1 • National Shrine of The Divine Mercy Dear Pilgrims, We welcome you to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. During this time of pandemic confessions, and Masses available (with limited capacity) are available. Please feel free to visit our Gift Shop and walk our beautiful grounds during your visit here. May God bless you. Sincerely in Jesus and Mary Immaculate, Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC Shrine Rector Livestream from the National Shrine (not available to the public at this time) 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 Daily Public Mass Schedule Weekend Masses and Devotions will be held at the Mother of Mercy Outdoor Shrine 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 * All candle shrines and outdoor Stations of The Cross are available to the public Please check our website for the most up-to-date information on our Monday-Friday Mass and Devotions schedule. June 5 – Pentecost Sunday A Ministry of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary National Shrine of The Divine Mercy 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
Pope Francis said on Saturday that "we must ask for the grace to cry" with Our Lady for the lives destroyed by the Ukraine war and the other miseries of our time, like "the children discarded before they are even born.” Pope Francis underlined that the war is “destroying not only Ukraine,” but it is destroying “all the nations involved in the war.” “Because war not only destroys the people who are defeated, no, it also destroys the victor … War destroys everyone,” he said in Paul VI Hall. “We have entrusted our prayer to the Immaculate Heart, and we are certain that our Mother has accepted it and intercedes for peace because she is the Queen of Peace,” the pope added. Once, after an adoration for our country, a pain pierced my soul, and I began to pray in this way: “Most merciful Jesus, I beseech You through the intercession of Your Saints, and especially the intercession of Your dearest Mother who nurtured You from childhood, bless my native land. I beg You, Jesus, look not on our sins, but on the tears of little children, on the hunger and cold they suffer. Jesus, for the sake of these innocent ones, grant me the grace that I am asking of You for my country.” At that moment, I saw the Lord Jesus, His eyes filled with tears, and He said to me, You see, My daughter, what great compassion I have for them. Know that it is they who uphold the world. From the Diary of St. Faustina passage 286 peace Excerpt from: www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251046/pope-francis-god-is-weeping-for-the-victims-of-the-ukraine-war Picture from:www.marian.org In the Words of Pope Francis pray for
Lenten Regulations From the Diary of St. Faustina 028 7 4 November 27, [1936]. Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making them happy; and then all the glory and praise which springs from this happiness returns to its source; and they enter into the depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whom they will never comprehend or fathom. This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence, but it is always new, gushing forth happiness for all creatures. Now I understand Saint Paul, who said, “Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.” The Lord God grants His graces in two ways: by inspiration and by enlightenment. If we ask God for a grace, He will give it to us; but let us be willing to accept it. And in order to accept it, selfdenial is needed. Love does not consist in words or feelings, but in deeds. It is an act of the will; it is a gift; that is to say, a giving. The reason, the will, the heart — these three faculties must be exercised during prayer. I will rise from the dead in Jesus, but first I must live in Him. If I do not separate myself from the Cross, then the Gospel will be revealed in me. Jesus in me makes up for all my deficiencies. His grace operates without ceasing. The Holy Trinity grants me Its life abundantly, by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Three Divine Persons live in me. When God loves, He loves with all His Being, with all the power of His Being. If God has loved me in this way, how should I respond — I, His spouse? 5 O Divine Spirit, my soul’s most welcome guest, For my part, I want to remain faithful to You; Both in days of joy and in the agony of suffering, I want always, O Spirit of God, to live in Your presence. O Divine Spirit, who pervade my whole being And give me to know Your Divine Threefold Life, Initiating me into Your Divine Essence, Thus united to You, I will live a life without end. 1 O Divine Spirit, Spirit of truth and of light, Dwell ever in my soul by Your divine grace. May Your breath dissipate the darkness, And in this light may good deeds be multiplied. O Divine Spirit, Spirit of love and of mercy, Who pour the balm of trust into my heart, Your grace confirms my soul in good, Giving it the invincible power of constancy. O Divine Spirit, Spirit of peace and of joy, You invigorate my thirsting heart And pour into it the living fountain of God’s love, Making it intrepid for battle. Diary 777, 392, 1411
