R AYS OF MERCIFUL L OVE www.thedivinemercy.org “Mercy is Love that seeks to lessen the misery of others” Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy Newsletter Spring 2012 O ccasionally when I travel, someone will ask me, “What is a cenacle?” So I thought I’d take this opportunity to explain. The cenacle is a small faith-sharing group. It is as old as the Church itself. The idea contained in the word cenacle is derived from the meeting of our Lord’s follow- ers in the upper room where He celebrated the Last Supper. The Latin word for supper is cena. It was in the upper room that Jesus instituted the Eucharist and washed the apostles’ feet. It was there that the apostles received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Our EADM members meet in small groups. The goals are to delve deeper into the writings of St. Faustina and learn more about the Eucharist and the message of mercy. These aims become even more relevant as efforts are under way to make St. Faustina a “Doctor of the Church.” The format followed is that of a typical “small Christian Community,” or “Basic Christian Community,” as it is called in Africa and India. Small groups gathering to learn and share their faith is a major form of evange- lization throughout the world. Our focus is on the message of Divine Mercy as found in Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Diary of St. Faustina, with a special emphasis on the Eucharist. A major key to the success of the cenacle is the faith-sharing that takes place. In the sessions, the Image, the Feast Day, the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and more are brought up and discussed. Life jour- neys, struggles, and insights are openly discussed. Thus, our faith comes alive and the importance of Divine Mercy becomes more apparent. The groups follow the study program laid out in three manuals. It guides the group through each session. There are approximately 50 lessons per manual. If a group met twice a month, it would take two years to finish each manual. A facilitator leads the group, but their role is not to teach but to keep the dis- cussion on topic and let all speak and share. More is gotten out of each lesson if the member comes prepared and does the readings beforehand. Remember that just two people can form a cenacle. We encourage groups with more than 15 members to branch off and form another group, as this will enhance the faith-sharing. The Diary is so rich and Spirit-filled that the growth of the members is inevitable. Good fruit is the result any time people come together to talk and learn more about God. People often tell me how they thoroughly enjoy their cenacle group and the sharing and growth and look forward to their next meeting. If you are considering forming a group in your parish, call us at 1-877- 380-0727, and then we can send you a free packet on the ministry and guide you in getting started. The process is quite easy as the manuals lay every- thing out for you. For those of you finishing the man- uals, we are nearing completion of a manual on the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it will include approximately 28 lessons on Our Lady and follow the cenacle format. Dr. Robert Stackpole, theologian at the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, has several excellent articles on Our Lady, and there are also 16 chapters on Church-approved Marian apparitions. ‘What is a cenacle?’ EADM cenacle groups, like the group in West Allis, Wis., shown here, meet in small groups. The goals of our cenacle members are to delve deeper into the writings of St. Faustina and learn more about the Eucharist and the message of mercy. By Bryan Thatcher, MD
Transcript
RAYS OF MERCIFUL LOVEwww.thedivinemercy.org
“Mer
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Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy Newsletter Spring 2012
O ccasionally when Itravel, someone willask me, “What is a
cenacle?” So I thought I’dtake this opportunity toexplain. The cenacle is a smallfaith-sharing group. It is asold as the Church itself. Theidea contained in the wordcenacle is derived from themeeting of our Lord’s follow-ers in the upper room whereHe celebrated the Last Supper.The Latin word for supper is cena. It was in the upperroom that Jesus instituted theEucharist and washed theapostles’ feet. It was there thatthe apostles received the HolySpirit on Pentecost.
Our EADM membersmeet in small groups. Thegoals are to delve deeper intothe writings of St. Faustinaand learn more about the Eucharistand the message of mercy. These aimsbecome even more relevant as effortsare under way to make St. Faustina a“Doctor of the Church.”
The format followed is that of atypical “small Christian Community,”or “Basic Christian Community,” as itis called in Africa and India. Smallgroups gathering to learn and sharetheir faith is a major form of evange-lization throughout the world. Ourfocus is on the message of DivineMercy as found in Sacred Scripture,the Catechism of the Catholic Churchand the Diary of St. Faustina, with aspecial emphasis on the Eucharist.
A major key to the success of thecenacle is the faith-sharing that takesplace. In the sessions, the Image, theFeast Day, the Eucharist, the Sacramentof Reconciliation, and more arebrought up and discussed. Life jour-
neys, struggles, and insights are openlydiscussed. Thus, our faith comes aliveand the importance of Divine Mercybecomes more apparent.
