DIVINE MERCY PRAYER GROUP: Illuminated in Faith, Lifting Hearts in Prayer

In the early 1900s, a young Polish woman, Maria Faustyna Kowalska, received a vision of Jesus. He spoke to her and asked her why she was delaying her desire to join a convent. So she left her family behind and took a train to Warsaw. Eventually, after being rejected from several convents, Maria joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, becoming Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament in April 1926.

Throughout her life, Maria continued to receive visions from Jesus and kept a diary, which she started in 1925 and maintained until her death in 1938, to record these visions.

On Feb. 22, 1931, St. Faustina received a vision of the Lord that would lead to what Catholics know today as the devotion to Divine Mercy. Jesus, adorned in a white garment, with white and pale rays coming from His heart, appeared to St. Faustina, and gave her the following message: “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature, ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’ I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.” Not being an artist herself, St. Faustina would later have the image painted.

The Divine Mercy image was displayed at Mass for the first time on the second Sunday of Easter in 1935, and the Feast of Divine Mercy is now annually held on the second Sunday of Easter. Many people have found grace in venerating the Divine Mercy image, and in following other devotions that St. Faustina described in her diary.

Here at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, our Divine Mercy Prayer Group meets weekly at 7 p.m. on Thursdays in the coffee room. At each gathering, participants share prayer intentions before beginning their time of group prayer. This commences with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking for illumination and wisdom for the meeting.

Then the group prays a chaplet of Divine Mercy and a Divine Mercy Novena — two forms of prayer recorded in St. Faustina’s diary. The Novena includes prayers for “the souls of priests and religious,” “the souls of those who have separated themselves from the Church,” and “the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children.”

At the weekly meeting, the Divine Mercy Prayer Group also prays selected other prayers from St. Faustina’s diary, including: “Little Prayers for Use at the Hour of Great Mercy,” “At the feet of Christ in the Eucharist,” and “Praises of The Divine Mercy.”

“I pray to God for more people to come to be spiritual and grow in faith, the blessings and grace we have in God,” says Margarita Serrano, who leads the parish Divine Mercy Prayer Group. “We have a Father and we don’t have to worry because we’re in His hands. With me, I have not worried about anything. I pray and see His hand in my life so many times.”

Margarita has also seen His hand in the work of the lives of those for whom the group has prayed.

“Last month, the granddaughter of one member was born with heart problems and needed surgery,” she says. “We were praying for her, and now, to see a picture of this girl today is a miracle. Only God can do that. I can tell you so many testimonies — I turn to God for this, I pray, and God is listening and helping. We feel His presence in this group and in everybody.”

The group also prays for global intentions.

“Since the war in Ukraine has started, we consecrate our lives to the Holy Mother and pray the consecration to the Holy Mother for the peace of the world,” Margarita says. “We pray the Rosary every day for the peace of the world.

“You have to have the faith to put everything in God’s hands,” she adds. “Jesus is taking care of it. The devotion says, ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’ We live our lives expecting and waiting. We pray because that’s the only thing that makes our peace and our lives different from people who don’t believe.”

In addition to saying prayers together, the Divine Mercy Prayer Group also serves parishioners by bringing a Divine Mercy image to those in need of healing. The group uses a van in order to transport the five-foot image to people’s homes.

“The picture goes from home to home once a month,” Margarita says. “We give an opportunity for people to have it in their homes, especially the sick.

“The first day the picture arrives in a home, I make a consecration of the family to the Divine Mercy and give them the material for them to pray,” she adds. “Lots of people want to pray as a family. If they invite us, we come and pray with them.”

Praying with the Divine Mercy image in the home has proven to be powerful. Margarita has many stories to share of people who have seen the Lord work in response to their prayers.

“One person had terrible cancer, and called and asked for the picture,” Margarita says. “She couldn’t sleep, and spent early morning and all night praying and praying. She got over her cancer. Another lady could hardly get pregnant but afterward got pregnant.

“We have the faith and belief that God is working,” she adds. “He is in the community, and is bringing blessings and grace to the families.”

The group looks forward to celebrating the feast of Divine Mercy every year and wears red shirts and white pants for the occasion. We hope to see you there this year!

If you would like to join the group or learn more, contact Margarita Serrano at 786-210-8792. All are welcome.

(From left) Hilda Rausini, Matilde Ossa, Obdulia Hoynush, Fr. Robert Trujillo, Néstor Acosta, María Almeira, Nicolas Quijano, Marta Quijano, Felicia Ferreira, Celia Rodríguez, Margarita Serrano, Yolanda Herrera, Norma Maisonet, Lucy González