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Welcome again to Misericordia the newsletter of the John Paul II Centre for

Divine Mercy. We have not published a letter for some time now not because

things are not happening but perhaps because so much is happening that we

wanted to wait until we could process all accurately.

We welcome two priests from the community The Society of the Divine

Savior (SDS). They are known also as the Salvatorian Fathers.

The John Paul II Centre for Divine Mercy

“The flames of mercy

are burning me. I

desire to pour them

out upon human

souls. Oh, what pain

they cause Me when

they do not want to

accept them!”

(Diary, 1074)

Saint Faustina,

You told us that your

mission would

continue after your

death and that you

would not forget us.

Our Lord also granted

you a great privilege,

telling you to

"distribute graces as

you will, to who you

will, and when you

will." Relying on this,

we ask your

intercession for the

graces we need,

especially for the

intentions just

mentioned. Help us,

above all, to trust in

Jesus as you did and

thus to glorify His

mercy every moment of

our lives. Amen

Blessings from Poland

The John Paul II Centre for Divine Mercy sponsored a pilgrimage to Poland

in May of this year celebrating the Year of Faith and to say, Jesus we trust in

you.

It was an enchanting journey taken by 42 people arriving first in Warsaw

staying at Niepokalanow (city of the Immaculate), where St. Maximillian Kolbe

established the Immaculata. To celebrate mass in the chapel that he built and

where he lived for three years of his life was such a blessing. We were also so

graced to receive a First Class relic of this great saint, a Martyr of Charity, from

the superior of the Franciscan community.

Our path then led us to Krakow, through the birth place of St. Faustina, and

to the international Centre for Divine Mercy consecrated as such by Blessed

Pope John Paul II in 2002 exhorting all to let the spark of Divine Mercy go

forth from that place to enflame the whole world. …Continues on Page 2

Volume 2, Issue 1 Fall 2013

These priests originate from Poland but have

been exercising ministry here in Canada. They

will begin their ministry in Ottawa pastoring

Divine Infant parish in Orleans and will share in

the proclamation of the Divine Mercy message.

In his blog Archbishop Prendergast says that

they, “… will share with us in the Archdiocese

their understanding of the Divine Mercy

spirituality.” We are hoping that a gathering in

the fall will allow everyone to meet these priests

of mercy.

Welcome Father Waldemar and Father

Krystian! …Continues on Page 2 Shown above on a recent visit are (left to

right): Fathers Waldemar Podlasz, Maciej

Wos and Krystian Golisz.

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Blessings From Poland…Continued from Page 1

This was certainly our quest!

This was the home of St.

Faustina and her community of

sisters who so beautifully wel-

come pilgrims and proclaim the

message and way of life that is

Divine Mercy.

We had the singular grace to

meet with Cardinal Dziwisz,

Pope John Paul’s personal secr-

etary and close friend for almost

forty years. The Cardinal en-

trusted to us a First Class relic of

Blessed Pope John Paul which

along with the relics of St.

Maximillian and St. Faustina will

grace our Divine Mercy Centre

and be available for veneration to

those who will pilgrimage to the

Centre. These relics will also be

made available to the existing

cenacle groups when visits are

arranged.

The people of Poland are so

devout and live such a lively faith

rooted in a great love for our

Blessed Mother, our Lady of

Czestochowa. To visit her shrine

and to be in the presence of the

icon, purported to have been

painted by St. Luke, gave us a

deep sense of her motherly love

and care. These people have im-

bued all of us

with such a

desire to more

firmly live the

life of Divine

Mercy pro-

claiming the

message in

thought, word,

and deed, to

truly be Apostles of Divine

Mercy.

This message of Divine Mercy

is one of, if not, the most urgent

and important messages in the

Church today and is the message

to prepare the world for the final

coming of Jesus.

A message for all to embrace!

