The Divine Mercy devotion in the Catholic Church traces its origins to the visions and messages received by St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, between 1931 and 1938. She recorded these revelations in her Diary, where she described Jesus appearing to her and instructing her to spread the message of God’s mercy to the world. One of the most significant aspects of this devotion is the Divine Mercy image, which Jesus asked her to have painted, de- picting Him with rays of red and white light emanating from His heart.
The devotion includes several key elements:
- The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a prayer Jesus taught St. Faustina in 1935.
- The Feast of Divine Mercy, celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter, which Jesus said was a day of special graces.
- The Hour of Mercy, observed at 3 PM, recalling the time of Jesus’ death on the cross.
Initially, the devotion faced opposition, and in 1959, the Vatican banned its spread due to concerns about the authenticity of St. Faustina’s writings. However, in 1978, the ban was lifted, largely due to the efforts of Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, who became a strong advo- cate for the devotion. In 2000, he canonized St. Faustina and officially established Divine Mercy Sunday as a feast day for the universal Church. https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/ chaplet-history