The Novena to the mercy of God Recent Revelations on the Mercy of God Devotion including The Novena to Mercy of (for private recitation only) AZCWOJ Nihil Obstat L. Zebrowski libr. censor Vilnae, d.6.11.1940 Imprimatur Vilnae, d.7.11.1940 /t/ C. Michalkiewicz Eps. Auxil. Viln. Vic. Gen. Nihil Obstat Rt. Rev. Msgr. M. J. Grupa. D.D., L.L.D. censor librorum Detroit, Mich. April 4, 1944 Imprimatur /f/ Edward Mooney Archbishop of Detroit Detroit, Mich. April 6, 1944 Nihil Obstat Stockbridge, Mass. die. 3 augusti 1945 Josephus J. Sielski, M.I.C. Imprimi potest Stockbridge, Mass. Josephus Luniewski, M.I.C. die. 3 augusti 1945 f. m. Sup. Provincialis Imprimatur /f/ Thomas M. O’Leary, D.D. Springfield, Mass. Bishop of Springfield August 5, 1945 Copyright 1945 by the Congregation of Marian Fathers Eden Hill, Stockbridge, Mass. (Ninth Printing, Oct., 1955)—100,000 copies Total printed to date—700,000 Nihil Obstat Stockbridge, Mass. Francis Medynski, M.I.C. June 1,' 1953 Imprimi potest Stockbridge, Mass. Joseph J. Sielski, M.I.C. June 1, 1953 Sup. Provincialis Imprimatur /f/ Christopher J. Weldon, D.D. Springfield, Mass. Bishop of Springfield June 3, 1953 Sister Faustina, to whom Our Lord appeared and revealed the Devotion to the Mercy of God during the period 1930-1938. DECLARATION In accordance with the decrees of Pope Urban VIII we wish to state that only private and human faith is attributed the revelations , extraordinary graces and inci- dents related in this pamphlet , to which the Church has not yet added its decree of approval. Furthermore , in relating these incidents and graces we have no intention of anticipating the decree of the Holy See, to which we willingly and entirely submit ourselves. “JESUS, I TRUST IN THEE” God is Merciful ! Many passages in the Holy Scriptures tell us so. All the works of God give testimony to this truth. Being goodness itself and perfectly happy, God desires the good and the happiness of His creatures. It was for this reason that He created the heavenly spirits and the visible world and in it Man upon whom He show- ers countless graces in His Mercy. Our Blessed Lord takes individual and special care of every human being; He anticipates all our actions with graces which flow from His Merciful Heart, and “follows us all the days of our life” (Ps. 22,6). — 5 — Every perfection and attribute of God is in some manner a manifestation of His Mercy. Divine Goodness is but creative Mercy. Divine Liberality is but Mercy which lavishly bestows blessings and gifts without any merit on our part. Divine Providence is Mercy ever watchful. Even Divine Wrath is but a Mercy which threat- ens and tries us only when we have gone astray. Divine Love is the Mercy which takes a compassion upon our human frailty and draws us nigh to the Sacred Heart. Our Blessed Mother in her canticle, the “Magnificat,” sings the praises of this at- tribute of God, stressing especially its uni- versality and continuity: “And for genera- tion upon generation is His mercy, to those who fear Him” (Luke 1,50). Besides, people have the universal conviction that, above all else, God is merciful. In all their trials and tribulations, their difficulties and sor- rows they turn to God with the invocation “Merciful Lord!” And yet in the early days of his creation Man was incapable of conceiving the ex- tent of this Divine Mercy. Thus Cain doubted in the Mercy of God after he had murdered his brother, crying out in his anguish : “My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon” (Genesis 4,13). Other — 6 — malefactors began to seek a convenient irreligion for themselves. They could not conceive of a Merciful God, and so “The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God.” (Ps. 13,1). It was Jesus Christ, Who rent asunder the veil of distrust which sinners placed between themselves and God, for He gave God the title of “Merciful Father.” “Your Father is Merciful” (Lk. 6,36). With these words He dispersed the servile trembling of humans before a just God and opened His Sacred Heart to mankind, that in the fathomless ocean of His Merciful Love it might have a panacea for its sins and trans- gressions. In many of the parables (e. g. The Good Shepherd, the Prodigal Son, the woman who found her money which she had lost), Our Blessed Saviour em- phasizes the boundless Mercy of God. And in His own actions Jesus reveals His Merciful Heart to us, e. g. in not condemn- ing the sinful woman, in forgiving the re- pentant thief upon the cross and promis- ing him paradise, in forgiving Peter his apostasy. Is it any wonder, then, that Holy Mother Church frequently reminds her faithful children in her liturgical prayers of the immeasurable Mercy of God. She sees — 7 — therein the greatest manifestation of the omnipotence of God. “O Lord, who dost manifest Thy omnipotence primarily in showing Mercy and in forgiv.ing, increase in us Thy Mercy” (Collect of the Mass for the first Sunday after Pentecost). The Fathers and Doctors of the Church in speaking of God’s Mercy look upon it as the highest attribute of God in His rela- tions with us. (cf. S. Augustine, S.de temp. 3p. ; S.T., pars