St. John Paul II, known as the Pope of Mercy, officially recognized and declared Sr. Faustina Kowalska from Krakow, Poland, a Saint of Mercy. She was blessed on 18th April 1993 and later canonized in the Jubilee Year on 30 April 2000, with over 2.5 lakh Mercy Devotees present. Pope John Paul II wrote an Encyclical on Mercy, Dives in Misericordia, Rich in Mercy, on 30 Nov. 1980, which recognized her as the Gift of God to the Church. Pope Francis has also championed the cause of Mercy by declaring the year 2024 as the “Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.” The Papal Bull, Misericordiae Vultus, (The Merciful Face), has given a clarion calling the Church to be the Merciful face of God. The Carmelite Monastery at Margao and the Carmelite Seminary at Peddem, Mapusa, both have altars of the Divine Mercy on the right-hand side of the main altar. Fr. Anastasio Gomes, a versalite Marian theologian, instilled love and devotion to the Divine Mercy in Goa Archdiocese. He was a true son of Mary in the Carmelite Order and promoted several Marian devotions.
The feast of Divine Mercy, or Mercy Sunday, is now celebrated unofficially in many parts of the world due to the initiative and zeal of the laity. Archbishop James Keleher states that the popularity of Divine Mercy Sunday and the entire Divine Mercy movement has come from the grass roots level of the Church. Fr. Anthony D’ Silva, the then Superior of Margao Monastery, promoted this devotion not only in the monastery but also in his preaching.
St. John Paul II, known as the Pope of Mercy, officially recognized and declared Sr. Faustina Kowalska from Krakow, Poland, a Saint of Mercy. She was blessed on 18th April 1993 and later canonized in the Jubilee Year on 30 April 2000, with over 2.5 lakh Mercy Devotees present. Pope John Paul II wrote an Encyclical on Mercy, Dives in Misericordia, Rich in Mercy, on 30 Nov. 1980, which recognized her as the Gift of God to the Church. Pope Francis has also championed the cause of Mercy by declaring the year 2024 as the “Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.” The Papal Bull, Misericordiae Vultus, (The Merciful Face), has given a clarion calling the Church to be the Merciful face of God. The Carmelite Monastery at Margai and the Carmelite Seminary at Peddem, Mapusa, both have altars of the Divine Mercy on the right-hand side of the main altar. Fr. Anastasio Gomes, a versalite Marian theologian, instilled love and devotion to the Divine Mercy in Goa Archdiocese. He was a true son of Mary in the Carmelite Order and promoted several Marian devotions.
The feast of Divine Mercy, or Mercy Sunday, is now celebrated unofficially in many parts of the world due to the initiative and zeal of the laity. Archbishop James Keleher states that the popularity of Divine Mercy Sunday and the entire Divine Mercy movement has come from the grass roots level of the Church. Fr. Anthony D’ Silva, the then Superior of Margao Monastery, promoted this devotion not only in the monastery but also in his preaching all over Goa.