Rays of Merciful Love Fall-Winter 2019

3 C E N A C L E S U P D A T E We each have a story that is uniquely all our own. However, when each of us responded “yes” to His call, our stories changed. Our min- istry story began when we four members, each with different talents and skill sets, approached our pastor, Fr. Jeff Stoneberg, about our desire to start a Divine Mercy ministry at Christ the King Parish in Lombard, Illinois, in the Diocese of Joliet. Two common sparks for us were the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul and the inspiring Divine Mercy mission we attended in October 2017 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Batavia, Illinois, given by Fr. Chris Alar, MIC. We are also grateful to Kathy Wabick, founder and director of the Disciples of Divine Mercy in the Holy Face of Jesus, for her direction and Bryan Thatcher, MD, founder and director of the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy for his support, guidance, and prayers. At Fr. Jeff’s direction, we developed a plan, which included our main mission to save souls. When the time was right, after many prayers, the Divine Mercy Ministry for the Sick, Suffering & Dying was established under the patronage of Mary, Mother of Mercy, and St. Joseph, patron of the dying. Father Jeff became our sponsor, and he gave us the direction to start to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet out loud, hourly on Thursdays in the church, during Eucharistic Adoration. To pray the Chaplet for the sick, suffering, and dying within the Hour of Mercy and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory is a spiritual work of mercy — a perfect way to live the message! The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a very powerful prayer. To pray it out loud with others, in front of the Holy Eucharist, is a profoundly moving experience. We did encounter speed bumps along the first steps of our jour- ney but overcame them through prayer and the continued guidance of Fr. Jeff. Within a few weeks, we were joined in prayer by several of the scheduled adorers and by others who specifically came to pray the Chaplet. That included some of the 8 th grade Confirmation students, along with friends or family, who joyfully embrace the devotion. With Fr. Jeff’s approval and blessing, we requested a copy of the Apostolic Blessing from the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy given by St. Pope John Paul II in the year 2000 that’s appli- cable to anyone “who during Adoration of Our Most Merciful LOMBARD, I LLINOIS Bill and Mary Jones wrote and told us: Our cenacle has been together about five years. We meet every Monday. During the holidays we share complete Thanksgiving din- ners with at least three families, and some of our members work at the food pantry. Our cenacle donated heaters to be given out there. We also donated to victims of Hurricane Harvey. Our team is involved with visiting the elderly at the nursing home in our area; we pray the Holy Rosary at funerals; we visit the sick at home or in the hospital; and some members of our team host a bereavement group. We were there to pray for the victims of human trafficking who per- ished in a locked 18-wheel tractor-trailer at the parking lot of a local Walmart. We pray a novena at the prayer garden leading up to Divine Mercy Sunday. We pray the Chaplet at every Mass and then gather for a potluck dinner at the end of the day. We have special guest speakers who encourage us on our journey of faith. We have been so blessed, and we have been touched tremendously through the Divine Mercy and the Chaplet. Jesus, we trust in You! SAN ANTONIO, T EXAS Augie and Rosemary Melchor wrote and told us: Savior in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar will be praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and for those throughout the world who will be dying in that hour.” Once we received it, we framed it, and Fr. Jeff blessed it during Sunday Mass. It now hangs in the church near the Divine Mercy Image. Over time, we transitioned from an 8- by 10-inch Divine Mercy Image to a life-size portable one, which we place near the altar each Thursday morning after Mass, during Eucharistic Adoration. We utilize a Divine Mercy Chaplet request form, which can be filled out with a person’s first name, so that the graces of the Divine Mercy Chaplets we pray each hour can be shared. Hourly, the intention requests are placed in a large basket in front of the Holy Eucharist next to the Divine Mercy Image. When we receive verbal requests for a Chaplet, we call on our Divine Mercy Chaplet prayer warriors who pray a Chaplet at home. We have all experienced very touching outcomes. To spread knowledge of Divine Mercy, we created a series of bul- letin articles on the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Divine Mercy Image and most recently on the 3 o’clock hour, Feast of Divine Mercy, Novena of Chaplets, promise and indulgences, and more. We ushered in Lent at our parish by posting signs near the entrances that consisted of a Divine Mercy Image and a quote of our Lord, which says, “Come to Me, all of you” ( Diary , 1485). We responded as a core group of four to St. Pope John Paul II when he said the following to the entire Church at the conclusion of his homily at the first [universal] Feast of Divine Mercy on April 30, 2000: “Trust in the Lord, be apostles of Divine Mercy and follow the invitation of Sister Faustina.” We appreciate this opportunity to share our ministry story with you.