I, 21, art. 4). And yet, in spite of all this, the teaching of the Universal Church on Divine Mercy is not known to all peoples. Many even among the faithful have an insufficient un- derstanding of the depth and the extent of this doctrine. Some have doubted that God is merciful, while others have not be- come aware of this divine attribute. As a result irreligion is rampant in the world to a degree hitherto unrecorded in history. Perhaps these ills called forth the numer- ous private revelations of God’s Mercy in our day. Sister Benigna Consolata Ferrero, of the Congregation of Visitandine Nuns, who died in the odor of sanctity in 1916, re- ceived such a revelation from Our Blessed Lord. Jesus was accustomed to call her His secretary and directed her to spread — 8 — this devotion to His Mercy. “Write, Be- nigna, secretary of My Mercy,” said Our Lord to her, “that I am mercy itself and that he who would doubt my goodness would cause my Heart the greatest sorrow ... It is impossible to express in words how great is the joy which I experience in a soul that trusts ” (Life of Benigna Conso- lata, Cracow, 1926, pages 118 and 119). The revelations given Sister Faustina, of the Congregation of Sisters of the Mercy of the Mother of God, may be looked upon almost as a continuation of those given Sister Benigna. The history of these revelations of Sister Faustina is related by the eminent Polish theologian, Reverend Dr. Michael Sopocko, who, after a long and conscientious study, included them in a Memorial addressed to the Polish Epis- copate. He writes : Sister Faustina was born in the vicinity of Lodz on the 25th of August 1905, her par- ents being Stanislaus and Marianna Kowal- ski. At the age of 20 she entered the Congregation of Sisters of the Mercy of the Mother of God. The purpose of this Community is to care for young girls who are impoverished both morally and mate- rially (called “Magdalens”). Having com- pleted her term of postulancy and the — 9 — novitiate in turn in Warsaw, Sister Faustina made her first temporal profession April 30, 1928 and on April 30, 1933 she pro- nounced her perpetual vows. She labored as a nun in Plock, Warsaw, Walendow, Vilno, and Cracow, performing the duties of a cook or of a gardener. She was char- acterized by her prudence, deep piety, a subtlety and fullness of spiritual beauty, which was the result of extraordinary di- vine graces and a faithful cooperation with them. She died in the year 1938, at the age of 33. God chose this simple, humble nun, en- tirely and solely consecrated to Him and her duties, to be the apostle of His Mercy. He demanded of her—as He did of the prophets of old—that she induce sinners to penance and to hope, so that in the ap- proaching calamities people would seek as- sistance solely in Christ Himself, “who does not wish to punish men, but desires to heal them and clasp them close to His Merciful Heart,” as she herself writes in her diary. Our Lord likewise gave her concrete tasks to fulfill: the painting of a picture of the “Mercy of God” ; the institution of the feast of the same title on the first Sunday after Easter. About the year 1931 Our Lord de- -10 — manded of Sister Faustina the painting of a picture and . indicated to her what it should be like. Sister Faustina tried to paint the picture herself, but was unable to do so. She was overcome very much by this and at prayer time she complained to Our Lord that she receives from Him injunc- tions which she herself could not fulfill. It seems then that Our Lord permitted her to see in spirit a certain priest who was to aid her in fulfilling the Divine plans. Upon her arrival in Vilno Sister Faustina recog- nized this priest in her own confessor and accordingly confided all her visions and ex- traordinary revelations to him. The confessor, having first made the necessary and due inquiries into the spirit of Sister Faustina, her physical health, her visions and other extraordinary graces, with great circumspection and caution, and at the advice and permission of the Supe- riors, requested the artist (the late Eugene Kazimierowski) to paint a picture of the ‘ k Mercy of God” according to the instruc- tions given by Sister Faustina. In June of 1934 the painting was completed. Our Blessed Lord, in reply to the complaints of Sister Faustina that it is not as beautiful as the one she witnessed in vision, said that it is satisfactory, and added: “I am giving to people a vessel, with which they should — 11 — come to fetch graces from the font of Mercy. That vessel is this picture with the subscription: JESUS, I TRUST IN THEE !” Our Lord is depicted walking: His right hand is raised in blessing, His left hand draws aside the folds of His robe near His Heart. From beneath thi*s drawn garment (as if from His Heart) a red and a white ray shine forth. In the beginning Sister Faustina was unable to explain the mean- ing of these two rays. After some time, however, she declared that Our Lord had revealed to her that: “The rays on the picture represent the blood and water which gushed forth from the depth of My Mercy when my agonizing Heart was opened on