Celebrating those anniversaries in the Jubilee Year of Hope seems appropriate. After all, many tens of thousands have come here to this Shrine to give thanks to the Divine Mercy for graces received, the forgiveness of sins and temporal punishment, and hope restored. Incredible impact “It’s a joy to hear of the testimonies of those who have found spiritual healing and graces in the Masses, devotions, and Confessions offered here at the Shrine,” says Fr. Matthew Tomeny, MIC, Shrine rector. “Some even report graces of miraculous physical healings or ask for prayers to conceive a child. Some penitents say they drove several hours away to come to Confession here after a hiatus away from the Church or some crisis. We once had a group from the Philippines who came to the U.S. only to visit the Shrine for barely three days before returning home without seeing anything else. “It’s truly a blessing to glimpse at how the Shrine has touched the thousands and thousands of pilgrims who have visited and who now join us through the internet,” Fr. Matt continues. “We can see how much of an incredible impact Stockbridge has had on the promotion of the Divine Mercy message worldwide, but we will only see in Heaven how much of an impact the Shrine has made in being a center of intercession for the Lord’s mercy upon the whole world.” Today, many more people attend daily Mass and devotions via livestream at the Shrine than visit Eden Hill in person. And yet even with such worldwide exposure, the Shrine holds many treasures and unexpected blessings that most people have never heard about. Here, then, in no particular order, are 10 things you may not know about the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. By Chris Sparks S ixty-five years ago, the chapel that would become the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy was completed and blessed. Twenty-five years ago, Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Most Blessed Sacrament (1905-1938), whose cause for canonization and writings would find such assistance from the Marian Fathers housed at Stockbridge (most especially the former vice postulator for her cause in North America, Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC), was canonized, and Divine Mercy Sunday added to the universal calendar of the Church. Marian Helper • Summer 2025 • Marian.org 21 2 Sweat Equity Throughout the 1950s, Marian novices labored during their novitiate year on the construction, as did seminarians who came for the summers to help maintain the property. Father Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, was one of them. Set that alongside his long labors to establish the Divine Mercy message and devotion (apparently prophesied in Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1689), and we can say that Fr. Seraphim built the Shrine of The Divine Mercy both physically and spiritually! 1 Local Hero In 1950, the construction of the Shrine of The Divine Mercy was entrusted to Antonio Guerrieri, a 74-year-old resident of Stockbridge. He had just completed the restoration of St. Joseph’s Church in town when the Marians called him to build their new Shrine. Guerrieri was a well-respected master furniture maker and wood carver — crafts for which he had been trained in his native Italy. He had also established a reputation as a restorer, designer, and builder — all skills which he had taught himself.
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