5 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. SayNOtoPhysicianAssistedSuicide inMassachusetts Let yourvoice be heardNow! 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.” Here are some troubling facts to consider before you act: 1. The bills would allow a physician to provide a deadly drug mixture to an individual diagnosed with less than 6 months to live that, when consumed, would cause death. NOTE- The diagnosis could be wrong. Countless individuals have outlived that 6-month diagnosis and enjoyed many more precious months and years with family and friends. 2. No Real Safeguards – A vulnerable individual who is physically disabled, depressed, or fears being a “burden” may be subject to undue influence by others to take the drug mixture, especially if there is a financial benefit as an incentive. 3. The primary focus of elected officials should be dedicated to legislation providing quality health care, mental health care and palliative care to the sick and dying – particularly in the underserved, poor and minority communities that suffer the most at the time of need. 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 information for: Members of the legislative Joint Committee on Health Care Finance who will be considering these bills. Your individual State Senator and Representative via address and zip code link. For individuals without internet access, please call the Massachusetts Catholic Conference at 617-746-5630 for legislative contact information. For more information please go to: www.macatholic.org/news-article/learn-more-about-pas Information from: www.macatholic.org
Formorepro-liferesourcespleasevisit: www.respectlife.org How to Be Pro-Life "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/how-be-pro-life The Marian Fathers invite the faithful to unite in prayer and continue to pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet for peace and end to war in Ukraine. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war. Yes, I want To Help! 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. Donations for Ukraine: www.marian.org/ukraine/ or call 800-462-7426 How to be Pro-Life For more pro-life resources go to: www.respectlife.org
72 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 Year of The Eucharist Several times in her Diary, St. Faustina writes of seeing the red and pale rays coming, not from the Image, but from the Sacred Host; and once, as the priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament, she saw the rays from the Image pierce the Host and spread out from it all over the world (see 441). So too, with the eyes of faith, we should see in every Host the merciful Savior pouring Himself out as a fountain of mercy for us. This concept of the Eucharist as a fountain of grace and mercy is not only found in the Diary, but also in Church teaching. The Church clearly teaches that all the other sacraments are directed towards the Eucharist and draw their power from it. In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, for example, we read: "Especially from the Eucharist, grace is poured forth upon us as from a fountain." And, in a note in the Catechism of the Council of Trent, pastors are urged to "compare the Eucharist to a fountain and the other sacraments to rivulets. For the Holy Eucharist is truly and necessarily to be called the fountain of all graces, containing, as it does, after an admirable manner, the fountain itself of celestial gifts and graces, and the Author of all the Sacraments, Christ Our Lord, from whom, as from its source, is derived whatever of goodness and perfection the other sacraments possess" (10). No wonder, then, that St. Faustina was so devoted to the Eucharist and wrote so powerfully about it in her Diary: "Oh what awesome mysteries take place during Mass! ... One day we will know what God is doing for us in eachMass, and what sort of gift He is preparing in it for us. Only His divine love could permit that such a gift be provided for us ... this fountain of life gushing forth with such sweetness and power" (914). "All the good that is in me is due to Holy Communion" (1392). "Herein lies the whole secret of my sanctity" (1489). "One thing alone sustains me and that is Holy Communion. From it I draw all my strength; in it is all my comfort. ... Jesus concealed in the Host is everything to me. ... I would not know how to give glory to God if I did not have the Eucharist in my heart" (1037). Excerpt from Eucharist: The Presence of Mercy: www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/eucharist-presence-mercy The Eucharist is central to devotion to The Divine Mercy, and many of the elements of the devotion are essentially Eucharistic - especially the Image, the Chaplet, and the Feast of Mercy. The Image, with its red and pale rays, represents the Eucharistic Lord Jesus, whose Heart has been pierced and now pours forth blood and water as a fountain of mercy for us. It is the Image of God's sacrificial gift of mercy made present in every Mass. In the Words of Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC Events 40 Hours Devotion June 10-12 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish 417 Boston Road Springfield, MA 01109 Please visit the Diocese of Springfield’s website: www.yearoftheeucharist.net for more information
Shrine Bulletin Board 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 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 Volunteers We are always looking for volunteers. If you are able to volunteer, please see our Volunteer Page or contact us for more information!
