The Divine Mercy Group: Embracing the Message of Mercy to Heal a Broken World

As Catholics, we are encouraged to reflect upon the message that Jesus shared with St. Faustina about Divine Mercy. It is important because it reveals the merciful heart of Jesus who desires to heal us.

Embracing this devotion, the Divine Mercy Group for the Catholic Community of Bartlesville was started a little over 13 years ago. They meet every Wednesday beginning at 10 a.m. in the Marian Chapel at St. John. Members begin by praying the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Following this time of prayer, they gather in Conference Room 2 for the Divine Mercy formation class.

Sandy Pickett, the facilitator for the group, is inspired by the message of mercy found in the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska.

“I believe the message of Divine Mercy that Our Lord gave to St. Faustina is so important because we’re living in a broken world that seems to be moving further away from God and is in such great need of God’s mercy,” Sandy says. “Jesus told St. Faustina, ‘I do not want to punish aching mankind; I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart’ (Diary, 1588). Now is the time of God’s mercy.”

In addition to prayer, group members read passages from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska for the lesson that they are studying. They also read Scripture passages and entries from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and then spend time discussing and sharing about what they have read.

Another important aspect of being part of this group is praying for those who are dying. Whenever Fr. John or Fr. Carlos go to anoint someone who is near death, the group is asked to pray a Chaplet of Divine Mercy specifically for the person.

An important day for this group is the Feast of Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy Sunday always falls on the Sunday after Easter — this year, it will be on April 24. Leading up to this day, the group will pray the Divine Mercy Novena to prepare for the feast day. Beginning on Good Friday, after the Stations of the Cross at 3 p.m., the group will meet to begin the novena. Anyone who wishes to join may come and participate. The group will continue meeting daily at the parish at 3 p.m. for the remaining eight days of the novena.

Our Lord asked St. Faustina to pray for certain intentions, so each day of the novena will focus on one of those intentions. These include all sinners, souls of priests and religious, all devout and faithful souls, those who do not believe in God, etc.

If you are unable to participate in the Novena with the group at 3 p.m. each day, you are welcome to join in spiritually by visiting the Marian Chapel to pray the novena or on your own at home. The prayers for the novena may be found online.

If you are interested in getting involved or would like more information, please contact Sandy Pickett at skpickett@yahoo.com.

Parishioners of the Catholic Community of Bartlesville join together to learn about God’s Divine Mercy.