. 1 • National Shrine of The Divine Mercy Dear Pilgrims, We welcome you to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. Please join us for any upcoming events at the Shrine along with doing a personal pilgrimage during this year. Feel free to visit our Gift Shop and stroll our beautiful grounds during your visit here. May God bless you. Livestream from the National Shrine Daily Devotions Daily Mass 9:00am Chaplet of Divine Mercy 3:00pm Rosary for Life 5:00pm Find us on: Divine Mercy (Official) Divine Mercy Videos posted on our Website daily: shrineofdivinemercy.org Saturday 2:00pm* Sunday 10:30am & 2:00pm *2pm Mass does NOT fulfill Sunday obligation* Confessions Available Monday thru Friday 1:00pm - 2:00pm Saturdays and Sundays 1:00pm – 2:00pm 3:30pm – 4:15pm Daily Public Mass Schedule August21-Twenty-First SundayofOrdinaryTime A Ministry of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary National Shrine of The Divine Mercy PO Box 951 2 Prospect Hill Road Stockbridge, MA 01262 (GPS: 2 Prospect Hill Rd, Stockbridge, MA) Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC: Rector Fr. Robert Vennetti, MIC: Vice Rector Shrine Reception: 413-298-3931 Bus Pilgrimages: 413-298-1119 Gift Shop: 888-484-1112 National Shrine: www.shrineofdivinemercy.org Divine Mercy: www.thedivinemercy.org Marians: www.marian.org Please check our website for the most up-to-date information on our Monday-Friday Mass and Devotions schedule. Sincerely in Jesus and Mary Immaculate, Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC Shrine Rector
June 20, [1937]. We resemble God most when we forgive our neighbors. God is Love, Goodness, and Mercy... Every soul, and especially the soul of every religious, should reflect My mercy. My Heart overflows with compassion and mercy for all. The heart of My beloved must resemble Mine; from her heart must spring the fountain of My mercy for souls; otherwise I will not acknowledge her as Mine. Excerpt from: www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251046/pope-francis-god-is-weeping-for-the-victims-of-the-ukraine-war state is a blow that strikes him "viscerally," touching his soul. "He had compassion" - that is how we translate the text today, diminishing its original vitality. Struck in his soul by the lightning flash of mercy, he himself now becomes a neighbor, heedless of any question or danger. The burden of the question thus shifts here. The issue is no longer which other person is a neighbor to me or not. The question is about me. I have to become the neighbor, and when I do, the other person counts for me "as myself." General Audience on May 31, 2006 following his pilgrimage to Poland where he visited the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow-Lagiewniki. www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/pope-benedict-xvis-top-10-mercy-quotes Image from https://www.marian.org/mary/popes/benedictXVI.php Wisdom of Pope (Emeritus)Benedict XVI “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” John 13:34 Diary of St. Faustina; 1148 Image from: www.marian.org/divinemercy/story.php?NID=8378 [A man has just been robbed and beaten, and he is lying by the side of the road. A priest and a Levite pass by on the other side of the road. Will anyone stop to help? Pope Benedict picks up the narrative here.] “And now the Samaritan enters the stage. What will he do? [Unlike the expert in the Law who had just been questioning Jesus] he does not ask how far his obligations of solidarity extend. Nor does he ask about the merits required for eternal life. Something else happens: His heart is wrenched open. The Gospel uses the word that in Hebrew had referred to the mother's womb and maternal care. Seeing this man in such a
Lenten Regulations 028 D Year of The Eucharist In a recent study, it was found that only 30% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus. We’re in crisis mode. They’re missing not just the reality of Jesus in their lives, but something transformative, powerful, and beautiful. This Year of the Eucharist is an opportunity for revival. Bishop William Byrne Bishop of The Diocese of Springfield, MA Events 40 Hours Devotion: September 1-4 All Day St. Stanislaus Basilica & St. Mary’s Ware, MA For more information please visit: https://www.yearoftheeucharist.net/