The groups follow the study programlaid out in three manuals. It guides thegroup through each session. There areapproximately 50 lessons per manual. Ifa group met twice a month, it wouldtake two years to finish each manual. A facilitator leads the group, but theirrole is not to teach but to keep the dis-cussion on topic and let all speak andshare. More is gotten out of each lessonif the member comes prepared and doesthe readings beforehand.
Remember that just two people canform a cenacle. We encourage groupswith more than 15 members to branchoff and form another group, as this will enhance the faith-sharing. TheDiary is so rich and Spirit-filled thatthe growth of the members isinevitable. Good fruit is the result any
time people come together to talk andlearn more about God.
People often tell me how they thoroughly enjoy their cenacle groupand the sharing and growth and lookforward to their next meeting.
If you are considering forming agroup in your parish, call us at 1-877-380-0727, and then we can send you afree packet on the ministry and guideyou in getting started. The process isquite easy as the manuals lay every-thing out for you.
For those of you finishing the man-uals, we are nearing completion of amanual on the Blessed Virgin Mary,and it will include approximately 28lessons on Our Lady and follow thecenacle format. Dr. Robert Stackpole,theologian at the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, has several excellentarticles on Our Lady, and there are also16 chapters on Church-approvedMarian apparitions.
‘What is a cenacle?’
EADM cenacle groups, like the group in West Allis, Wis., shown here, meet in smallgroups. The goals of our cenacle members are to delve deeper into the writings of St.Faustina and learn more about the Eucharist and the message of mercy.
By Bryan Thatcher, MD
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I was a speaker at the 25th annual FloridaRespect Life Conference in October. At theconference, there was a painting prominently
displayed. It depicted our Lord’s love and mercyfor all of His children, especially the unbornbabies whose lives are snuffed out by abortion.The painting, titled “The Forsaken Found,” is a vibrant acrylic painting which has symbolsreflecting life and death and was inspired byPsalm 27:10: “Even if my father and mother haveforsaken me, the Lord will take me in.”
Amberose Courville, 19, came up with theidea for the painting when challenged by an artteacher at college to create a piece of work basedon a controversial topic. She is a student atFlorida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, andher family members are parishioners at EpiphanyCathedral Parish in Venice.
“I really wanted to come up with somethingthat reflected my beliefs and understanding aboutthe important issue of abortion,” Amberoseexplained. “Using key images, I sketched it outand started working on it.”
The painting shows the earth in the top leftwithin the dark background of outer space withrow upon row of tiny white crosses rising fromthe darkness toward the light representing themillions of children killed through abortions.
The crosses, which have roses, are white incolor to represent the holy innocence of the precious babies. One of the most subtle, and ultimately striking images is of the silhouettesof tiny fetuses within the white roses.
In the forefront, Jesus’ hands cradle each ofthese precious children in His most glorioushealing presence, which conveys His love andmercy. The little feet in Jesus’ hands are fleshtone to represent new life. The rose in Jesus’hands is a vibrant red symbolizing His love, pas-sion, and gift of life for each little innocent soul.
Amberose’s painting was on display at the StateRespect Life Conference at St. Martha School inSarasota from Oct. 14-15. She also explained thepainting to young people at the related youthconference at St. Martha Parish on Oct. 15.
She explained that when she was workingon it at FGCU, she would carry the paintingacross campus and be stopped and questionedabout it by friends and strangers who werestruck by the imagery.
“Even showing it to people who I knew arenot pro-life, I could immediately tell they wereaffected by the painting, even if they didn’t sayanything at all. Later on, I showed it at a walkfor life and the reaction was amazing,” she con-tinued. “The piece seemed to have a healingaffect on women, some of whom had had an
abortion and were now staunchly pro-life.”Following her presentation at the diocesan
youth conference, Amberose received a similarreaction as she was surrounded by many whopraised her work and wanted to know moreabout the painting.
“When I came up with the original idea for thepainting, I was walking on a beach and had animage of small crosses. From there, it developedand grew. I never realized it would have such animpact on people,” Amberose said. “I guess it is anexample of how God works through us.”
The idea of displaying the painting duringthe Florida State Respect Life Conference camethrough positive word-of-mouth to Diocese ofVenice Respect Life Director Jeanne Berdeaux,who said its impact on people was profound.
“This is just an example of a different way inwhich people can express themselves in the pro-life movement and still have a dramatic impact onothers,” Berdeaux said. A copy of the paintingwas donated by Amberose to the Diocese ofVenice Respect Life Office.
