By Rachel Curry
The Jubilee Year of Mercy has brought the importance of the notions of forgiveness and forbearance into the lives of a billion Catholics this year.
Among those highlighting the value of mercy in the Catholic faith is co-ordinator of the Divine Mercy Apostolate in Perth, Julia Murphy.
In an interview with The eRecord journalist Rachel Curry, Ms Murphy said there was an urgent need to contemplate the gift of mercy at this time.
“This year is a Year of Mercy and Pope Francis said we need mercy now more than ever,” she said.
“There is a need for mercy in the world because the reality is there is a lot of sin and God knows we are not perfect; He wants us to come back and He is pulling us back all the time.”
Pope Francis announced the Extraordinary Jubilee in March last year, setting the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, 8 December 2015, as the commencement of the year and the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 20 November 2016, as the conclusion.
The Holy Father was confident the whole Church “would be able to find in this Jubilee the joy of rediscovering and rendering fruitful God’s mercy, with which we are all called to give comfort to every man and every woman of our time”.
Ms Murphy said this was an exciting year also because Catholics would celebrate not only the Year of Mercy, but also World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, which is the homeland of St Maria Faustina Kowalska.
It was the diaries of St Faustina which inspired the Divine Mercy devotion after the young saint received extraordinary revelations from Jesus during the 1920s and 1930s.
The devotion has since gathered momentum around the world, particularly since the papacy of John Paul II, who canonised St Faustina and established the feast day of Divine Mercy Sunday in the year 2000.
In Perth, Ms Murphy is carrying on the legacy of her father John, who was the founding co-ordinator of the Divine Mercy Apostolate and served in the role until his death last August.
She said the family experienced Divine Mercy personally in 1992 when they escaped unharmed from a serious car accident that completely destroyed their vehicle.
“That night, we were going out for a meal and we were hit from behind into oncoming traffic. Mum saw the front part of the bonnet come up and she thought that was it,” she said.
“We were saved from the accident because there is no way we could have come out of there alive. Since then, we have become more involved in the Church and thought to begin Divine Mercy at the Cathedral.”
Today, the devotions are held at St Francis Xavier’s Church in East Perth on the first Sunday of each month, attended by a different priest each time.
Starting at 1.30pm, the program includes Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Confession, holy Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Benediction and veneration of a first-class relic of St Faustina, followed by fellowship in the church hall.
Ms Murphy said they welcomed anyone who wanted to come and find out more about the devotions.
A special Mass will be held in the Cathedral to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, which this year falls on 7 April.
In Perth, the Divine Mercy Apostolate has held monthly devotions in honour of the merciful love of Christ for 23 years.
For more information about Divine Mercy, please call Julia Murphy on 08 9457 7771