the Cross. The pale rays sym- bolize the water, which justifies the soul; and the red rays represent the blood, which is the life of the soul. These rays shield the soul before the wrath of My Father. Fortunate is he who lives in their brilli- ance, for the just hand of God shall never reach him.” “I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be celebrated as the Feast of Mercy. Ask your confessor to speak to all the world on this day of my great Mercy ; that anyone who approaches on this day — 12 — the source of Life, will obtain complete re- mission of punishment and sin. Mankind will not find peace, unless it turns with confidence to My Mercy.” “I promise that the soul which shall ven- erate this picture will not perish. I further promise that soul victory over its enemies already here on earth and especially in the hour of death. I myself shall defend that soul as my own glory.” Then Our Lord commended the follow- ing ejaculation to be recited at each en- trance into the chapel : “O Blood and Water, which hath gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a font of Mercy for us, I trust in Thee !” The above mentioned painting was some- thing new and heretofore unknown in this form in the Church and, hence, could not be exposed publicly in any church with- out the necessary permission of the Church Authorities. Consequently it was not until 1937 that the confessor petitioned the proper Authorities for permission to have the picture publicly exposed in church. A commission was appointed and assigned to investigate whether the picture is suitable for exposition in a Catholic Church. The answer of the commission was favorable. — 13 — On the 3rd of April, 1937, with the per- mission of the Archbishop of Vilno, the painting was publicly exposed in the Church of St. Michael, where it remains to this day. ^ The same year the confessor visited Sister Faustina in Cracow and discovered in her diary certain prayers, among which worthy of note are the Novena, Litany and Corona (or Chaplet) of Divine Mercy. In answer to his questions she told him that Our Lord Himself dictated these prayers to her during one of His visits to her. The confessor had these prayers pub- lished in Cracow in 1937 and again a sec- ond printing in Vilno in 1940. He then had the picture printed separately and on its reverse side the Corona of Mercy. These he sent to the publishers in Cracow. Thus was realized the promise given Sister Fau- stina by Our Lord: “When punishments for sins shall come upon the earth, and your native land shall be in extreme abase- ment, the only salvation will be hope in Divine Mercy. I shall preserve the cities and homes in which this picture shall be found ; I shall protect likewise those persons who shall venerate and have confidence in My Mercy. ,, Cracow and Vilno were spared from destruction during the present war. — 14 — The Reverend Dr. Sopocko concludes, his Memorial with the following- declara- tion. “In everything I submit wholeheart- edly and humbly to the judgments of the Church and prior to Her decision I attri- bute to the above facts solely human faith. I have become convinced of the need of es- tablishing a special cult of Divine Mercy,, both private and public, through the in- stitution of a feast under that title, not so much by the revelations given Sister Faustina, which were but a means to that end, but through profound consideration and study.” We may add that this devotion to the Mercy of the Sacred Heart constitutes one of the sources of great spiritual strength in Poland today, and we believe, in most of the other countries suffering the hard- ships and calamities of war. During the war this devotion spread rapidly from Vilno to the entire country despite the Nazi-Soviet frontier. It was the ever present companion of the Poles exiled to the wastes of Siberia, fortifying them with hope and the assurance of delivery. It even reached the ruins of Warsaw,, which have reechoed the cry : “We live, because God so wills it; we shall die, when He so orders; we have confidence that He — 15 — shall save us, for HIS MERCY IS ETER- NAL/' (from a letter dated 10.VII. 1941). How consoling is this devotion to Divine Mercy ! Is there anyone here in America who can now doubt the goodness of God? It is true that our hearts and minds are troubled because our loved ones are far from home on distant battle fronts and in constant danger of death. But that is all the more reason for our need of this tender devotion to the Merciful Heart of Christ. How fortunate we Catholics are ! Oh, so many of our fellow-Americans have not this source of peace and consolation, be- cause they have no knowledge of it. Did not Jesus Himself say that we “shall not find peace except in Him?" “I give you a vessel with which to draw all graces from the font of My Mercy"—He said to Sister Faustina. But not only to Sister Faustina. From the Heart of a Merciful Christ comes that same voice to all of us. This is the vessel, this devotion, this Novena! Take! —and draw your strength from Divine Mercy ! — 16 — Novena of Mercy (For private recitation only.) FIRST DAY Let us pray