Jesu Ufam Tobie

…see Page 1 for more

The Men of the Eucharist had an incredibly successful

conference with nearly 325 men in attendance. Archbishop

Prendergast was so supportive and graced the event with the

celebration of holy mass to close the day. More on this to

come. Please see the men’s website for all their activities:

menoftheeucharist.com

The Women of the Eucharist are in transition with our

understanding that the Lord will use this movement as an

integral presence in the message of Divine Mercy. The

Women of Mercy continue to meet the second Wednesday of

each month at Holy Rosary parish at 1 pm. A mass is

celebrated at 12:15 those days in the Church.

At last count the cenacle groups total 29 many of whom

were at the Divine Mercy Sunday celebration at St. Martin de

Porres parish. We counted approximately 600 in attendance

with many young people and young families. Other parishes

celebrated their own liturgies.

The message of Divine Mercy is so alive here in Ottawa!

We hope to publish the newsletter a few times each year

so please feel free to offer articles, insights, news and

happenings of all things mercy.

Contact us at: thechurch@mercypope.org

A PRAYER TO OUR LADY

OF CZESTOCHOWA

O Mary, our dear Lady of

Czestochowa, look graciously upon

your children in this troubled and

sinful world Embrace us all in your

loving and Motherly protection.

Protect our young from godless ways;

assist our dear ones grown old with age

to prepare for their journey home;

shield our defenceless unborn from the

horrors of abortion, and be our

strength against all sin. Spare your

children from all hatred,

discrimination and war. Fill our hearts,

our homes and our world with that

peace and love which comes only from

your Son, whom you so tenderly

embrace. O, Queen and Mother, be our

comfort and strength!

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen

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Saint Thérèse

of Lisieux

“My God, I choose

all. I do not want to be

a saint by halves. I am

not afraid to suffer for

You. I fear only one

thing — that I should

keep my own will. So

take it, for I choose all

that You will.”

(The Story of a Soul,

9)

Saint Jean-Marie

Vianney

"All the good works in

the world are not

equal to the Holy

Sacrifice of the Mass

because they are the

works of men; but the

Mass is the work of

God. Martyrdom is

nothing in comparison

for it is but the

sacrifice of man to

God; but the Mass is

the sacrifice of God

for man.”

The Women of the Eucharist (W+E) is a spirit that continues to live in the

hearts of a number of women associated with the John Paul II Centre for Divine

Mercy and the message of mercy given to St. Faustina Kowalska.

This spirit was born out of a letter that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,

issued on December 8, 2007 asking every woman in the Catholic world to embrace

their spiritual maternity and to gather into their hearts priests for whom they are to

be spiritual mothers, most especially their parish priests.

In this spirit, the W+E, in union with Mary our Blessed Mother, who is THE

Mother of the Eucharist, stand at the foot of the cross in prayer, love, and

support of their priests to ask protection and much grace for their priest sons. As

St. John was given to Mary, as son, at the Cross, so the W+E united with Mary

become mothers, in their spiritual maternity, of all priests.

The W+E see this mission lived out especially through Eucharistic Adoration

and the study of the Divine Mercy message in Cenacle formation as offered

through the John Paul II Centre for Divine Mercy.

“At the root of the Eucharist is the virginal and maternal life of Mary” (Bl.

Pope John Paul II).

…Continues on Page 4

…..

Men’s Conference, Be a Man

This past April 27, 2013 in Ottawa, the Men of The Eucharist hosted the first

annual Men’s Conference. The conference theme was BE A MAN.

The theme of the conference was based on the popular men’s book by Father

Larry Richards, Be a Man! Becoming the Man God Created You To Be.

In his book, Fr. Larry tells men how to focus on the right goal, how to live as a

beloved son of God, of the need to acknowledge one's faults and to live according

to the Holy Spirit, to be a man of true love and of wisdom, to appreciate properly

the differences between men and women, to pursue holiness, and to make a

difference in the world.

Fr. Larry was a very inspirational speaker who penetrated the hearts of the men.

His words challenged men to be strong in their walk to becoming the men God is

calling them to be.