For more information about AmberoseCourville or to see other examples of her work,please visit courvillearchitects.com/artgallery or e-mail Amberrose at [email protected].
Used with permission from Florida CatholicDiocese of Venice, dated Nov. 4-17, 2011 issue.
Depicting the gift of life
Am
berose Courville
Amberose Courville, 19, painted “The Forsaken Found” when challenged by an art teacher to create a piece of work based on a controversialtopic. It depicts our Lord’s love and mercy for all of His children, especially the unborn babies whose lives are snuffed out by abortion.
By Bryan Thatcher, MD
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NORTH CANTON, OHIOJen Ertle wrote and told us:
This year, our cenacle has gone through many changes. We begananother cenacle group at the parish, so we have a group using ManualNumber One, and another using Manual Number Three. So far so good!
We recently went Christmas caroling to a local nursing home,which we enjoyed just as much as the residents did.
As each of us struggle with our own personal challenges, we striveto live the works of mercy the best we can. Some of us help in ahomeless program, take Eucharist to the sick, pray for the sick anddying, teach catechism, volunteer on the bereavement committee, andminister in prison, our latest work of mercy.
The prison ministry was stumbled on by “accident.” Our groupreceived a monetary donation in which we were told to use it to help“spread the news.” We did just that, and some of this good news wentto a prison. Since one of our own parishioners had been sentencedthere this past year, we chose this specific site. We sent boxes ofrosaries, St Faustina’s Diary, holy cards, pamphlets, books, and more.We received a letter from a prisoner not only thanking us for theitems but requesting more. Wow! They are using them!
The group received a handmade Christmas card from inmates.They thanked the group for the materials, and they said that for themit was a “Christmas miracle.”
We wanted to do more, but we were out of money. With the fullsupport of our parish priest, Fr. D. Durkee, we prayed and hoped forthe best. This past week, an envelope was found in the church withmy name and “prison ministry” on it. I discovered $1,000 enclosed.Two days later, a charitable organization also donated $300 for theprison ministry. So, we decided the amount was enough to moveinto more than one prison. This week, boxes will be going out to twoother prisons and one county jail with a variety of Catholic andChristian materials. After this, we will do to the best of our abilitywhatever “pops up” for us.
It is exciting to see how God works, and we strive daily to live thewords, “Jesus I trust in You!”
AKRON, OHIOManena Vidlak wrote and told us:
Our cenacle continues to grow, and our pastor is very supportive.When asked to elaborate about the essence of our cenacle, Fr. Dan J.Reed, Pastor of St. Bernard/St. Mary Parish, Akron, Ohio, wrote:
“We are pleased to have the Rays of Mercy Cenacle in our parish. Itis an opportunity for spiritual growth for both English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners. With prayer and guest speakers, we see peopleof different languages and races being touched by the mercy that Godshows us through Jesus. The members in this group are a blessing toour parish at large.”
We are privileged to have six children that accompany their parentsto pray the chaplet on Fridays, as well as to our monthly meetings.Participating right along with the adults, these youngsters pray thechaplet, offer thanksgiving and petitions, and select and read aloudpassages from St. Faustina’s Diary. On their own, they have developedthe habit of singing a hymn of their choice to close our worship.
Each Divine Mercy Sunday, several children are given the honor ofprocessing with the image of The Divine Mercy to the altar. There,other children serving as flower bearers adorn the altar surrounding theimage. All the adults treasure seeing our children grow to know andlove Divine Mercy, and the youngsters experience how we cenaclemembers live and express our faith.
KAMPALA, Uganda Aggie Bukenya wrote and told us:
We are getting deeper and deeper into exercising the works of mercy,as we allow the Lord to take us by the hand and lead us.
We started this journey of apostleship of the Merciful Jesus in 2008.We have formed a prayer chain at 3 p.m., to pray for those who aredying, especially those who do not know God; for those who do notvalue the gift of life (those having abortions and the doctors helpingthem); for the souls in purgatory; for the Holy Father, bishops, priests, and religious; for the lay apostleship, families, and the entire world.
C E N A C L E S ’ U P D A T E
Members of the Divine Mercy cenacle in North Canton, Ohio.
Members of the Divine Mercy cenacle in Akron, Ohio.
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Questions about starting a cenacle? Call theEADM office toll-free at 1-877-380-0727, andwe’ll send you a free informational packet with a DVD on the ministry and how to start aDivine Mercy cenacle.
C E N A C L E S ’ U P D A T E
Want a Spanish Divine MercyMission in Your Parish?
