On March 20, 1996, the Administrative Committee of the U.S. Catholic bishops, by unanimous vote, bestowed national designation on the Shrine of The Divine Mercy, which had been in existence since 1960. In his application to the U.S. bishops, Shrine rector Fr. Ladislaus “Walter” Pelczynski, MIC, was asked to justify the elevation to a National Shrine. “The shrine,” he wrote, “is the first sacred place dedicated to God under that title in the Western Hemisphere. For the longest time, it was the only place of worship under that title in the United States, making known the now widely spread Message of The Divine Mercy, which, according to the related revelations, is to prepare the world for the Lord’s return. “By its national designation,” he continued, “the shrine will be able to attract wider attention to the medicine that Our Lord offers for all the ailments of this 20th century — the Gospel position of unbounded trust in God and active love of neighbor — the essence of the Divine Mercy Message and Devotion handed on by Bl. Faustina; and to the unfathomable Divine Mercy which needs to be made known to the world in every possible manner as well as invoked continuously upon it.” From the VAULTS 36 Marian Helper • Summer 2025 • Marian.org
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