Fr. Larry was straight to the point, he pulled no punches, and he spoke with so

much love and compassion. Personally, I was encouraged in my faith through his

genuine love and found new strength to overcome those things that distract me

from God.

I was inspired to be a better husband, father and a man of God, to walk the walk

and to be an example of the Love and Mercy of our Lord. I was encouraged to pray

…Continues on Page 4

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We currently have over 30

Divine Mercy Cenacles

operating in the Ottawa area.

Divine Mercy cenacles are

small faith-sharing Christian

communities rooted in Euch-

aristic Adoration and the mess-

age of Saint Faustina and Pope

John Paul II.

The guided study program

includes prayer, the study of

Sacred Scripture, the Catechism

of the Catholic Church, and the

Diary of St. Faustina.

If you are interested in joining

a Cenacle, bringing one to your

parish or for more information,

you can consult the website at

www.mercypope.org or e-mail us

at thechurch@mercypope.org.

…See Page 3 for more from Women of the

Eucharist

In her Diary, St. Faustina of the Blessed

Sacrament writes, “O my Jesus, I beg you on

behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the

light of your Spirit, and give power to the words

of priests so that hardened hearts might be

brought to repentance and return to You. O Lord

give us holy priests: You Yourself maintain them

in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may

the power of Your mercy accompany them

everywhere and protect them from the Devil’s

traps and snares, which are continually being set

for the souls of priests. May the power of Your

mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all

that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You

can do all things.” (Diary, 1052)

The Eucharist is the heart of the Church.

Where Eucharistic life flourishes, there the life

of the Church will blossom” (Bl. Pope John

Paul II).

Again St. Faustina writes, “I am suffering as

much as my weak nature can bear, all for

immortal souls, to plead the mercy of God for

poor sinners and to beg strength for priests. Oh,

how much reverence I have for priests; and I am

asking Jesus, the High Priest, to grant them many

graces.”(Diary, 953)

“In order to evangelize the world, we need

experts in celebration, adoration, and con-

templation of the Holy Eucharist” (Bl. Pope

John Paul II).

…See Page 3 for more from Men of the Eucharist

to the Holy Spirit each day and to take time for

God, to pray, and to listen. Through Fr. Larry’s

message I have become aware of how important

it is to choose love, even though sometimes if

can be very difficult.

Fr. Larry’s Slogan, “No Bible! No Breakfast!

No Bible! No Bed!” has equipped me to begin

my day and to end my day with the word of God.

I received many messages from men after the

conference. See page 7 for pictures and

comments from the Conference.

God touched the hearts of many men and he

will continue to touch many hearts through our

yes.

Both of Fr Larry’s talks from the conference

can be found on our web site:

www.MenoftheEucharist.com

Next year’s conference planning is well on its

way. The 2014 conference is shaping up to be

another great event to help men in their journey.

Keep visiting the web site as we will be updating

the site with all the particulars for the next

conference.

God Bless

In His Mercy

Keith Doucette

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The Divine Mercy Pilgrimage

Journey of a Pilgrim How to put into words that

which only the depth of a soul

can moan, that only tears can

express and retell the moments

of gratitude never before ex-

perienced to this degree.

From the first moment I heard

about a potential pilgrimage,

almost two years ago, I knew in

my heart that I was being called

to go. I was not one of the

original group, or, even a cen-

acle member. But I did know

about Divine Mercy Sunday, St.

Faustina and had begun sporad-

ically to read her diary.

“St. Faustina, you called each

of us to Poland for a personal

encounter with your Beloved

Jesus Christ. The many stories

of how each one of us was

inspired to join this pilgrimage

group are unique. We humbly

ask that you intercede for our

hearts and souls to prepare for

this Divine appointment.”

Partaking in a prayerful pilgrim-

mage, with a group who were

strong Divine Mercy advocates,

staying in convent-style lodging,

travelling with Stan Bielec, a nat-

ive of Poland and led by, who I

believe is the strongest advocate

of Divine Mercy in Ottawa, Fr.

