In anticipation of the 2025 Jubilee Year, “Pilgrims of Hope,” the third North American Congress on Mercy (NACOM III) will take place Nov. 15-17 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Under the theme “Divine Mercy and Mary: Our Hope,” the Congress will be held at Good Shepherd Church in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. “We are excited to bring NACOM to Canada for the first time, and we invite devotees of Divine Mercy from across North America to come to Vancouver,” says Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, NACOM III coordinator. “There are spiritually enriching presentations from inspiring, well-known speakers and powerful witnesses to God’s love and mercy; Holy Mass; Eucharistic Adoration; Confession; uplifting sacred music; book signings; and time for sharing and fellowship. Something for everyone!” Open the doors The Most Rev. J. Michael Miller, CSB, Archbishop of Vancouver, will celebrate the opening Mass on Nov. 15. “As communities, we cannot bottle up the gift of mercy we have received,” Archbishop Miller said at the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016. “We must open our doors to see who is waiting outside, perhaps without the courage or the strength to knock, because they fear our harsh judgment or rejection. But the true Church, Pope Francis says, ‘has an endless desire to show mercy, the fruit of her own experience of the power of the Father’s infinite mercy.’ After all, we are but servants at the door of God’s mercy. And that door has a name: it is Jesus.” Mass will be followed by the first of seven talks, “Saint Faustina, Teacher of Human and Divine Mercy” by Robert Stackpole, STD, emeritus director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy. “As we move forward toward the Jubilee Year in 2025 on the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope,’ what could be more appropriate than to turn to Our Lady, Mother of Mercy Incarnate, Jesus Christ, to prepare us for the Jubilee celebration?” says Dr. Stackpole. “NACOM III is about turning our hearts and minds to the true source of hope, in preparation for the great Jubilee.” Mercy and Mary The Very Rev. Chris Alar, MIC, provincial superior, will deliver the keynote address on “Mercy and Mary: Our Hope for a Troubled World.” “The last three popes have reiterated that Divine Mercy is the most important message of our times,” says Fr. Chris. “As Pope Benedict XVI said on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2006, ‘Divine Mercy is not a secondary devotion but an integral dimension of Christian faith and prayer.’” Other speakers include Bryan Thatcher, MD, director of the Eucharistic Apostles for Divine Mercy (EADM); Fr. Patrice Chocholski, STD; Sr. Inga Kvassayova, OLM; the Most Rev. Antonysamy Savarimuthu, DD, DCL, Bishop of Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu, India; and the Very Rev. Donald Calloway, MIC, vicar provincial. The final talk will be on “‘Pilgrims of Hope and Mercy’ — Theme of the Holy Year 2025 and in Preparation for World Apostolic Congress on Mercy VI 2026 in Vilnius” by the Most Rev. Gintaras Grušas, Archbishop of Vilnius, Lithuania, delivered via video. Music will be offered by Ashley Nemeh, who sang at the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy this year. Visit MercyCongress.org for more information and to register for the Congress. 20 Marian Helper • Fall 2024 • Marian.org Join us in Canada for NACOM III! Good Shepherd Church, host for NACOM III.
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