Divine Mercy Sunday falls on the Sunday after Easter, the second Sunday of the Easter season. Roman Catholics use it to celebrate Christ's mercy, especially through the Gospel account of Thomas and through the Divine Mercy Chaplet that many parishes pray at a designated afternoon service.
When is Divine Mercy Sunday?
Divine Mercy Sunday is always the Sunday immediately following Easter Sunday, also called the octave day of Easter. Because the date of Easter changes each year, it falls between March 29 and May 2. Catholics call it the Second Sunday of Easter; Anglicans and some other Protestants call it Low Sunday or Thomas Sunday.
Why is mercy the theme?
The observance grew out of the ministry of the Polish nun St. Faustina Kowalska (1905–1968). Her diaries record an apparition of Jesus asking that God's mercy be shared with the world. In 2000, Pope John Paul II established the Feast of the Divine Mercy on the Sunday after Easter; his 1980 encyclical Dives in Misericordia had already addressed mercy at length. The Catholic Church recognized the genuineness of Faustina's visions in 1978, beatified her in 2000, and canonized her in 2005.
Catholic teaching describes divine mercy as God's willingness to forgive sin and help sinners rather than abandon them. The image of Jesus with rays of red and pale light spreading across a wall is associated with Faustina and is often displayed on this Sunday.
What happens at a Divine Mercy Sunday service?
Most churches keep the regular Sunday Mass, because Divine Mercy Sunday uses the Second Sunday of Easter readings chosen by the lectionary. Many parishes add other observances:
- A novena of prayer in the days before Sunday.
- An Hour of Divine Mercy, commonly at 3:00 p.m., when the Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed, sometimes followed by Mass, adoration, and confessions.
- A sermon on mercy, an image of Christ, and sometimes a dinner or fundraiser supporting local charitable work.
The chaplet takes about 20 minutes. It repeats the Hail Mary five times and the line Jesus, I trust in You three times. The rite as recorded in Faustina's diary includes a priest's hand laid on each person's forehead in blessing after the chaplet.
How do other Christians observe it?
Divine Mercy Sunday is chiefly a Catholic observance, and Eastern Catholic churches keep it on the same date. Some Protestant and independent congregations also mark it with a sermon on mercy and prayers for people in need. Eastern Orthodox churches do not keep this feast; their second Sunday of Pascha is the Sunday of St. Thomas, which comes from a different tradition.
What should I expect if you attend?
Visitors are welcome at regular Sunday worship and at any special prayer service, and printed leaflets for the chaplet are usually provided. You do not need to be Catholic or a church member to attend. If you plan to receive Communion at Mass, check the parish's stated policy, since rules differ by denomination. Our guide to going to church for the first time covers the basics.