- Eucharistic Adoration - Friday, April 25, at St. Mary Church beginning with Mass at 9am, followed by Adoration, with Benediction at 6:00pm.
- Divine Mercy Sunday - April 27th 2025 we shall begin with Eucharistic Adoration from 6.00 am noon to 1:00 pm at Saint Mary’s Chapel, Dansville. Following Adoration, there will be opportunity for Confessions from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm; Meditation on Divine Mercy at 2:50 pm; Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benediction at 3:00 pm, these will take place in St. Mary's Church.
- Memorial Mass for Fr. Walter Cushing, Wednesday, April 30, 5:30pm at St. Pius V Church, Cohocton. Potluck supper to follow in Sturmer Hall
From the Desk of Father John
In 2025, Divine Mercy Sunday (April 27th) falls during the Jubilee Year, a special time of grace and spiritual renewal in the Catholic Church. This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary, or silver jubilee, of the canonization of Saint Faustina Kowalska and the proclamation of Divine Mercy Sunday, both issued by Pope Saint John Paul II on April 30, 2000. On this Divine Mercy Sunday this year of Hope , Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint who died in 2006 at the age of 15. An Italian, tech-savvy teenager who was also known for his great devotion to the True presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and has been called the “patron saint the internet.’ It is held by many that the intercession of this beloved young saint will be the source of hope, conversion and revival particularly among the youth.
Besides, all of 2025 is a Jubilee Year for the Church, a time when she especially encourages her children to seek God’s grace and mercy through the sacraments. The convergence of the Divine Mercy silver jubilees with the regular Jubilee Year forms a special gift of God’s Providence, a particularly graced occasion to draw near to Him.
If you’ve noticed this Divine Mercy Sunday in the liturgical year but never paid much attention to it, this is a good time to take another look at this beautiful feast in the life of the Church. Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when "all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened". (Diary 699) Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of Mercy, on the Sunday after Easter, which is now called Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Catholic Church. Jesus promised that "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment."(Diary 699) He went on to say, "I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy." (Diary 1109) We want to encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise and the additional Plenary Indulgence on this great Feast of Mercy "Divine Mercy Sunday". We want you to benefit fully from these promises, and we also want you to notify all your family and friends about them too and urge them to return to the practice of their faith!
The Image of The Divine Mercy, which Our Lord requested to be solemnly blessed and venerated on this day, will be on display in our church. Pope John Paul II said that the image portrays the Risen Jesus Christ bringing Mercy to the whole world. Our Lord said "I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish". (Diary 341, 48) Please take the time to visit with this Image of The Divine Mercy and venerate Jesus. Jesus said to St. Faustina "I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You". (Diary 327) "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. …Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him." (Diary 299) About the feast day "Divine Mercy Sunday", Jesus said "…tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy". (Diary 699)
Our Lord said, "When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul…" and "Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy" (1602) Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is… only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest that I am making use of; open your soul in confession to Me, and I will fill it with My light." (1725)
So how do we celebrate the great Feast of Mercy, Divine Mercy Sunday? We the Holy Family Catholic Community are fortunate that the special celebration of “Divine Mercy Sunday” will be hosted by St. Mary’s Church, Dansville, to complete the Divine Mercy Novena which began on Good Friday, on April 18th, 2025; On Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27th 2025 we shall begin with Eucharistic Adoration from 6.00 am noon to 1:00 pm at Saint Mary’s Church, Dansville. Opportunity for Confessions from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm; Meditation on Divine Mercy at 2:50 pm; Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benediction at 3:00 pm. Through the intercession of Saint Faustina and soon-to-be-canonized Carlo Acutis, may this extraordinary Divine Mercy Sunday bring many back HOME to Holy Family Catholic Community to receive the flood of grace and mercy that Our Lord offers to all. Thanks be to God for inviting us to this great banquet of mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday! Fr. John