12 3 5 From the Diary of St. Faustina Diary 471, 472, 1020, 278 Prophet for Our Times 1 8 One day, I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness, and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all their sufferings. During the last days of the carnival, when I was making a Holy Hour, I saw how the Lord Jesus suffered as He was being scourged. Oh, such an inconceivable agony! How terribly Jesus suffered during the scourging! O poor sinners, on the day of judgment how will you face the Jesus whom you are now torturing so cruelly: His blood flowed to the ground, and in some places His flesh started to fall off. I saw a few bare bones on His back. The meek Jesus moaned softly and sighed. Then I saw a soul which was being separated from its body amid great torment. O Jesus, as I am about to write this, I tremble at the sight of the horrible things that bear witness against him.... I saw the souls of little children and those of older ones, about nine years of age, emerging from some kind of a muddy abyss. The souls were foul and disgusting, resembling the most terrible monsters and decaying corpses. But the corpses were living and gave loud testimony against the dying soul. And the soul I saw dying was a soul full of the world’s applause and honors, the end of which are emptiness and sin. Finally a woman came out who was holding something like tears in her apron, and she witnessed very strongly against him. O terrible hour, at which one is obliged to see all one’s deeds in their nakedness and misery; not one of them is lost, they will all accompany us to God’s judgment. I can find no words or comparisons to express such terrible things. And although it seems to me that this soul is not damned, nevertheless its torments are in no way different from the torments of hell; there is only this difference: that they will someday come to an end. Jesus looked at me and said, Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near. 8 The Two Paths On an earlier occasion. In the evening, I saw the Lord Jesus upon the cross. From His hands, feet and side, the Most Sacred Blood was flowing. After some time, Jesus said to me, All this is for the salvation of
4 4 Donations for Ukraine: www.marian.org/ukraine/ or call 800-462-7426 In the wake of the Russian invasion, your support will help our Marians in Ukraine as they struggle to survive and maintain their ministry, needed now more than ever. We have 22 Marians in Ukraine; their house in Kharkiv was bombed. More than 2 million refugees have fled. Our Marian houses across the border in Poland are assisting refugees. We continue to need your prayers and support to help our Marians in Ukraine as they struggle to survive and rebuild, and to support the many refugees they assist with humanitarian and medical aid, both in Ukraine and in Poland. 100 percent of your donation goes directly to those in need Through our Marian priests in Ukraine and Poland. Yes, I want ToHelp! The Marian Fathers invite you to unite in prayer and continue to pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet for peace and end to war in Ukraine. Diary 153, 188, 425-426, 965, 1184, 990, 631 https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/prophet-our-times May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war. souls. Consider well, My daughter, what you are doing for their salvation. I answered, “Jesus, when I look at Your suffering, I see that I am doing next to nothing for the salvation of souls.” And the Lord said to me, Know, My daughter, that your silent day-to-day martyrdom in complete submission to My will ushers many souls into heaven. And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds, and you will rise above human scorn and judgment. Meditation on My Passion will help you rise above all things. I understood many things I had been unable to comprehend before. I know well, O Lord, that You have no need of our works; You demand love. Love, love and once again, love of God — there is nothing greater in heaven or on earth. The greatest greatness is to love God; true greatness is in loving God; real wisdom is to love God. All that is great and beautiful is in God; there is no beauty or greatness outside of Him. O you sages of the world and you great minds, recognize that true greatness is in loving God! Oh, how astonished I am that some people deceive themselves, saying: There is no eternity! O my Jesus, Your goodness surpasses all understanding, and no one will exhaust Your mercy. Damnation is for the soul who wants to be damned; but for the one who desires salvation, there is the inexhaustible ocean of the Lord’s mercy to draw from. How can a small vessel contain the unfathomable ocean?
