Father Darek is the administrator for the project and there are currently 540 small homes, each costing $2,500 to build and given to the families as they are destitute. Father hopes eventually to build more homes. The project has several moving parts, and perhaps one will inspire you to help Fr. Darek. First of all, the old water tower is damaged, and Father is building a larger one that supplies water to all the homes. We take water for granted in this country, but it is not the case in many parts of the world. The second component is a beautiful chapel that will seat a few hundred people. There are so many activities that Father has centered around the church, and it truly is a community where God is the centerpiece. The structure and flooring are completed, and pews will be inserted probably in November. But he needs to get an altar, baptismal font, Confessional, and more. The third part that will be directly behind and part of the church is an Adoration Chapel. At this time only the outer walls are done, and monies are needed to obtain the tabernacle, monstrance, pews and more. The monstrance will be a sculpture of Our Lady and the tabernacle will be located in her heart. To God we give all the glory! The fourth component is an addition to a one-room trade school. Father is adding on to the current structure, and sewing machines are being purchased. The women will be able to learn a trade to raise funds for their families. The fifth part is a small medical clinic that will have a doctor and dentist visit one day a week to care for the members of the village. Currently, this is a problem as people do not have access to routine care. Monies are needed to purchase medications, basic medical equipment, and pay a nominal J esus told Saint Faustina, “I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbor, always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from this” (Diary, 742). Over the last 30 years I have met so many incredible people of God that, when I reflect back, it brings me great joy. This year I was blessed with another such experience. In July, I visited the Marian Fathers at the Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador, Philippines, on the island of Mindanao. I had a tremendous visit with Fr. Darek Drzewiecki, MIC, regarding his project at the Mother of Mercy Village. To better understand the scope of the project, one needs to know Fr. Darek. He is a totally dedicated priest who feeds the people spiritually but also tries to alleviate their suffering. He knows the families, struggles, and brokenness, and understands the future of the Church is in the hands of the youth. He has students he is helping get an education, and each one on scholarship is actively involved in the Church as lectors, acolytes, choir members and more. He knows what each student is studying and encourages them; he is able to help each with 25 dollars a month for bus fare, but that needs to be doubled to help them buy food at school. A program with scholarships needs to be set up to help those who want to attend more professional programs. The village was developed as a result of the typhoon in 2011 that destroyed many homes and led to the loss of over 1,200 lives. Living in Florida and having been through several hurricanes, I can only imagine the tragedy and suffering that resulted. Many families lost their young children who were swept away and never found. “Mercy is love that seeks to lessen the misery of others.” — Bryan Thatcher, MD Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy Newsletter Winter 2024 By Bryan Thatcher, MD Can you please help? Please see page 2 Father Darek Drzewiecki, MIC, with a group of students he’s helping get an education.
2 fee for the medical staff to come weekly. The sixth component is setting up a sponsorship of over 60 students so they can attend college. The education is not free, and the students cannot attend because of tuition fees and bus fare. For 50 dollars a month ($600 a year) we can sponsor a child’s bus and food; for $1,500 one can sponsor the 10 students obtaining more advanced degrees. Currently there are 60 students receiving bus fare and food assistance but more are asking for help. I am hoping cenacles can gather the funds and sponsor a student for a year. One such student who wants to pursue nursing is Melody. She wants to go to nursing school and went one year. She loves nursing but the family couldn’t afford the tuition. The mother said she needed to study marketing instead at a free school. She went for a semester but has no desire. Her dream is to become a nurse. EADM has committed to helping Melody with her tuition, school HELP! From page 1 The fifth part of the project is a small medical clinic that will have a doctor and dentist visit one day a week to care for the members of the village. This is a problem as people do not have access to routine care. The fourth component is an addition to a one-room trade school. Father is adding on to the current one-room structure, and sewing machines are being purchased. The women will be able to learn a trade to raise funds for their families. One of the students being helped by this project is Melody, standing with Fr. Darek Drzewiecki, MIC. Her dream is to become a nurse. EADM has committed to helping Melody with her tuition, school supplies, and bus fare for three years so she can complete her education. Please see page 5 The second component of the project is a beautiful chapel that will seat a few hundred people. There are so many activities that Father has centered around the church, and it truly is a community where God is the centerpiece.