Every two weeks, a membertakes the responsibility of callingour cell phones 15 minutes beforethe Hour of Great Mercy, so thatwe can have a group prayer fromour various locations.
We have organized tworetreats this year facilitated byour chaplain. These have beenwell attended despite the fact thatpeople had to travel a fair dis-tance to take part. Our groupmeets as a family at 2.30 p.m.,every two weeks at the GoodSamaritan Sisters. We learn andreflect on the message of DivineMercy using the CenacleFormation Manuals. We entrustourselves to the Merciful Jesus bypraying the chaplet and asking for St. Faustina’s intercession.
This year, God called one of our members, Margaret, back home.May her soul rest in eternal peace.
Every year, we are involved in a massive preparation for DivineMercy Sunday. We also visit prisons and bring them some smallprayercards of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, and other accepted materials.We volunteer at the homes of the Missionaries of the Poor and visitother homes for the handicapped, giving them support when we can.
This past year, three more groups were formed. The first one is in central Kampala. This group started in June, and it is a few kilo-meters from where we meet. This group is under the formation of apriest, and they will be joining EADM on Divine Mercy Sunday.
The second group is in the west (Mbarara). It started in March.This group was started by one of our members who is a teacher byprofession. With the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, she started acenacle group with the teachers and the students of her school.
They are doing well, although they lack materials and photocopiesare used among the three groups. They do deeds of mercy by visitingthe women in prison in their area, and they give clothing and foodto the babies born inside the prison.The two times they have visitedthem, the prisoners were very happy. They also visit the homes of thehandicapped. The sharing is touching because these are students whosave money from their own pockets to give to those who are in need!
The third group started in September. It is in Masaka. It is a two-hour drive from Kampala. It was started by a young priest who gotinterested in the message of Divine Mercy when he was a seminarian.He was ordained in August 2010 and is the assistant pastor of NkoniParish. I recently visited this group and was inspired by them. It isvery active despite their financial struggles. In spite of hardship, they
collect items and then visit theelderly and prisoners to give whatthey have collected. The group ismade up of adults and teenagers,plus a group of young childrenfrom the surrounding school. The challenge I found with thisgroup was that most of the mem-bers, except the schoolchildren,do not speak English. The priestasked whether the cenacle bookscan be translated into the locallanguage. I told him to wait untilI got the permission from thepublishers and the author. I askedthe priest to continue helpingthem with the translation duringthe meetings.
In September, with the help of my spiritual director, I opened up Mercy Center — Uganda tohelp all the people in our country who might need to deepen theirrelationship with God through the message of Divine Mercy, St.Faustina’s spirituality, as well as that of Blessed John Paul II andBlessed Michael Sopocko. The Center is to provide all information,prayers, counseling, and works of mercy to those in need. I am ask-ing for prayers for this center — that the parish recognizes it, andalso to be in position to get books that the people who visit want.Also, I ask God to give us the graces to be in position to help thosewho are in need.
From our country, I was one of six participants, including onepriest, who attended the second World Apostolic Congress on Mercy(WACOM II) in October in Kraków–Lagiewniki. The congress wasa big celebration that gathered thousands of people from around theworld. It deepened our faith and testified to the presence of theMerciful Jesus. It was overwhelming to hear inspiring talks from thecardinals and testimonials from other participants about the mercy ofGod. The theme “Mercy as the Source of Hope” was to give us hopethrough God’s immeasurable mercy!
The congress touched me, and I see that trust in God is needed. Ifear that people have lost hope in everything, and man no longertrusts anyone. We are looking at each other as enemies. We havehypocrisy in our hearts. All this because we have decided to handlethings ourselves and have put God aside.
At the congress, I realized that the mercy of God unites us together as one family. May the Blood and Water, which gushedforth from the Heart of Jesus, fill us with the grace necessary to carryon the mission of the message of Divine Mercy, especially by helpingthose who no longer have hope.
Members of the Divine Mercy cenacle in Kampala, Uganda
Father Diego Maximino, MIC
Father Diego Maximino, MIC, can come toyour parish and speak about Divine Mercy inSpanish. To set up a mission, call (413) 298-1143 or e-mail [email protected].
H umility is the virtue of recognizing ourdependence on God, and also thevirtue most pleasing to God. It is a
virtue that is paramount to spiritual growth. When Gabriel came to Mary and said, “Hail,
full of grace,”(Lk 1:28) she was initially troubledand made fearful by Gabriel’s praise. Yet, theBlessed Mother gave a beautiful example ofhumility at the Incarnation when she replied,“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let itbe to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).While Mary wondered how all this could be asshe had no husband, she recognized God’s will.She did not answer with false humility, saying,“I could never do that as I am not worthy,” butinstead, with true humility, she gave her “Yes!”for she realized that it was God’s plan, and thatwith God all things are possible.