Servant of God Archmandrite Fabian Abrantowicz (1884-1946) He finished his studies there in 1906, and then went to the Theological Academy of St. Petersburg. On November 9, 1908, he was ordained to the priesthood, and in 1910, he graduated with a Master’s Degree in Theology. For two years he taught religion in different gymnasiums and state-owned schools in St. Petersburg. Then he went to study philosophy at the university in Louvain (Leuven) in Belgium, where he also attended Cardinal Mercier’s lectures. Father Fabian received his Doctoral degree in philosophy for a thesis, in which he compared Thomism and intuitionism of M.O. Loski. In the fall of 1914, he conducted pastoral work in the Russian capital, St. Petersburg, and served as a professor at the Mohyliv Diocesan Seminary in St. Petersburg. Toward the end of WWI, when the Czar (tsar) was deposed, the Holy See began staffing anew the dioceses located in the former Russian-partitioned territories. On November 7, 1917, Pope Benedict XV reactivated the diocese of Minsk, naming Fr. Zygmunt Lozinski its Ordinary. When in May 1918, the Bolsheviks closed down the seminary in St. Petersburg, Bishop Lozinski opened a seminary in Minsk and named Fr. Fabian Abrantowicz its rector, also charging him with the school’s organizational matters. Seventeen alumni from the closed St. Petersburg Seminary, natives of the Mohyliv region, enrolled along with five new candidates. Classes began on October 14, 1918, in the former Dominican monastery, which housed a seminary before the suppression of the diocese, but which had since been occupied by the army. A few months later, Fr. Andrzej Cikoto, Pastor in Molodeczno, came to offer his services to Fr. Abrantowicz. In view of the approaching Bolshevik invasion, on July 9 and 10, 1920, the seminary was evacuated to Wloclawek, [Poland] and then, a year later, moved to Kielce, [Poland] where the remaining seminarians were ordained. In 1920, Fr. Abrantowicz went back to his hometown – Nowogrodek. There he helped organize the school system and taught religion in a local gymnasium. When the treaty of Riga was singed, and it became clear that there was no possibility of returning to Minsk, Bishop Lozinski established his temporary residence at St. Michael’s Church in Nowogrodek and opened a Minor Seminary there. For several years Fr. Abrantowicz attended the lectures of the Rev. Prof. George Matulewicz and became well acquainted with the Congregation of Marians, which some of his colleagues joined. Bishop Matulewicz wanted to have religious orders in his diocese or, at least, to open monasteries for Belarussian people. He engaged Frs. Cikoto and Abrantowicz in the work of putting this plan into action, because he hoped that they would join the Marians. Father Cikoto entered the Marian novitiate in Mariampole in 1920, and Fr. Abrantowics also planned to join, but he was essential to Bishop [Lozinski] who wished to organize the diocese of Pinsk. Finally, on June 15, 1926, Bishop Lozinski granted Fr. Fabian permission to join the Congregation of Marians. He started hi s novitiate in Druva [Belarus] in the beginning of August of 1926, under the directin of Fr. Cikoto. He pronounced his first religious vows on August 3, 1927. Having made his vows, Fr. Abrantowicz remained in Druya, dedicating himself to pastoral work. His sermons were particularly remembered. However, his service did not last long, because on May 5, 1928, Pope Pius XI made him the Apostolic Administrator for Russians Catholics of Eastern Rite who lived in China. In July he went to Rome. He stayed there for a period of time taking care of necessary formalities, learning about the situation in China, and seeking assistants. On August 2, 1928, the Pope received him in audience, during which he also recalled their earlier meeting in Warsaw. On August 3, Fr. Fabian Fr. Abrantowicz was born on September 14, 1884, in a village of Wereszkowski, in the district of Nowogrodek [Belarus (White Russia)]. His father had a small farm. After graduating from school in Nowogrodek, Fabian entered the seminary of the Mohyliv Diocese in St. Petersburg in 1900.