Shrine Bulletin Board Livestream Series Saturdays at 11:00am with Fr. Chris Alar, MIC To watch please go to: www.thedivinemercy.org We are hiring! The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy is hiring for the following: Part-time Weekend Receptionist If you are interested, please call Human Resources at 413-298-3931 x140 Or send your resume to: [email protected] National Shrine of The Divine Mercy Human Resource Director PO Box 951 Stockbridge, MA 01262 Be a part of theMarian Family! Receive graces from doing deeds of Mercy. Please volunteer if you are able. See our website to sign up, or contact our Volunteer Office at 413-298-1114 Things to Note: Blessed Oil of St. Faustina Oil blessed in honor of St. Faustina is available at the Shrine Reception desk. A suggested donation of $5.00 which would go to help support Shrine Ministries. The Diary of St. Faustina Copies of the Diary are sold in our Gift Shop located next to the main parking lot, or online: The Gift Shop is open daily 10:00am – 4:00pm
Fr. Benedict Skrinda (1868-1947) examination to become a pharmacist’s apprentice. Following the death of his parents,Benedikts interrupted his studies even though he longed to become a priest, and took care of his younger brothers: Kazimierz and Antoni. To provide for upkeep and education of his siblings, he worked on the farm, but mostly hired himself out as a [stone and brick] mason. He sent his younger brothers to the gymnasium at St. Catherine’s Church in St. Petersburg. Antoni later studied medicine and became a doctor; while Kazimierz entered the seminary in 1893 at St. Petersburg, and continued his education at the Theological Academy in 1897, being ordained to the priesthood in 1901. Later both younger brothers taught in the gymnasium at St. Catherine’s Church: Kazimierz taught religion, and Antoni taught the Latvian language while also acting as the students’ physician. Having realized his younger brothers’ educational goals, Benedikts also entered the seminary in St. Petersburg in 1899, at age 31. On March 9, 1903, he was ordained a priest and was sent as an assistant priest to Omsk. He returned to St. Petersburg in 1905, and took the position of assistant pastor at St. Stanislaus Church, and then – at St. Catherine’s. In 1907 he became pastor in Jozefovas, transferring two years later to Bukmuiz. In 1911 he became pastor at the parish in Andrupien, and finally, in 1914, he went to Balva, where he served as a pastor until 1923. While ministering at parishes, he wrote articles and books, signing them by his penname “Farmer’s son.” Together with his brothers, he greatly contributed towards reuniting Latgale with other Latvian territories. From his youth Benedikts wanted to be a religious order priest, but it was impossible since all orders were forbidden. He thought about the Capuchins, and finally became third-order Franciscan. When he became a priest, he told Bishop Springowicz about his desire. This same wish was expressed to the Bishop by Fr. Bronisław Valpitrs, whose thoughts were directed towards the Redemptorists or Salisians. When the countries of Eastern Europe regained their freedom in 1918, Bishop Springowicz decided to bring back to life the religious orders in the Riga Archdiocese. Thus, he summoned both priests and, making sure that they persevered in their vocation for consecrated life, advised them to join the Congregation of Marians, of which he had learned recently and which had been renovated by the Bishop of Vilnius, George Matulewicz. The Marians agreed that Archbishop Springowicz would send his candidates to Mariampole. In February of 1923, Fr. Skrinda left his parish in Balva, and Fr. Valpitrs – the religious education classes that he ran in Kraslav, and both went to Mariampole. There, on February 19th, they began the novitiate, which they completed on February 24th of 1924, when they professed their religious vows. They were supposed to become renovators of consecrated life in Latvia, starting with a former Bernardine monastery in Vilani. Nothing remained of this monastery except its walls. The floor boards were ripped out, furnaces removed, and windows were either filled with bricks or covered up with boards or rags. Cells were used as storerooms for potatoes, firewood, hay, or as pigsties and chicken coops. The pastor’s living quarters were in a wooden shack near the monastery ruins. When Fr. Skrinda returned from Mariampole, he brought his belongings from Balva to Vilani. On March 2, 1924, the Archbishop named him the pastor, and Bishop Matulewicz – the monastery superior. Born on March 7, 1868, in the village of Liepas Mukani, the parish of Liksna in Latvia, of Donat and Apolonia (neé Aizbaltis) Skrinda. He attended the local elementary school, and later, after completing an internship, passed an