We are from a consortium of parishes in Ross County, Ohio, the town of Chillicothe, and we now have two cenacles in the area. We started in summer 2022, and to familiarize new members on the devotion of Divine Mercy, we watched the “Second Greatest Story Ever Told.” In January 2023 we began Cenacle Manual Number One and are really enjoying it! I am the current facilitator for group 2 now, but will soon be turning over leadership to one of the members who has been a Divine Mercy devotee since college. Our original group started in 2016 and we continue to meet twice a month. Since our origin, we sadly have lost three members who have passed away but all with beautiful stories of how the Divine Mercy worked in their lives. When we first got started, we began the process of being trained by Kathy Wabick in “Divine Mercy in the Holy Face of Jesus,” and as a result of that process, we continue to minister to the sick and dying. We are volunteers at the local Veterans Medical Center in their “No Veteran Dies Alone” program. Our members are all active in many works of mercy, St. Vincent de Paul, Third Order Franciscans, Right to Life, Knights of Columbus, RCIA, Catechists, Eucharistic Adoration, and more. The photo is of our first cenacle group, and in that photo is the late Ed Bohn (far right, standing). Pray for him as he was a faithful servant and our group misses him. 3 CENACLES UPDATE Our parish is St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Northwest Austin, Texas. Our EADM cenacle is active and although our parish has a celebration on Divine Mercy Sunday, we as a group have chosen to celebrate outside at the Shrine of Our Lady of Schoenstatt on that day. I think our favorite “thread” that we all love in our group is that God’s Mercy ENDURES FOREVER. It does not matter what sin, what season of life we are in, or what we have done to offend the Lord, He LOVES US and FORGIVES us because of His grace of Mercy. Also, that our prayers of the Chaplet can help anyone, especially those at the end of life. Members are active in numerous charitable works including taking the Eucharist to the homebound, healing prayer ministry, bereavement ministry, driving homebound to doctor’s appointments, praying the Chaplet for the sick and dying, unborn, and our country, feeding the hungry on Mobile Loaves and Fishes truck, feeding homeless, praying at an abortion center, and more. AUSTIN, Texas Sharon Reeves wrote and told us: CHILLICOTHE, Ohio Judy Harness wrote and told us: Tune into ‘Mercy Unbound’ The Internet series called “Mercy Unbound” is going strong and has posted more than 150 wonderful interviews from a plethora of guests. You can watch the video or listen to it as a podcast at DrBryanThatcher.com Click on “Watch” at the top and you will see the variety of speakers and topics. The shows are all free. Please subscribe and share as that will help the series grow and get more exposure on YouTube. Help us spread the word about the truth and beauty of our faith! Want to start a cenacle? Visit TheDivineMercy.org/cenacle for details. After reviewing, please call 1-877-380-0727 for more information and materials.
