Pilgrims process at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy

The first and only time I ever visited Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was in the early 1990’s and it was mainly to see where Norman Rockwell had lived and painted. At that time in my life and career, I knew more about Norman Rockwell than about St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, despite my upbringing as a Polish-American Roman Catholic. During a visit one summer with my cousin, Lynn, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, she suggested that we take a daytrip to Stockbridge and have lunch at the Red Lion Inn on Main Street which dates to 1773. 

Last month I was understandably sad, then, when the invitation arrived for the recent Divine Mercy Pilgrimage, and I saw that it was planned for Saturday, May 21, a day on which I was already committed to attending two other events elsewhere. The pilgrimage was organized by the St. Theresa-St. Christopher Parish in Tiverton where our good friend, Dr. Timothy Flanigan, serves as the deacon. Parishioner Doreen Gendreau who spearheaded the pilgrimage said that it is hoped that this initial pilgrimage “will be an ongoing annual event in May.” Stockbridge is now famously known as the home of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy at Eden Hill. Joining the contingent of about 40 pilgrims who traveled by motor coach were Fr. Andrew Senay, O.S.B., our long-term guest from St. Louis, and Mr. Michael Vento, our new postulant. The monks in turn extended the invitation to the Portsmouth oblates which resulted in two of them making the trip: Dionne Larson and Donald Grillo accompanied by his daughter. Don e-mailed me afterwards to say,  

 

 

Oblate Don Grillo’s daughter, Mayleigh, on pilgrimage at the Shrine

The day consisted of an al fresco picnic lunch, confessions, adoration, Benediction, viewing the shrine’s life-sized Stations of the Cross, the recitation of the rosary and of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the celebration of Mass. Pastor Przemyslaw Lepak (called ‘Fr. Shemek’ by his parishioners in Tiverton) was the principal celebrant at Mass which Fr. Andrew con-celebrated, along with assistance from Deacon Tim. 

The shrine, administered by the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, lies in the heart of the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts. The presence of the Marian Fathers at Eden Hill dates back almost 80 years, to the purchase of the property’s 350 acres on November 24, 1943. Originally there was only a side altar in the community chapel dedicated to The Divine Mercy but, as the number of pilgrims grew, a larger chapel became necessary and in 1950 its construction was begun. In a remarkable 10-year story of a labor of love, and of many loving hands at home, the chapel was dedicated in 1960.  In 1996, the designation as the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy was bestowed on the chapel. 

 

 

Mass for the Pilgrimage (Fr. Andrew Senay, O.S.B. and Deacon Tim Flanigan in center)

This year’s pilgrimage reminded me of my own experience with devotion to The Divine Mercy. During the Jubilee Year of 2000, the millennial year when hundreds of thousands of faithful journeyed to Rome to pass through the Holy Doors of the four major Roman basilicas, Sister Faustina was canonized as a saint by Pope St. John Paul II at St. Peter’s. He also officially proclaimed her date of sainthood as Divine Mercy Sunday, or the Feast of The Divine Mercy, celebrated every year on the Sunday following Easter.  I was in Rome that spring during Lent with my sister and brother-in-law, but it was just weeks before the canonization. Later, In 2015, Pope Francis called for the Church to celebrate another special year, this time a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Several months later, in March 2016, I was invited by Abbot Cuthbert of Ampleforth Abbey in northern England to consider a return visit to their foundation in Macheke, Zimbabwe, the Monastery of Christ the Word (CTW). My first mission stint to “Zim” was in 2008 and now, eight years later, they were in need of assistance in ministering to the hundreds of African pilgrims arriving every weekend to gain an indulgence by passing through the monastery’s humble Holy Door to the chapel for this latest Jubilee Year. Although the country’s capital, Harare, two hours by truck to the west, boasts a very nice cathedral, it was undergoing renovations that year and the designation of their own Holy Door was impossible. The sharp contrast between the four Holy Doors of Rome and the Holy Door of Macheke is impossible for me to describe. With only three monks in residence at the time, CTW was overtaxed in trying to properly welcome the steady stream of weekend visitors for Masses, confessions, recitation of The Divine Mercy Chaplet, and to provide nourishing lunches for everyone. Upon my arrival at CTW in August 2016, one of my main assignments was hospitality, along with the writing and the weekly presentation of an explanation in the chapel to everyone of exactly what a ‘Jubilee Year’ meant, as well as its history in the devotional life of the Church. Here is an excerpt from my talk to the pilgrims: 

The Marian Fathers at Eden Hill maintain a comprehensive website at www.TheDivineMercy.org and offer a wide range of books, prayer booklets and other materials through their Marian Press. Orders may be placed at www.ShopMercy.org. At only a 2½-hour drive from Portsmouth, it would be an easy one-day excursion for anyone looking to learn more about St. Faustina and to pray at the shrine.