks and immense gratitude to all those individuals who worked tirelessly to prepare and bring about such beautiful liturgies and worthy celebrations of Our Lord's Passion, Death, and Resurrection!
Specifically, we give a big thank you to the following beloved priests and dear parishioners: the two diocesan priests Fr. Bruce and Fr. Duffy whose generosity of time made it possible for us to have these beautiful liturgies; Shawn and Amy Provencher for their OCIA leadership throughout this past year; Lorna Wanner for creating beautiful certificates for the candidates; the women and teens of the altar guild that made the beautiful ornaments and scapulars for the gift bags; JJ Mammi for his diligent leadership, his planning and coordinating of these liturgies and working with the substitute priests; Nanette Showalter and the other women and children who cleaned and scrubbed every inch of the sanctuary, nave, and narthex; Eric and Kay Beers for the beautiful flowers for the sanctuary; JJ Mammi and Francis Donnelly and other choir members for their generosity of time and talent to give us such awe-inspiring music; all of our beloved altar boys who practiced diligently and served so reverently at each liturgy; Lorna Wanner for coordinating and seeing through our parish's potluck brunch even despite the rain; all parishioners and friends who prepared and contributed food, drinks, canopies, tables and chairs to bring about such a great feast in honor of Our Lord's Resurrection. We had over 140 people in attendance at our Easter Sunday mass. We also had non-Catholics in attendance at our Good Friday liturgy, Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday mass. More than one remarked on how reverent and beautiful the experience was! Deo gratias!
Mystagogy
From April 15th to May 20th after the 6:00pm Holy Mass, all are welcome to join the OCIA classes of 2025 and 2026 for 6 weeks of deeper study into the Pillars of Catholic Living. This mystagogy period of formation is the final period of initiation for our neophytes. During this period the community helps them make progress in understanding the Paschal Mystery more deeply and carry it over more and more into the practice of daily life. This period is of great importance in enabling the neophytes, assisted by their godparents, to form closer relationships with the faithful. The lineup of topics and teachers is impressive! Please join us for this fantastic opportunity to strengthen our community as well as our faith. Feel free to pack a picnic supper. Contact Vicki Borin for more details or with any question.
April 15th - Mental Prayer, led by Jennifer Howard, OSB (Order of Saint Benedict)
April 22nd - Frequent Confession, Daniel Sweeney and Robyn Reitz
April 29th - Communion and Eucharistic Adoration, JJ and Jessica Mammi
May 6th - Scriptural and Spiritual Reading - TBD
May 13th - Mary, Saints, and Devotions - Josh and Susannah Anderson
May 20th - Stewardship and Handing on of Faith - Shawn and Amy Provencher
Annual Diocesan Appeal
The annual Diocesan Appeal is ongoing. We have raised approximately $6,000 so far, which is more than twice All Saint’s goal, however we only have a 25% parishioner participation rate. We strive for 100% participation, so if you haven’t participated please consider doing so to help us reach our participation goal. Keep in mind that in addition to all the benefits the Appeal provides to the diocese, as a mission church, 50% of the total amount we raise is returned to All Saints and directly benefits our parish. Please see link below for a description of the Appeal, all the areas within the Diocese that benefit from the funds raised, and a link to contribute on behalf of All Saints.
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage
In honor of America's 250th year, the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will carry the theme "One Nation Under God." Join us on June 2nd at 5pm for a Eucharistic Procession from Saint Gerard Catholic Church to the Basilica of Saint Andrew to welcome the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond! Following the procession, a bilingual Mass at 6pm will be celebrated at the Basilica of Saint Andrew. Parking is available at Saint Gerard along Orange Avenue and on 8th Street. Additional parking may be available alongside streets behind the church. There is also parking available at the Basilica of Saint Andrew.
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