Marian Helper • Fall 2023 • Marian.org 27 where people met weekly in small groups to discuss the next week’s Gospel reading. I asked our priest if we could study the Diary of St. Faustina, and he agreed. That was the start of the first Divine Mercy cenacle. I wrote the first manual and integrated some Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church into the lessons. That was the initial “Cenacle of Divine Mercy,” and things began to happen. In early 1998, I received a call from Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, and he suggested that the ministry come under the authority and guidance of the Marians. We became an apostolate and, in the early 2000s, were written into the statutes of the Order in Rome. It was only through the guidance and mentoring of Fr. Seraphim and Fr. Kaz Chwalek, MIC, that I grew in depth in my understanding of the message and began to see it as a spirituality and “A Way of Life.” We have the beautiful devotional aspects, but we must integrate the message in our hearts and live it through forgiveness of others, trust in God, carrying our cross through our trials and sufferings, and being merciful to others. Father Seraphim helped edit and correct the cenacle manuals, and I remember Father went through several red pens suggesting changes! Overseas journeys In 1998, I made my first trip to the Philippines and met with Fr. Josefino Ramirez, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Manila. He wanted to learn more about EADM and, within a year or so, Fr. Seraphim, Fran Bourdon of the Association of Marian Helpers, and I traveled to the Philippines to host several conferences. That trip bore great fruit as, several years later, the Marians established a vicariate in the Philippines and eventually moved the major headquarters from Manila to El Salvador City on the island of Mindanao. In 1999, Pope St. John Paul II gave a special apostolic blessing to all Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy and for those who support our efforts, and, also in 1999, gave a special apostolic blessing to all those praying a Chaplet during Eucharistic Adoration for those sick and dying in that hour. In 2003, he gave us a third blessing for all those who pray a Chaplet for pro-life causes. EADM has brought me around the world. In Kenya, I met a nun, who allegedly was having visions of Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration. I met Bishop Cornelius Korir of the Diocese of Eldoret and spoke and traveled across the country. I have a funny memory of the trip — Sister wanted me to meet her mother, and we traveled some distance to her home. As a gift she gave me a live chicken. Obviously, I couldn’t take it on the plane, so I gave it to Bishop Korir! In the early 2000s I visited Poland and Ukraine with Br. Albin, MIC. The people were so kind, and I think it was one of my favorite trips. We must continue to pray for an end to the war! In 2018, I traveled to the Solomon Islands. The people there gave me a lovely tribal welcome. I gave a four-day mission on the message of Divine Mercy, the Eucharist, Our Lady, the gift of life, and cenacle formation. Divine Mercy groups will be forming in nearly all of the churches in the three dioceses there. Containers of supplies Over the years, we have shipped more than 150 containers worldwide of donated supplies. It has been a great source of joy for me, and I want to thank all the volunteers who would help load one container after another to get them to ports for shipping. Since COVID shut down conferences and church missions, I decided to do interviews with priests, nuns, scientists, health care professionals, and lay people with great stories. The purpose is to educate people on the gifts of our faith and bring hope to a hurting world. You can view more than 125 interviews or listen to the podcasts at DivineMercyPlus.org. I would be remiss if I did not thank Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC, now superior general of the Marians, for his nearly 20 years of guidance and advising me whenever I needed help. Please pray for him in his new role. People ask me if I miss being a doctor. I still see myself in a healing ministry, but a spiritual one. As you hopefully can glean from the above, I wouldn’t change a thing! Visit TheDivineMercy.org/eadm to learn more about the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy. In 2001, EADM shipped an 18-foot, two-ton Divine Mercy statue to Kibeho, Rwanda.
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