Dan Dubroy were all confirmation

to go.

Preparing for the trip with a

Novena to St. Faustina was inspr-

ing. Asking her to prepare us

spiritually, as well as temporally,

to help us to trust in His Mercy

and Love, to prepare our minds,

hearts and souls for that beautiful

and unforgettable experience of

Christ we will find in Poland, to

help us to delve deeper into the

pool of His merciful Love. To

dive deeper and deeper into that

ocean of Divine Mercy which He

alone can provide, to keep us safe

and sound as we travel across the

ocean in childlike anticipation to

run into the loving arms of Our

Heavenly Father. I feel that all of

the requests made through the

Novena were fulfilled.

One woman from a parish I

attend most times for daily Mass

summed up the whole experience

so beautifully, to the Glory of

God. Then she said, "You have

brought back the pilgrimage.

…Continues on Page 6

Divine Mercy Prayer Line With the blessing of Archbishop Prendergast, the John Paul II Centre for Divine Mercy has established a

mercy prayer line in the Diocese trusting that many souls will find healing, solace, conversion, and eternal life

through the intercession of many apostles of prayer.

Jesus has said to St. Faustina: “My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to

you. It pleases me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet…(Diary 1541) You know the

whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially poor sinners. Sooner would Heaven

and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul” (Diary, 1777).

Our hope is that so many souls will pray with us for each request received that our voices will be as a choir

of mercy to our Heavenly Father who will then, with great compassion and grace, shower this intention with His

mercy. The more trusting souls we have to pray the greater will be the grace!

When a request comes to you, if you would, at some time during that day, pray at least one decade of the

Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or if possible, the whole Chaplet for those intentions.

The prayer line number to leave a request is 613-482-3388 and if you wish to be part of the prayer team then

please send an email to mercyprayerline@gmail.com

It would be a joy and blessing if you also ask friends and family to be part of this apostleship of mercy

trusting that we can and will win so many souls for Christ!

Let us trust in the power of prayer and the mercy of God!

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Journey of a Pilgrim

…Continued from Page 4

Many people I know who have

gone on pilgrimage have not

brought it back. They were the

same as before they left. You are

glowing and have brought the

pilgrimage back." all the while

tears welled up in her eyes.

Close friends have asked me,

how was the pilgrimage, I look

at them, their eyes well up with

tears even before I have said a

word. I look back, tears in my

eyes not saying a thing. We

nod, we hug and we know.

I never realized the power of

relics and the intercession of

Saints. I have handed out some

of the relic cards from Poland.

Some I got with people in mind,

the others I just got without

know who they were for. I see a

person and feel compelled to

give them one.

There was one lady at a church

I frequent for daily mass and

who I have only spoken to once,

who I asked if she had any

intercessions she would like me

to bring to Poland. I gave her

one of the St. Faustina holy relic

cards on a Sunday. She started

to cry. On the next Tuesday, I

was sitting alone in front of the

Tabernacle. She came and sat

beside me, tears in her eyes,

grabbed my hand and sat there.

After a while I looked at her and

said "the relic" she nodded yes.

So yesterday, sitting alone in front

of the Tabernacle, again she came,

sat beside me, tears in her eyes,

grabbed my hand and sat there.

She gave me a tight hug. We sat

there and then again she gave me

another tight hug. She didn't say a

word. She just sat there.

There was another woman who I

gave a relic rosary to. She had

tears in her eyes. She asked how

the pilgrimage was; all I could do

was look at her. Without any

words she knew and I knew.

After a moment, I said there are

no words.

I gave a sister-in-Christ a rosary

relic, she was not able to come on

the pilgrimage, she started to

shake and cry and said again and

again, thank you, thank you.

To the woman who introduced me

to the Divine Mercy on Divine

Mercy Sunday about 4-5 years

ago, and who gave me the Divine

Mercy book and Novena, I gave a

relic rosary and a small plaque of

the Miraculous Image. Tears

welled in her eyes. She thanked

me for thinking of her.

