The first Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday.  Although it is relatively new in the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church the devotional practices associated with it are not.  Sr. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish nun who experienced several visions of and conversations with Jesus during the 1930's which she recorded in a book entitled  "Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul" 

In these visions, the Lord told her to paint an image of Him that was revealed to her.  In the image, two rays emanate from the heart of Jesus so that "The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized heart was opened by a lance on the Cross." Diary, 299.

The message of mercy is that God loves us and that His mercy is greater than our sins.  Before Sr. Faustina's death in 1938, devotions to the Divine Mercy had begun to spread.  For some time after, however, they were suppressed and then renewed again in the 1970's.  On April 30 2000, Pope John Paul II, canonized Sr. Faustina as St. Maria Faustina Kowalska and proclaimed the second Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.  The liturgical readings on this day for each of the cycles A, B, and C are focused on the great mercy of God.  

The devotion most commonly associated with Divine Mercy is the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy each afternoon at 3pm (the hour of Christ's death on the Cross).  The Divine Mercy Chaplet is somewhat similar to a rosary but shorter and with a slightly different set of prayers.  

As recorded in St. Faustina's diary, the Lord's desire for the Feast Day includes the solemn, public  veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy by the Church, and personal acts of veneration and mercy. Individuals who desire to obtain a plenary indulgence should receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, pray for the intentions of the Pope and spend time in Eucharistic Adoration. The National Shrine of Divine Mercy is located in Stockbridge, MA and has a whole series of events planned for Divine Mercy weekend.  

Here at St. Augustine the Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed every weekday following the 8am Mass. Pamphlets that show how to pray the chaplet are available at the back of the church.  All are welcome to join in.  We also have Sr. Faustina's Diary available in our resource area in the parish center.

by Danette Morris

• 10:30am School Mass
• 11:30am Exposition and Adoration begins
• 11:30am Seniors First Friday Luncheon
• 5pm Augustinian Corona and Benediction

Join our parish community at Phillips Academy next Sunday, April 14th for another energizing event in the Cultural Legacies of Catholicism Series.  This student run program, which has sponsored some very exciting worship events in the last two years, offers the next in the series with performances by "Rondalla".  A rondalla is an ensemble of stringed instruments unique to the Filipino-American tradition.  This group will perform a concert at 4pm in Cochran Chapel and at the 6:45pm Mass in Kemper Chapel, located in the lower level of Cochran. 

2013-2014 Registration

Registration emails for the 2013-2014 school year will be sent out in May.  If you are new to the parish or your oldest child will be entering first grade, please  visit our Religious Education web page in May and you will find all the information you need to register for the program

First Communion Rehearsal Dates

First Communions are held the first two Saturdays of May, May 4 and May 11.   If you have a child who will be making their First Communion this May, please double check the date for their rehearsal on our web site where they are listed by teacher.  If you are unsure of the teacher's name, please contact our grade 2 coordinator Janice Zackular at Jzackular@staugustineparish.org.

Vacation Bible School - Save the Dates

July 29-August 2 - Once again we will be joining forces with several churches in Andover and St. Michaels' in North Andover to offer VBS to children age 4 - grade 6  from Monday July, 29 through Friday August, 2.  Not only are we encouraging children to attend but we also need adult and teenage (grades 7-12) volunteers to help us in a variety of ways.  Keep your eye on the website at Free Christian Church for further details.  

Several teens from St. Augustine's will be participating in a spring break mission trip with the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Dominican Republic the week of April 12th.  Sr. Lisa Valentini will be leading the teens with approximately 400 children throughout the week.  The teens will act as camp counselors and handymen at the parish in El Factor, DR.   All donations - monetary and items - are greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at the Parish Center by April 10th.   We have 18 duffle bags to fill and are currently in need of the following items:  hair accessories, hard candy, bars of soap.  For more information and a complete list of items contact Katie Leblanc at kleblanc@staugustineparish.org.

Wish Project

Over 30 teens have been assisting with the Wish Project in Lowell.  We need 10 more teens to assist on Saturday, April 20th from 9-11am. Please email Marianne Alagero if you are able to help or for more information.

Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is national Child Abuse Prevention Month. It is most appropriate that Child Abuse Prevention Month is held during the Easter season. There is no better time than Easter to celebrate the protection of our most valuable gift from God-our children. For information on how you can become more informed and involved in keeping our children safe, please contact the Office of Child Advocacy, Implementation and Oversight at 617-746-5994 or child_advocacy@rcab.org.