O On behalf of the Archbishop Fr. Joseph Rancans, Bishop delegate, arrived at Vilani along with the Curia Chancellor, the Dean, the former Pastor, and Fr. J. Karkle from Rezekne, the Editor of “Latgolas Vords”. The Bishop celebrated the installation of the new pastor and entrusted the monastery to the Marians. At once Fr. Skrinda began restoration works on the building. In the fall of the same year Fr. Valpitrs went to study in Kaunas, and two years later he moved to Rome, to attend the Angelicum University there. Father Benedikts Skrinda made his perpetual vows in Vilani on February 25, 1927, before Fr. F. Buczys. In 1927-1933 Fr. Skrinda held the office of the IV General Councilor. In 1933, he stepped down from the office of the Vilani Superior and became the Vicar superior, Treasurer, and Novice Master there. In 1936, he was made Vice-Superior in Rezekne. When Fr. Valpitrs, the Vilani Superior, was transferred to the Riga seminary, Fr. Skrinda returned to the office of Superior, and in 1943 his stay in the office was prolonged for a third term. Father Skrinda was an energetic and conscientious priest. All third-order members in Latgale were under his authority as the Superior, and he ran retreats for them. He organized an anti-alcoholic movement, with good results. He greatly activated the sacramental life, as well. More faithful began to attend Sunday Masses. Small nearby parishes in Nagli, Rikovas, and Ostrones were embraced through pastoral services. The Marians preached missions and retreats in all of Latvia, but particularly for Latgale and Zemgale. On June 17, 1940, the Red Army invaded Latvia and the country was then annexed to the USSR through a parody of an election. On February 3, 1941, the Bolsheviks threw the Marians out of their monastery. Father Benedikts Skrinda was left alone to continue the pastoral work in the parish, because two other priests had to go into hiding. They were able to come back to the monastery after the German troops entered Latvia on July 4, 1941. However, Hitler’s soldiers also persecuted the Church and her servants. Retreating before the Bolshevik army on July 27, 1944, they burned and devastated the town, burned down parish buildings, the church’s roof, the choir loft and the tower. On July 28, 1944 they also blew up the monastery, which had been just previously wired up and where Brother Antoni Erdman perished. Later, during the bombing on September 14, 1944, the Germans also destroyed the service buildings that still remained undamaged by prior attacks. Maybe, the Nazis turned their vengeance against the Marians because the latter were hiding a Jewish boy in the monastery during the occupation. After the Bolsheviks had come, Fr. Skrinda rebuilt the church to such a degree that it was possible to celebrate Mass there. In the remaining part of the monastery he arranged living quarters for the Religious. The Bolshevik authorities seemed to be waiting just for that because they started to expel the Religious and assigned the facilities to a Russian school. While moving their possessions to alternate locations, Fr. Benedikts Skrinda caught cold and got an acute sore throat. The then available treatment did not help: he was not able to eat. With great difficulty he could swallow a small part of the host during Holy Communion. Being well prepared for death, he passed away on December 10, 1947, at 9:30 am. He was buried next to the church. Bishop Kazimierz Dulbiński from Riga led the funeral solemnity in which a very great number of faithful and priests participated. A different version of Fr. B. Skrinda’s cause of death is also known. A signed and certified statement, kept in the General Archives of the Marians in Rome, states: “One of the militia men (a Catholic according to the certificate), who was also a parishioner, seized the priest by his throat and pushed him away so violently that the old man swayed on his feet. A cartilage was broken in his throat, which became very swollen. The priest was sick for three days and then died.” Other people also remembered the above-mentioned fact. Some of the Marians – the Latvians – believe this story to be a “fairytale”, others think it’s true. A Latvian seminarian stated that he spoke with a person who was an eyewitness of the incident. In a German flyer with no date in the title, a letter from the seriously ill and hospitalized Archbishop Springowicz was published. In this letter he accused the Communist authorities of sharing the responsibility of the death of Fr. Skrinda – Father of Religious Life in Latvia. Excerpt from: https://padrimariani.org/en/fr-benedict-skrinda/