The Blessed Mother realized that she didn’tdeserve to be addressed with “Hail, Mary.” Itwas a gift of God that she became the Motherof God, not because of anything she did butbecause of what God had done for her. She wasimmaculately conceived — meaning she wasborn preserved from original sin, and only God could do that. The fact that she knew God had done great things for her made her ahumble person.
In today’s world of consumerism and mate-rialism, humility is often viewed as a sign ofweakness. Being meek and humble of heart isnot a weakness! Scripture tells us “…whoeverexalts himself will be humbled, and whoeverhumbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23:12).But do we really believe it, and even moreimportantly, do we practice it?
So how do we cultivate this important virtueof humility? Some of the best ways are a frequentexamination of conscience and a confession of sin through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.These are good ways to cultivate humilitybecause they help us to better understand our-selves. They foster the practice of looking atourselves with an honest eye and realizing ourdependence on God.
Our Blessed Mother was able to accept thatGod could work a miracle through her. Thisrequired humility as she realized that God wasthe source of her strength. When you have abalanced view of God and His relationshipwith you, then the medium of extremes will befound between seeing yourself as worthless andseeing yourself as a being of perfection. Youwill better understand our human frailties but
also the beauty of life and the wonder of God. Reflect on Mary as she says, “The Almighty has
done great things for me, and holy is His name”(Lk 1:46-55). Her whole song is all about howglorious God is and all the great things He hasdone for her. It isn’t about her at all.
Mary is our model of humility, and may wehave a similar humble outlook on our lives. Letus realize all the great things that God has donefor us, and may we give Him unceasing praise.
The Ten Evangelical Virtues of Our Lady (Part three)
Reflect on Mary as she says, “The Almightyhas done great things for me, and holy is Hisname” (Lk 1:46-55). Her whole song is allabout how glorious God is and all the greatthings He has done for her. It isn’t about herat all.
By Bryan Thatcher, MD
Most Humble
GGEETT YYOOUURREEAADDMM KKEEYY
CCHHAAIINN FREE with a
donation of $25 or more
to the ministry.EP2-DMKC
Mini-conference, March 10Epiphany Cathedral, Venice, Fla.Contact: Bryan Thatcher, MD, at 877-380-0727Presenters include: Bryan Thatcher, MD, and Annie Karto
Day of Reflection, March 24Holy Family Church, Port St. Lucie, Fla.Contact: Holy Family Church at 772-335-2385Speakers: Bryan Thatcher, MD, and Annie Karto
8th Annual Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy Conference, May 1-2College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass.Contact: 1-800-462-7426 or thedivinemercy.org/eventsSpeakers include: Sr. Marie Simon-Pierre, Sr. Marie Thomas, Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC,Bryan Thatcher, MD, and Marie Romagnano, RN
UUPPCCOOMMIINNGG EEVVEENNTTSS
Cenacle Formation ManualsGuides prayer cenacles through TheDivine Mercy message, integratingSacred Scripture, the Catechism of theCatholic Church and the Diary of St.Faustina. By Dr. Bryan and Susan Thatcher.$13.00 EachManual 1: EP2-CFM1Manual 2: EP2-CFM2Manual 3: EP2-CFM33-Book Set: EP2-SCFM ($35.00)also available in Spanish
Cenacle of The Divine Mercy:EWTN Program Series I
Join the cenacle members from around thecountry in discussing the impact of DivineMercy on their lives. Free Companion Guideincluded! 4 DVDs. EP2-CGDVD $39.95
Cenacle of The Divine Mercy:EWTN Program Series II
Join Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC, Bryan Thatcher, MD, andthe rest of the cenacle group in further explorationof the riches of The Divine Mercy message. FreeCompanion Guide included! 4 DVDs. EP2-CG2DVD $39.95
Additional Companion Guides for each series can beordered for group use. Call for quantity pricing, usecodes CGER and CGE2.
FOR PARISH AND PRAYER GROUPS NNEEEEDD AA SSPPEEAAKKEERR??
I would love to come to yourparish and speak on Divine Mercy,the Eucharist, Our Blessed Mother,and pro-life issues, as well as current efforts to build a medicaland dental clinic in the Philippines.For more information call the EADMoffice at 1-877-380-0727.
