‘Never leave home without prayercards’ F or about 25 years, Therese has been shar- ing the Divine Mercy message and devotion with her family, friends, and anyone who will listen, especially by passing out Divine Mercy prayercards. Even though Therese’s Polish mother tried to teach her about Divine Mercy in the 1950s, insisting it was part of their heritage, Therese didn’t become inter- ested herself until she was attending a healing Mass in the late 1980s. The priest suggested that everyone pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and ask for the intercession of then-Servant of God Sr. Faustina Kowalska. Therese then heard the chaplet for the first time. “As the priest began singing it, tears started to flow down my cheeks. By the end, I was crying,” she said. After the Mass, Therese bought her first Divine Mercy prayercard. “I learned later that the Divine Mercy image [on the card] was the same one that was above St. Faustina’s tomb,” she said. The cards were printed by the Marian Fathers in Stockbridge, Mass. “The Marian Fathers were the promoters of the authentic Divine Mercy message and devotion, so I began ordering all my supplies from Stockbridge. My motto is: ‘Never leave home without a supply of Divine Mercy prayercards.’” Therese never misses an opportunity to share Divine Mercy. Wearing her necklace with the St. Faustina medallion that she got while attending the saint’s canonization in 2000 and armed with a supply of Divine Mercy prayercards, she is prepared to respond to anyone who will listen. “I will tell them how much they need to trust in God’s mercy.” In fact, when Therese was only four days away from departing for Rome to attend St. Faustina’s canonization, her doctor discovered a tumor on her arm. Though the need for sur- gery was urgent, her doctor let her go on the trip. When she returned, the tumor was gone! Therese said, “It gave me another opportunity to share the depths of God’s mercy with my Jewish doctor.” For the past nine years, Therese has been a full-time caregiver to her husband, Mike, who suffers from a progressive form of demen- tia due to an auto accident. “Now that I don’t get out much, God sends people to me,” she said. Praying the chaplet for a dying friend’s husband, sharing her faith with a former student (who is an atheist), and giving hope to a café owner suffering from cancer are some of the ways that Therese spends her spare time. In July 2012, Marian seminarians Br. Michael and Br. Joseph joined me in visiting Therese and her family to personally thank her for supporting Marian vocations. It was delight- ful watching her two oldest grandsons, John Paul and Tim, each lead a decade of the chaplet. They were only 7 and 5 years old respectively. “We are four generations of Divine Mercy — my mother, me, my children, and my grandchildren,” Therese said. “Even 2-and- a-half-year-old Nick knows that 3 p.m. is the Hour of Great Mercy.” Ever since that first prayercard, Therese has supported the Marian Fathers and their vocations. “I feel we are all part of the same fam- ily and mission,” she said. “There are many good causes, but the Marians also spread devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. I said to myself, ‘Yes, that’s me! I have to support them.’” If you would also like to support Marian vocations, please contact me. He l pe r s Outstanding by Mary Kathryn Volpone Mary Kathryn Volpone works in Fr. Joseph’s Office for Special Gifts. You can contact her at: Association of Marian Helpers, Stockbridge, MA 01263, or call her toll free at 1-800-671-2020. E-mail:
[email protected]. Therese is a full-time caregiver to her husband, Mike, but she says, “God sends people to me.” She never misses an opportunity to share the message of Divine Mercy with others. M ary K athryn V olpone M arian H elper • S pring 2014 • www.marian.org 29 Back to index