From the moment of our existence we possess a God-given and changeless dignity. The Church opposes the view that human life can become a meaningless and useless burden fit only for death. For more information please go to: www. macatholic.org/news-article/learn-more-about-pas Information from: www. macatholic.org "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."56 “...since 1973, more than 60 million unborn children have been aborted. Each year in this country, about 900,000 more are added to that list. Yet even if it [Roe v. Wade] were overturned, even if every state in the union ended up outlawing abortion for any reason at any time (which is doubtful), we know that abortion, somehow or another, would continue to exist in this fallen world. Though we can and should hope, pray, vote, and advocate for an end to legalized abortion, we must focus on what we can do here and now in our own communities. We need to double up our efforts on changing hearts and minds, one at a time, to understand the inherent dignity of unborn life.” excerpt from How to Be Pro-Life by Marc Massery. www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/howbe-pro-life How to be Pro-Life SayNOtoPhysicianAssistedSuicideinMassachusetts LetyourvoicebeheardNow! The Massachusetts State Legislature is considering passing into law two deeply troubling bills this session which would legalize Physician Assisted Suicide. The bills, House 2381 and Senate 1384, are identical in text and titled “An Act relative to end of life options”. “The Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts stand untied in our strong opposition to Physician Assisted Suicide. It is an affront to life and a dangerous precedent for determining end of life issues. Physicians are trained to care for the ill, not to hasten death.” How can your voice be heard? Call or email you legislators, let them know you are a Massachusetts voter, and say NO to Physician Assisted Suicide! Log on to www.macatholic.org and follow the links to find contact For individuals without internet access, please call the Massachusetts Catholic Conference at 617746-5630 for legislative contact information.
Excerpt from Hail, Holy Queen! https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/hail-holy-queen Jesus is raised on high as king because He is a faithful Son of God the Father. Jesus empties Himself, giving everything in obedience to the will of the Father. The first Adam seized the forbidden fruit in an attempt to grasp divinity. Jesus, the new Adam, is humble, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross. So then Mary is Queen and Mother because of her humble acceptance of the will of God. When the archangel Gabriel comes to her to ask on behalf of God if she would consent to be the Spouse of the Spirit and the Mother of the eternal Son of the Father, she responded, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Lk 1:38) Mary remained without sin from the moment of her conception to the time of her Assumption into heaven. She did not grasp at divinity, but emptied herself, becoming obedient even unto walking with her Son every step of the way throughout His life, even unto accepting the sorrows and trials that came with her role as Mother of God. She is known as Our. Lady of Sorrows for a reason So her Queenship was wrought in the marriage of grace and nature in her Immaculate Conception; in her "yes" to God's call which opened the gates of heaven to allow the Word to become flesh and dwell among us; in her quiet maternity of the most extraordinary child in the history of humanity; in her perpetual virginity; in her faithful love and presence in the life of her Son; in her tears during His passion; in the wood and iron of the crucifixion; in the light of the Resurrection; in her patient prayer with the early Church after the Ascension; and finally in her glorious Assumption into heaven. Mary's Queenship is the fruit of much sowing, of much suffering, of much giving to God - everything she had, everything she was, given to God. She did not see Queenship as something to be grasped, but emptied herself. And, emptying, received Queenship over all. Memorial of The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary August 22nd Image from: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/hail-holy-queen-angels
. 374 374 J.M.J. Vilnius, February 4, 1935 From today on, my own will does not exist. The moment I knelt down to cross out my own will, as the Lord had bid me to do, I heard this voice in my soul: From today on, do not fear God’s judgment, for you will not be judged. The Narrow path…
From the Diary of St. Faustina, 374 374 J.M.J. Vilnius, February 4, 1935 From today on, I do the Will of God everywhere, always, and in everything.88 choosing Love.
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