4 Divine Mercy as a Way of Life Live the message daily through forgiveness, trust, and mercy. EV-DWLN $3.99 Spanish: EV-DWLS $3.99 Living the Message of Divine Mercy The role of suffering, humility, and spiritual poverty in our lives. EV-DWL2 $3.99 Rachel, Weep No More Find healing from the aftereffects of abortion through Divine Mercy. EV-RWNM $3.99 Praying the Chaplet for the Sick and Dying How we can obtain grace for the dying souls most in need. EV-DMPBA $3.99 Spanish: EV-SDB $3.99 Cenacle Formation Manuals Here are the official guides for prayer cenacles, using the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska and integrating it with Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. By Dr. Bryan and Susan Thatcher. $13 Each Cenacle of The Divine Mercy: EWTN Program Series I Join the cenacle members from around the country in discussing the impact of Divine Mercy on their lives. Free Companion Guide included! 4 DVDs. EV-CGDVD $39.95 Cenacle of The Divine Mercy: EWTN Program Series II Join Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC, and Bryan Thatcher, MD, in further exploration of the riches of the Divine Mercy message. Free Companion Guide included! 4 DVDs. EV-CG2DVD $39.95 Additional Companion Guides for each series can be ordered for group use. Call for quantity pricing; use codes EV-CGER and EV-CGE2. Pamphlet for Sick & Dying: EV-CSDEA At the Bedside of the Sick and Dying: A Guide for Parish Ministry, Family, and Friends Mixing Divine Mercy spirituality with practical guidance, Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy founder Bryan Thatcher, MD, and Disciples of Divine Mercy in the Holy Face of Jesus founder Kathleen Wabick inform, encourage, and inspire you to take up this great work of mercy. A handy introduction to the grace-filled apostolate of praying for (and with) the sick and dying. EV-PMBK $3.99 Manual 1: EV-CFM1 Manual 2: EV-CFM2 Manual 3: EV-CFM3 3-Book Set: EV-SCFM ($35) also available in Spanish To order: Visit ShopMercy.org/eadm or call 1-800-462-7426. Mary: Who She Is and Why She Matters An overview of the basic truths about Our Lady and her ongoing role in the Church today. EV-MBK $16.95 Blessed Hanna Chrzanowska, RN: A Nurse of Mercy Blessed Hanna Chrzanowska, RN: A Nurse of Mercy was the first lay registered nurse to be beatified. This book recounts the extraordinary life of this holy, 20th-century woman. EV-HANBK $12.95 Immaculate Conception Lapel Pin Measures ¾" x 1". EV-IPIN $5.00 Immaculate Conception Pocket-size Prayer Card Immaculate Conception image with the Memorare prayer on the back. EV-ICBC Divine Mercy and Immaculate Conception Double-sided Key chain Double-sided key chains featuring the Divine Mercy Image on one side and the Immaculate Conception image on the other. These handcrafted, high gloss epoxy images are very durable and are the perfect size for your pocket or purse. Small: 1 ½" x 1". Large: 2 ¼" x 1 5/8". Small: EV-SMKY $5.95 Large: EV-LGKY $7.95 Prayer cards: 10 for $1.60 100 for $14.00 • 1,000 for $100.00 Divine Mercy For America Prayer Guide Use this Divine Mercy for America Prayer Guide to pray for our nation and the whole world. EV-DMAMC $1.00 Divine Mercy Home Enthronement & Family Consecration Kit Claim ground for Christ in a real way. This kit makes it easy to solemnly enthrone Jesus, the Divine Mercy as King of Home and Family. EV-HENT $5.95
supplies, and bus fare for three years so she can complete her education. Any amount that you contribute is greatly appreciated and no gift is too small. All monies raised from this newsletter appeal will go to Fr. Darek in the Philippines. Please help out of love of God and reflect on this short phrase that St. Faustina wrote: “God’s love is the flower – mercy the fruit” (Diary, 948). The 10th virtue of sorrow is also called “the grace of the cross.” This virtue, that of the grace of God in time of trial and our own cross, is the final one because it encompasses the perfection of our souls as we traverse this valley of tears. We all have trials and suffering in our lives, and Mary is our role model as she never wavered in complete confidence in God. The Rule of the Ten Evangelical Virtues tells us that God uses sorrow in our lives to give us grace and strengthen our compassion for others. Think of Mary and her strength as she suffered with Jesus throughout His Passion and then stood faithfully at the foot of the cross as He died for us. She teaches us that suffering and love must be synonymous. Like Christ and Mary, we must suffer out of love and