In speaking with other pilgrims

they shyly and quietly ask me if

something happened over there. I

say yes, (I guess wanting to know

if they should share) then they tell

me their story, gushing like a river

over the bank, like a cup that has

overflowed. That cup has over-

flowed – the cup of love and

mercy only Jesus can fill to the

brim.

There REALLY ARE NO

WORDS to express the magnitude

of what has happened to me. I

know that sounds exaggerated, but

it is not. Even now as I write this

message, tears are welling up in

my eyes. The cup is my eyes and

they express the overflowing of

love that Jesus has bestowed upon

me. What a journey, what a

blessing, what an experience.

Thank you Jesus for this

wonderful opportunity, for your

Divine Providence in providing

for the journey and the memories

that will be cherished in my heart

and soul for eternity.

Jesu Ufam Tobie

Reflection from a Pilgrim

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“I just want to thank you for

the great job you and your team

did, putting on the "Be a Man

Conference". Your choice for

Keynote Speaker could not

have been better. As a

participant I though the day

unfolded beautifully, the talks

stirred up emotions in me that I

haven't felt this strongly since

many years. Attending the

conference did a great deal for

me. I was fed, I understand

much better the path I must

walk, and Father Larry left me

with great hope for my

children”

“Just a short note to thank you and your team for all

your efforts in putting together such a great event. It

was truly a special day and I sensed that the Holy Spirit

was with us during the entire day. Wonderful speakers,

great music and the special fellowship of a group of

more than 300 Christian men gathered together in

worship, song and prayer. Pretty Powerful."

“The Be A Man conference was awesome! You guys

organized something really special. I thoroughly

enjoyed my day with fellow men.”

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October 5th

2013 – Welcoming Celebration

With much joy the John Paul II Centre for Divine Mercy welcomes to Ottawa the religious community of

priests, The Society of the Divine Savior also known as the Salvatorians. They have begun their ministry at

Divine Infant Parish in Orleans and we pray much grace for them and their work here in Ottawa.

This community and these priests have a great love and devotion to the message of Divine Mercy and it is

our hope to work with them to proclaim the message given, most especially, to St. Faustina from our Blessed

Lord Himself.

To welcome the Salvatorians to Ottawa all are invited to Divine Infant Parish on Saturday October 5th

,

the feast day of St. Faustina, the apostle of The Divine Mercy.

The celebration will begin at 9 am with St. Faustina’s Way of the Cross followed by holy mass and ending

with the sung chaplet and veneration of a First Class relic of St. Faustina. Reception to follow.

Welcome Father Waldemar and Father Krystian and we hope to see many of you there!

Our Mission…

Our mission, as brothers and sisters of

one Father in Christ, is to announce

through the power of the Holy Spirit,

the mercy of God to all people and by

our presence to help parishes be more

conscious of this mystery, all under the

protection of Mary the Mother of Mercy.

Our lives are rooted in the Eucharist

and Sacrament of Reconciliation and in

this belonging we are faithful to the

Holy Father.

www.mercypope.org

Contributions to our Newsletter

The John Paul II Center for Divine Mercy is

providing this newsletter to keep you informed of the

latest news and events that are happening around

Divine Mercy.

The newsletter will be published throughout the year

as news and events occur.

We both welcome and encourage you to submit

information about your cenacle groups, articles or

inspirational stories that you would like to share with

other groups.

Submission from individuals or any other groups

within the diocese are also welcome.

Thank you in advance for joining us in our efforts to

help spread the message of Divine Mercy.

Contributions to our newsletter can be submitted at:

thechurch@mercypope.org

We are happy to announce that the John Paul II Centre of Divine Mercy has found a permanent location. We

are located only 45 minutes East of Ottawa at:

606 Boundary Rd. South

Alfred, ON

K0B 1A0

Should you like to contact or visit the Centre, you may do so by calling 613-325-5447 or by writing us at

thechurch@mercypope.org.

We also accept correspondence by mail.