Divine Mercy Sunday will be observed April 8 across the world and across the Diocese of Little Rock.
St. John Paul II put the devotion on the Church’s universal calendar for the Sunday after Easter. St. Faustina Kowalska is the Polish nun who promoted the Divine Mercy devotion and was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2000. The devotion began in the late 1930s by St. Faustina, who had a vision of Jesus where he asked for devotions to divine mercy.
During Lent Pope Francis seemed to be fixated on the wounds of Christ. Meditating on “the five sacred wounds” became popular in the 12th and 13th centuries, but it also enjoyed a resurgence in the 20th century with the growing attention to the Divine Mercy devotions of St. Faustina. The nun wrote in her diary that Jesus told her, “When it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate my wounds.”
Pope Francis will celebrate the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass April 8 in St. Peter’s Square concelebrated with “missionaries of mercy.”
More than 25 parishes will host holy hours for Divine Mercy Sunday, which could include praying the Divine Mercy chaplet, adoration, confession, music and Benediction.
Bella Vista
St. Bernard, 3 p.m.
Bentonville
St. Stephen, 3 p.m.
Berryville
St. Anne, 2:15 p.m.
Center Ridge
St. Joseph, after Mass
Charleston
Sacred Heart, chaplet prayed after all Masses and 3 p.m. Benediction
Cherokee Village
St. Michael, 3 p.m.
Fayetteville
St. Joseph, 3 p.m. (bilingual), veneration of the Divine Mercy image and St. Faustina’s relic and confessions
Fort Smith
St. Boniface, 10 a.m.
Hope
Our Lady of Good Hope, 3 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. (Spanish)
Hot Springs
St. John, 3 p.m.
St. Mary, 3 p.m.
Hot Springs Village
Sacred Heart of Jesus, 3 p.m.
Little Rock
Our Lady of the Holy Souls, 3 p.m.
Monticello
St. Mark, 10 a.m.
Mountain View
St. Mary, 11:30 a.m.
North Little Rock
Immaculate Conception, 3 p.m., prayers, procession around campus and singing of the chaplet and adoration in the church
Immaculate Heart of Mary (Marche), 3 p.m.
St. Augustine, 12:30 p.m.
Paris
St. Joseph, 3 p.m.
Pine Bluff
St. Joseph, 2:50 p.m.
Ratcliff
St. Anthony, chaplet prayed after Mass
Saint Vincent
St. Mary, 3 p.m.
Stuttgart
Holy Rosary, 3 p.m.
Subiaco
St. Benedict, 5:30 p.m. benediction with the monk in the Abbey Church
Van Buren
St. Michael, 3 p.m. (bilingual)