: renewed his vows before Fr. W. Lewandowicz, and on August 20 he left Rome. He arrived in Shanghai on September 29 to find that none of the local monasteries would grant him as much as an overnight stay. On November 6, 1928, he came to Harbin. He found circumstances there, in every respect, in a totally deplorable state. Only seven people attended his first Liturgy. Contrary to information received by the Apostolic See, there was no prospect for large numbers of the Russian Orthodox converting to Catholicism. Father Fabian wrote to Rome: “If the entire matter hasn’t been already opened, it would be better not to open it at all.” In 1934, Fr. Abrantowicz went to Rome to give an account of his five years’ work. Pope Pius XI agreed to open a Marian religious house of the Eastern Rite in Harbin. Shortly afterwards three priests and four brothers were in residence and the novitiate was opened in 1937. In [August} 1939…He visited the Marians in Warsaw, [Poland] and also in Riga, [Latvia] Kaunas, [Lithuania]. He likewise saw his closest relatives in Nowogrodek. The outbreak WWII on September 1, 1939, found him still there. He made attempts to get back to Rome. In the beginning of October, he was in Lviv and visited the Metropolitan of Szeptycki, Archbishop Joseph Slipyj, and Bishop Nicholas Czarniecki. There he fell ill and was placed in a hospital on Fr. P. Skarga Street. He left the hospital when the eastern parts of the country abruptly fell under Soviet occupation, and on October 19, via Raba Ruska, [Poland] came to Uchnow, [Poland] in the company of another priest. They passed the night in an inn. On October 21, 1939 his traveling companion crossed the river Sulukija, while Fr. Fabian, led by two paid guides, arrived on the German side by land. The Germans detected him and made him go back and surrender to the Soviet border patrol. On October 22, he was arrested and transported to the NKVD quarters in Lviv. His traveling companion, not seeing him come, crossed back to the eastern side, and, risking his own safety, searched for him in Lviv. Then went to the German side again, convinced that Fr. Abrantowicz had been betrayed. The hearing began with Fr. Abrantowicz standing accused of crossing the border between USSR and Germany twice in one night: going first to the German side, and then coming back again. First, Fr. Abrantowicz believed that it would be easy to explain the entire incident to the investigator, especially in the light of his voluntary surrender to the Soviet border guards. But he learned his mistake quickly. However, he stated for the record that “he admits being guilty of crossing the border to the Polish, not the German, side.” On November 13 he was accused of “arriving in Poland from Japan with a special espionage assignment.” He resolutely rejected this accusation, but in the end he signed the protocol. During the December 21, 1939 interrogation he admitted to having “chosen an active fight against the Soviet regime, since, as a member of a Catholic religious congregation, he did not believe in the possibility of creating a Soviet society in Russia, or in any other country.” He signed this statement at 5 o’clock in the morning, after a night-long interrogation. The next night he admitted to supporting from March of 1918, the cause of uniting Belarus and Poland. To have made in 1919, an attempt to free the Belarussian people from the influence of the Communist-Bolshevik party; to have spoken in 1921 against Communism while accepting Polish citizenship; and to have founded a Belarussian Christian Association.” When questioned about his work in China, he first gave his authentic goals of being there. However, later he signed a statement declaring that his entire activities aimed at fighting Communism and the Soviet Union by word of mouth and in print. In January 1941, Fr. Abrantowicz was transported to Moscow, to the Butyrki prison. There, on May 22, 1941 he received an official accusation. He testified in response that: “Physical constraint (torture) used on me in Lviv makes this entire inquest invalid; but I was found guilty because I signed the depositions without reading them; I was made to speak under constraint, particularly from December 19, 1939 to the end of that year.” He stated further: “I have never been working for the Secret Services and I have not been a part of any organization.” The investigation was continuously prolonged in order to “completely clarify the accused’s activities abroad; to unravel the network of anti-Soviet agents among his Catholic acquaintances, and to expose the Vatican’s anti-Soviet actions.” On September 23, 1942, a special NKVD unit sentenced Fr. Abrantowicz to 10 years of forced labor. The judge made a special note in the sentence that the camp must be the one near Karaganda. The accused never arrived there. For reasons unknown, he remained in the Butyrki prison. He died there on January 2, 1946. On October 24, 1992, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation fully rehabilitated Fr. Abrantowicz. By the letter of February 9, 2021, the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints opened the process of the Servant of God Archmandrite Fabian and four companions. www.padrimariani.org Servant of God, Fr. Fabian Abrantowicz– Pray for us!
Prayer for Pentecost O Lord Jesus Christ, who, before ascending into Heaven, did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your apostles and disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, to perfect in my soul the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may not be attached to the perishable things of this world, but aspire only after the things that are eternal. The Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your Divine Truth. The Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven. The Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with You, and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation. The Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the saints. The Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable. The Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence toward God, and may avoid anything that may displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Your true disciples, and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen. Pentecost
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