that God may deign to show His Mercy to all mankind. O Most Merciful Jesus, for Whom it is most proper to be merciful unto us and to forgive us, look not upon our sins, but upon the hope which we have in Thy in- finite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Thy Most Merciful Heart and do not permit anyone to depart therefrom for all eternity for the love which unites Thee with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Show us Thy mercy, O Lord, Just as we trust in Thy Holy Name, For Thou art all powerful, most kind, Patient, faithful, good and merciful. Eternal Father, view all mankind with a merciful eye, and especially the poor sin- ners, whose only hope is the Most Merci- ful Heart of Thy Son and Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Through His sorrow- ful Passion stretch Thy mercy over us, that together we may glorify Thy omnipotence for all eternity. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . — 17 — SECOND DAY Let us pray for the clergy of all ranks, through whom the Mercy of God is poured out on all mankind. Most Merciful Jesus, from Whom all good proceeds, increase Thy graces in the souls of Thy priests and religious, that they may worthily and fruitfully accomplish their tasks in Thy Vineyard, and that they may lead all by words and example to a rightful cult of Divine Mercy for all eternity. The Font of Mercy and Love Divine Resides in the hearts of the humble and ' the innocent, Till, bathed in the wavelets of God’s Mercy, They sparkle like the stars and the morning dew. Eternal Father, cast Thy Merciful glance upon the laborers in Thy Vineyard—on the souls of priests, nuns and brothers, who are the special beloved of Thy Son and Our Lord Jesus Christ. Adorn them with the power of Thy blessing and grant them special light, that they may consistently lead others along the path of salvation and — 18 — may obtain for them all the graces of Thy Mercy. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . THIRD DAY Let us pray for all the faithful Christians. O most Merciful Jesus, who dost bestow Thy graces upon all in abundance from the treasure of Thy Mercy, receive all faithful Christians into the abode of Thy Most Mer- ciful Heart and do not abandon them for all eternity. We beg this of Thee through the love that unites Thee to the Father and the Holy Ghost. The marvels of Mercy are unexplored, Nor sinner nor just can plumb it’s deep. God views us all with Mercy’s eye. And of His Love would have us reap. Eternal Father, cast Thy Merciful Eye upon the souls of the faithful, who are the loving heritage of Thy Son, and through His sorrowful Passion grant them Thy blessings and encompass them with Thy unceasing care, that they may never lose their love and treasure of divine faith, but that they may glorify Thy boundless — 19 — Mercy with the multitude of angels and saints for all eternity. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . FOURTH DAY Let us pray for pagans and infidels who are still in ignorance of the Mercy of God. Most Merciful Jesus, light of the world, receive into the abode of Thy Merciful Heart the souls of pagans and infidels who have not yet acknowledged Thee. Let the rays of Thy grace enlighten them, that they too may praise the wonders of Thy Mercy with us for all eternity. May the light of Thy boundless Love Enlighten the darkling infidels. May they acknowledge and may they praise Thy goodness for all eternity ! Eternal Father, cast Thy Merciful glance upon the souls of pagans and infidels, who still remain in ignorance of the Most Mer- ciful Heart of Thy Son and Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Draw them near to the light of Thy Gospel that they may recog- nize how great a happiness it is to love — 20 — Thee and to glorify Thy Mercy^for all eter- nity. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . FIFTH DAY Let us pray for heretics and schismatics > who rend the Mystical body of Christ, that they may return to the unity of the Church. O Most Merciful Jesus, who are good- ness itself and who dost not refuse divine light to those who humbly seek, receive into the abode of Thy Most Merciful Heart the souls of heretics and schismatics. Attract them by Thy light into unity with Thy Church, that they may praise the liberality of Thy Mercy with us for all eternity. May those who have rent the cloak of Thy unity Draw from Thy Heart a surging torrent of Mercy., For Thy Mercy alone, O Lord, Can lead these souls out of error. Eternal Father, look down with Mercy, we implore Thee, upon the souls of here- tics and schismatics, who have abused and squandered Thy graces and who stub- — 21 — bornly persist in their errors : look not upon their evil, but upon the love and the bitter Passion of Thy Son, who, about to suffer His Passion, so ardently begs of Thee: “That they all may be one” (John 17,21)—and grant, that they may return to that unity as quickly as possible and that they may praise Thy Mercy with us for all eternity. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . SIXTH DAY Let us pray for little children and those souls, that have become like to them in their purity and simplicity. Most Merciful Jesus, Who hast said: “Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matth. 11,29), receive into the abode of Thy Most Merciful Heart the souls of little children, and those who, like little children, have become meek and humble and have thereby graced heaven with the most pleasant delight and are a fragrant crown before the throne of Thy Heavenly Father. Grant that they may con- stantly dwell within Thy Sacred Heart and may continually praise the Mercy of God. — 22 — A truly humble soul and meek Foretastes on earth the bliss of Paradise: The odor of a chaste and simple heart Delights all heavenly spirits and their Maker. Eternal Father, look down with Mercy upon the souls of little children and upon the souls of all those who are meek and humble and who have thereby become es- pecially like unto Thy Son, and the fra- grance of whose virtues rises up to Thy throne. O Father of Mercy, we beg of Thee, through the love and the delight which Thou hast in these souls, bless the entire world that all may unite in rendering eternal praise to Thy Mercy. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . SEVENTH DAY Let us pray for all adorers of Divine Mercy, that they may become the living image of the most Merciful Heart of Jesus. O Most Merciful Jesus, Whose Heart is love itself, receive into the abode of Thy Heart those souls which especially vene- rate and give praise to the greatness of Divine Mercy and which, though cruelly tormented for the sins of mankind, strive to make known Thy infinite goodness and -23 — abundant mercy to the entire world. En- fold them with Thy ever increasing Mercy and strengthen them always with the grace of perseverance, fortitude and patience. Praising the goodness of its Master, The soul is especially loved by Him; It is privileged to stand close to the living font To draw continual graces from Divine Mercy. Eternal Father, cast Thy Merciful Eye upon those souls which are especially de- voted to the veneration and praise of Thy infinite Mercy and which glorify Thee by word and deed and are merciful towards their fellowmen in imitation of Thee. We humbly beseech Thee, show them even greater mercy according to the hope which they placed in Thee and in accordance with Thy promises. Protect them always and es- pecially in the hour of death. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . EIGHTH DAY Let us pray for the souls in purgatory, that the stream of Christ’s Blood may diminish and shorten their suffering. — 24 — Most Merciful Jesus, Who has said: “Be merciful, as your Heavenly Father is merci- ful” (Luke 6,36) : receive into the abode of Thy Most Merciful Heart the souls suffer- ing in purgatory to pay their old debt to Divine Justice. May the stream of blood and water which gushed forth from Thy Heart quench the flames of purgatorial fire, that there too the power of Thy mercy may be glorified. From the horrible heat of purgatory’s fire A suppliant sigh seeks Thy Mercy’s throne. Grant these souls a cooling, solace and relief In the soothing stream of blood and water from Thy Side. Eternal Father, look down with mercy upon the suffering souls in purgatory and through the sorrowful passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the bitterness with which His Most Sacred Heart was filled, show pity to those who are now paying their debt to Thy justice. We beg of Thee, be- hold them through the wounds of Thy Most Beloved Son and Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whose mercy surpasses His justice. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . — 25 — NINTH DAY Let us pray for lukewarm and indifferent souls. O Most Merciful Jesus, lead into the abode of Thy Most Merciful Heart all lukewarm souls, which like decaying corpses filled Thee with aversion and loathing in the Gar- den of Olives. Plunge them into the fire of Thy most pure love, that they may be- come inflamed with an ever increasing fire of love and may ever praise Thy boundless Mercy. Fire and ice will never unite : Either the fire must die or the ice must vanish. Only the fathomless Mercy of God Can change the ice of tepid hearts into a flame. Eternal Father, cast Thy merciful glance upon lukewarm souls. We beseech Thee through the bitter passion of Thy Most Be- loved Son and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and through His agony upon the Cross, inflame these souls with a new zeal for Thy glory and pour a true love into their hearts. Thus quickened may they per- form deeds of mercy and may they glor- ify" the Mercy of God for all eternity. