Marian Helper • Summer 2025 • Marian.org 5 But first, heartbreak for the native Filipina who emigrated to Canada in 1967. When the youngest of her three daughters was but 6 months old, her husband left her. Suddenly a single mother, Norma relied on her parents to take care of her children while she took on extra jobs to make ends meet. She worked three jobs as a medical technologist, clocking into her shifts from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. Juggling a young, growing family, with long hours on the job and little sleep, Norma was stretched thin. Rather than doubting her faith and turning away from God, Norma leaned in, relying on the Lord even more closely. Shared prayer time Fast forward to the 1990s, and Norma began talking about Divine Mercy to eight of her close friends from St. Francis Xavier Church in Mississauga, Ontario, just west of Toronto. Norma personally introduced the devotion through shared prayer time, conversation, and two videos, one in English and one in Filipino. She taught her friends how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the nine-day Novena. The nine ladies shared prayer time together and even sent pamphlets to their friends and relatives in the Philippines to spread the message. In 2000, the group approached their parish priest at St. Francis Xavier and asked if they could conduct the Divine Mercy Novena at church from Good Friday to the Feast of Divine Mercy. Ever since then, for the past 25 years, the ladies have decorated a side altar with a framed photograph of the Image of Jesus as Sr. Faustina Kowalska saw Him. What started as a yearly tradition in church followed by private Novenas at the homes of the core nine founding ladies grew into a community movement. Home evangelization The prayer group evolved into a home evangelization program. For 25 years, the framed Divine Mercy photograph and a statue has moved from home to home so that a nineday Novena is prayed non-stop throughout the entire year. Norma and her friends reach out to fellow parishioners to ask who is in need of the visitation and who would like to participate, focusing especially on those who are ill, who are enduring crises or problems, and who need overall the intercession of Jesus’ deep and unfathomable mercy. Over time, various healings occurred, including a cancer recovery miracle for one of the founding women. “We started this movement to help those in need of prayer,” Bernadette Remedios, one of the founders, said. “And we hope that our efforts inspire others to do the same in their communities!” The group continues their mission to spread the message of Divine Mercy to this day. There are so many families and parishioners who partake in the program that filling up the entire year with Novenas is easy. Parents have reported that their children and grandchildren love to take part in the prayer time, too. And once a year, more than 50 people from St. Francis Xavier Parish journey south on pilgrimage to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge. United movement “It’s incredible to see how our small initiative expanded into something that unites the whole community,” Norma said. Of course, she attributed the success of the program — as well as her own personal happiness — to Jesus’ Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy helped Norma rise to the challenge of her single motherhood. And the fruits of her devotion showed: Her three daughters all completed college and married wonderful husbands. Norma now has five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, of whom she is so proud. She recounted gleefully, “I have so many blessings from the Lord, I simply cannot count them all!” May God bless Norma and all the founding women in their continued endeavors to evangelize and bring peace to others through the message of Divine Mercy. May God bless the priests and parishioners who partake in their prayer movement. And may God inspire us to create similar prayer circles in our own churches and communities! For 25 years, the framed Divine Mercy photograph has journeyed from home-tohome so that a nine-day Novena is prayed non-stop throughout the entire year.
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