For the Sick and Dying
Recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet during Eucharistic Adoration for the Intentions of the Sick and Dying. From The Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy (www.thedivinemercy.org)
As we enter the third millennium, we realize that few understand the great gift of the Eucharist and of His Real Presence- that is, Jesus is present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. Any reading on Divine Mercy must include the Eucharist, as they are one and the same: The Divine Mercy Incarnate is Jesus, and Jesus is the Eucharist.
We encourage recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet in Adoration Chapels worldwide for the sick and dying, as well as for the intentions and needs of the Marians of The Immaculate Conception and their Associate Members worldwide.
Saint Faustina recorded in her spiritual diary these words, “Once, when I was going down the hall to the kitchen, I heard these words in my soul: “Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world know my infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy” (Diary, 687).
And on another occasion, “At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelopes the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son” (Diary, 811).
In 1997, after hearing a homily on having the trust of a child, Paul Regan of Malden, MA, reflected on Jesus’ magnificent promise that one could obtain mercy for the dying by means of praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. He wondered if the promise were applicable if the intercessor [the person offering the prayer] was not physically present at the bedside of the dying persons. The following experience recorded in her Diary by St. Faustina answered his question. She wrote:
“It sometimes happens that the dying person is in the second or third building away, yet for the spirit space and time does not exist. It sometimes happens that I know about a death occurring several hundred kilometers away. This has happened several times with regard to my family and relatives and also sisters in religion, and even souls whom I have not known during their lifetime (Diary, 835). And again:
“My contact with the dying is, just as it has been in the past, very close. I often accompany a person who is dying far away; but my greatest joy is when I see the promise of mercy fulfilled in these souls. The Lord is faithful: What He ordains- He fulfills (Diary, 935).
On January 18, 1998, the first Divine Mercy Perpetual Adoration Chapel for the Sick and Dying was established at St. Agnes parish in Chicago Heights, Illinois. On October 31st, 1999, His Holiness Pope John Paul II, by a personally signed parchment, imparted a Special Apostolic Blessing, “On The Occasion of The Great Jubilee of The Year 2000, To All The Faithful who during Adoration of Our Most Merciful Savior in The Most Blessed Sacrament of The Altar will be praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and for those throughout the world who will be dying in that hour, I impart, as a token of an abundance of divine graces, My Heartfelt Apostolic Blessing.”
We ask that Chapels participating recite aloud or pray silently the Litany of Reparation, An Act of Spiritual Communion, The Divine Praises, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. If adorers in a Chapel wish to participate, please notify them at Tampa@thedivinemercy.org and we will send you a copy of the Papal Blessing to hang in your Chapel. Our new pamphlet entitled The Divine Mercy Chaplet for the Sick and Dying During Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, is now available through the Marian Helpers Association and can be ordered by calling 1-800-462-7426. It explains St. Faustina’s special love for the dying, the Divine Mercy Chaplet as an Eucharistic prayer, and Eucharistic Adoration and the Real Presence. All adorers should have one, as well as those involved in parish work as an Eucharistic Minister, and nursing home or hospital visitation.
Please help us spread this devotion, for our mission, as was Bl. Faustina’s, is in saving souls. And we know that the Eucharist is food for our spiritual journey.
Not only are we to receive and adore the Eucharist, we must live the Eucharist. We are to let the rays of mercy from the monstrance pass through us and go out through the entire world. We are to be icons of mercy, radiating love and mercy to others.