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory be to the Father . . . — 26 LITANY OF THE MERCY OF GOD (for private recitation) Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Mercy of God, supreme attribute of the Creator, Mercy of God, greatest perfection of the Redeemer, Mercy of God, unfathomable love of the Sanctifier, 3 r-t- *1 £ in 3 ’ 1 In the present edition of the Novena booklet we have printed a new translation of the Litany of Divine Mercy which faithfully follows the Polish original. The new translation is taken from GOD IS MERCY, a book written by Rev. Michael Sopocko, translated by the Marian Fathers, and published by the Grail with im- primatur of the Right Rev. Christopher J. Weldon, B’p. of Springfield (June 7, 1954). Rev. Sopocko’s book contains 45 brief chapters ex- plaining the meaning of the Litany in the light of the Church teaching. It will prove most useful to all desirous of deeper understanding of the infinite treasures of God’s Mercy. It may be ob- tained from the Marian Fathers. — 27 — Mercy of God, inconceivable mystery of the Holy Trinity, Mercy of God, expression of the greatest power of the Most High, Mercy of God, revealed in the creation of the Heavenly Spirits, Mercy of God, summoning us to exist- ence out of nothingness, Mercy of God, embracing the whole universe, Mercy of God, bestowing upon us im- mortal life, Mercy of God, shielding us from merited punishments, Mercy of God, raising us from the misery of sin, Mercy of God, justifying us in the Word Incarnate, Mercy of God, flowing from the wounds of Christ, Mercy of God, gushing from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mercy of God, giving to us the Most Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of Mercy, Mercy of God, shown in the revelation of the divine mysteries, Mercy of God, manifested in the institu- tion of the universal Church, Mercy of God, contained in the institu- tion of the Holy Sacraments, 3 — 28 — trust in Thee ! Mercy of God, bestowed upon mankind in the Sacrament of Baptism and Pennance, Mercy of God, granted in the Sacraments of the Altar and the Priesthood, Mercy of God, shown in calling us to the Holy Faith, Mercy of God, revealed in the conversion of sinners, Mercy of God, manifested in the sanctifi- cation of the just, Mercy of God, fulfilled in the perfecting of the saintly, Mercy of God, fount of health for the sick and suffering, Mercy of God, solace of anguished hearts, Mercy of God, hope of souls afflicted with despair, Mercy of God, always and everywhere accompanying all people, Mercy of God, anticipating us with graces, Mercy of God, peace of the dying, Mercy of God, refreshment and relief of the souls in Purgatory, Mercy of God, heavenly delight of the blessed, Mercy of God, crown of all the Saints, Mercy of God, inexhaustible source of miracles, 3 — 29 — trust in Thee ! Lamb of God, Who didst show us Thy greatest mercy in redeeming the world on the cross, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who dost mercifully offer Thyself for us in every Holy Mass, gra- ciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world through Thy inexhaustible mercy, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. V. The tender mercies of the Lord are over all His works (Ps. 144,9). R. The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever (Ps. 88,2). Let us pray O God, Whose Mercy is infinite and Whose treasures of pity are inexhaustible, graciously look down upon us and increase in us Thy Mercy so that we may never, even in the greatest trials, give way to despair, but may always trustfully conform ourselves to Thy Holy Will, which is Mercy Itself. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ—the King of Mercy, Who, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, shows us Mercy for ever and ever. Amen. — 30 — (Chaplet) Corona of Mercy (For private recitation upon the Rosary beads.) Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Creed . . . On the large beads: “Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Thy Most Beloved Son and our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world.” On the small beads: “Through the sorrowful passion of Jesus, show mercy unto us and to all the world.” (10 times) (The same is repeated for every decade of the Rosary). In conclusion add: “Holy God, Holy Omnipotent, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.” (3 times), — 31 - THE CONGREGATION OF MARIAN FATHERS is a Religious Society of priests and lay-brothers, who take the simple vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It was founded in 1673 by a Polish priest, the Servant of God, Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczynski. It is dedicated to the spread of devotion to the Immaculate Mother of God. Its principal goals are: a) to promote the education of the masses, establish and conduct schools, publish and disseminate Catholic literature; b) to preach the Gospel, to catechize, especially the neglected populace, to conduct and preach missions among catholics and non-catholics, and to aid the diocesan clergy in their pastoral work; c) to carry on social work, organize circles and societies, both for youth and adults. The Congregation of Marian Fathers spreads in a special way devotion to the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It also has among its activities, to aid the poor souls in purgatory, especially the souls of soldiers who gave their lives in battle. Applicants are accepted for the novitiate after completing High School. For further information write to: VERY REV. FATHER SUPERIOR MARIAN FATHERS STOCKBRIDGE, MASS. — 32—