love while we suffer. There is a frequently quoted saying, “God never gives you more than you can handle.” Perhaps a better way to say it is, “God never gives you more than the two of you can handle together.” For without God, even the slightest affliction or situation seems magnified and overwhelming. For those struggling with issues of addictions, divorce, poor health, problems with children, or whatever cross you are carrying, pray and reflect on the struggles of Mary and how she had complete trust in God. Mary had many sorrows, and she is also known as “Our Sorrowful Mother.” There are statues of Mary that show seven swords piercing her heart. The seven sorrows of Mary include: the prophecy of Simeon in the temple about the piercing of Mary’s heart, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the Child Jesus in the temple, Mary’s meeting with Jesus on the Way of the Cross, the Crucifixion, the taking down of His Body from the cross, and His burial. Yet, in spite of all these great trials, she was full of grace and maintained unwavering trust in God in all situations, even when she didn’t understand His purposes. The Friar Servants of Mary (Servites) began praying the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary in the 13th century. In a Church-approved apparition in Kibeho, Rwanda, beginning in 1981, Our Lady asked the children to pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows and promised that those who recited it would be given the grace and desire for a stronger conversion to God. We should pray for the grace that Our Blessed Mother had to have by completely trusting in God during our sufferings. We should behave like a blind man who entrusts himself entirely to his guide (a seeing-eye dog), holding the leash firmly, and not giving up on our obedience to God for a single moment. For God alone will be our strength in time of fiery trial. 5 14510018 The 10 evangelical virtues of Our Lady © 2024 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. Part 10 Most Sorrowful Most Merciful Most Poor Most Pure Most Obedient Most Humble Most Prudent Most Faithful Most Devout Most Patient HELP! From page 2 Dr. Bryan Thatcher visits children in El Salvador, Philippines.
Speaking Engagements GET YOUR EADM LAPEL PIN with a donation of $25 or more to the ministry. EV-LPEADM Dr. Bryan Thatcher, director of Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy, will be speaking on the following dates: • Oct. 26: Houston, Texas. Contact Sally: 281-799-0331. • Nov. 15-17: North American Congress on Mercy in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, For more information, visit MercyCongress.org. • Nov. 21-23: Marian Conference in Tampa, Florida. Visit MarianSociety.org or call Tina: 813-417-9720. • March 5, 2025: Las Vegas, Nevada (tentative). Consider a Day of Reflection. Dr. Bryan Thatcher, director of Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy, gives talks that focus on Divine Mercy; St. Faustina and Praying the Chaplet for the Sick and Dying; and Mary, Mother of Mercy. If your cenacle would like to have Dr. Thatcher speak at your parish, call the EADM office at 1-877-380-0727. EADM Logo Shirts Polo-shirt $25 EV-PSEAS EV-PSEAM EV-PSEAL EV-PSEAXL EV-PSEAXXL Vilnius Image Shirt Wear your faith on your sleeve, or at least on your shirt, with these Ts and polos. $22 EV-DMTSS EV-DMTSM T-shirt $15 EV-TSEAS EV-TSEAM EV-TSEAL EV-TSEAXL EV-TSEAXXL Nursing with the Hands of Jesus A spiritual guide for nurses on how to use the Divine Mercy message and devotion with the sick, injured and dying. EV-NTHJ $3.99 Divine Mercy Chaplet for the Sick and the Dying This pamphlet answers questions about praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the dying. EV-CSDEA Pricing on page 4 Evangelize on the Go! with our exclusive line of EADM products EV-DMTSL EV-DMTSXL EV-DMTSXXL To order: Visit ShopMercy.org/eadm or call 1-800-462-7426. EADM relies on your generosity to keep the ministry running. Help us continue to bring the message of Divine Mercy to a hurting world. Please donate to EADM today. Call 1-800-462-7426, visit Marian.org/eadm, or use the enclosed envelope. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Perfect Sacrifice Rekindle Eucharistic amazement with this contemplative CD by Annie Karto. EV-PSCD $15 Overshadow Me Songs praising God’s goodness in voice and string. By Annie Karto. EV-OMCD $16 Our address is: Dr. Bryan Thatcher, EADM,12452 Horseshoe Bend Drive, Lithia, FL 33547.
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