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"Spreading the Overflowing Mercy of God"
On a rocky hilltop in Marilao, a town in the Province of Bulacan, just a few kilometers from Manila, stands the Shrine dedicated to the Divine Mercy. No one could have foreseen that this place which used to be haunted to most of the residents and passersby would turn out to be the one of the most blessed pilgrim sites in the country. Little did they know that God had a special purpose in making it deserted for some years because it would soon become an oasis of His Mercy as it is today!
The place has become a destination for pilgrimages due to numerous cases of healings and conversions. The people who come and pray could attest to the sacredness of the place that combines Nature’s bliss with their yearning to be blessed. Somewhere somehow, they feel that the Mercy of God is so immeasurable. The intense feeling as the pilgrims arrive to this place of serenity creates an attraction to always come back and relish their experiences at the Shrine.
"Breaking the Fertile Ground for the New Church"
Underneath the ground on which the new Church would be built was a solid rock. Among the first to be constructed was an Adoration Chapel which was intended to immortalize the Last Vision of Fatima. The Message of Conversion as called for by the Blessed Mother at Fatima was reaffirmed by the Message of the Divine Mercy as told to St. Faustina. As many as 5,000 people witnessed the blessing of the Adoration Chapel, a clear proof that God has blessed this holy ground as a testament of man’s conversion through His merciful Love.
As soon as the construction work begun, the land development plan was focused in providing an appropriate place for liturgical celebrations that can accommodate more people who come for worship. From here, the Grotto of Our Lady of Fatima was deemed just right for the purpose to complement the altar at the Adoration chapel. At first, bamboo benches were installed but later, these were replaced by wooden phalanges as benches. Soon enough, more devotes started to pour in as the devotion to the Divine Mercy became more popular to many people, not only within the parish but more so, from far distant places. What makes this grotto distinct is the overflowing water from the rock on which the statue of Our Lady of Fatima is enthroned: a reminder to every visitor that the Mercy of God is more than enough for all those who come and trust in Him.
"Providing a Serene Place of Worship for Pilgrims"
The first Eucharist was celebrated at the site on February 2, 1992, during the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, as the fitting tribute to Mother Mary for her intercession. Soon, the ground breaking of the Church site was held on April of that year in the presence of then Bishop of Malolos, Most Rev. Cirilo Almario, Jr. The ground was indeed fertile not only for the new Church building but for the new community of believers of the Divine Mercy. And so on November 30, 1994, the Parish of the Divine Mercy was formally established with Fr. Vic Robles as its first Parish Priest.
Five years later, on April 4, 1999, the Parish was declared as Diocesan Shrine by then Bishop of Malolos, Most Rev. Rolando Tria-Tirona who, together with the Council of Priests, approved such distinction due to the increasing number of pilgrims who flock the Divine Mercy Church. And three years later, it was given the status of a “National Shrine” by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) headed by its President Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, DD, OMI, on November 30, 2002. The multitude of devotees who attended that momentous event was in itself a confirmation of its well-deserved title.
After fifteen years of fruitful ministry at the Shrine, Fr. Vic Robles turned over the administration to the present Parish Priest in the person of Fr. Mar DJ. Arenas, in a rite presided by then Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Most Rev. Antonio Franco and Malolos Bishop, Most. Rev. Jose Oliveros on June 26, 2005. The new Parish Priest bowed to continue the propagation of the devotion vis-à-vis the pastoral management of the parish. In barely a year after his installation, he spearheaded the acquisition of additional parcels of land at the back of the Church. This makes the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy one of the largest Church sites in the Philippines with a land area close to five hectares.
To further enhance the Shrine’s mission to propagate and consolidate the Divine Mercy devotion in all dioceses and archdioceses in the country, Fr. Mar DJ Arenas assumed the position of Shrine Rector and National Director for Divine Mercy Apostolate in the Philippines on July 1, 2009. For this purpose, a Monthly TV Mass is regularly aired during the first Sunday of every other month and a weekly radio program at 3:00 every Friday in Radio Veritas entitled “DIVINE MERCY HOUR: Sa Awa ng Diyos”. The Parish publishes an official newsletter, PILGRIM (which stands for “People in Love Growing Rich in Mercy”), that is circulated quarterly to inform parishioners and pilgrims on the multi-faceted activities of the Shrine and the testimonies of people who have received healings and miracles.
"Witnessing Miracles after Miracles"
While everything was unfolding according to God’s Plan, the image of the Divine Mercy that was commissioned in 1991 to Celing Marasigan, a distinguished Bulakeño painter was blessed on that same year. At his very old age, he was able to finish the image that was to be instrumental in the propagation of God’s Mercy in many years to come. The painter himself was among the first beneficiaries of the miracle of the Divine Mercy when he suffered a massive stroke. He regained consciousness and recovered only when his wife knelt for his recovery before the Divine Mercy Image which he himself painted.
Those who in one way or another have experienced healing or whose prayers were answered through their devotion to the Divine Mercy are always admonished to write them down as clear proofs of the Loving Mercy of God. For this reason, they are urged to write their testimonies and drop them at the designated ANSWERED PETITION Boxes at the entrance of the Church or at the Parish Office so that many people can get inspiration from them. There are reasons why miracles happen to someone beyond simply being a recipient. Becoming a rock of solid hope for others may one of those reasons.
"Where People can Taste a Little Bit of Heaven"
It is a must for those who wish to be enriched spiritually to visit the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Bulacan. Being truly a place for conversion, a reconciliation room is always available for confession and counseling. One can also stay at the Divine Mercy Retreat House that can accommodate more than 40 persons at a time for stay-in retreats, or a Pastoral Center suited for meetings and recollections, and the Pope John Paul Activity Center that has a wider space for social and religious functions.
Being at the Shrine, one will surely be attracted to visit the Guadalupe Chapel at the Church basement where a big picture of Our Lady is enthroned with its flowing water that many pilgrims attest could heal. And not to be missed is the new Holy Land Exhibit where important places in the life of our Lord can be viewed in big matted billboards. Enter the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher where one can feel the awesomeness of the place where the Lord was buried, and the newly renovated Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes where people can pray in silence for good health and the Grotto of the Resurrection where one can whisper a prayer for long life while the waters gush from the rocky falls.
To be energized spiritually, one can simply take a long walk and meditate on the Passion of the Lord by gazing on the more than life sized Stations of the Cross at the Open field, or travel through time with the kids by looking at the miniature Christmas Scenery depicting the Nativity of the Child Jesus in Bethlehem.
One does not have to leave the Philippines to get a glimpse of the place where the Divine Mercy devotion originated. The Shrine offers the Little Poland Museums that feature the replica of the house where Pope John Paul II lived, the replica of the Chapel where St. Faustina had the vision of the Divine Mercy, and the replica of the eerie Prison Cell of St. Maximilian Kolbe where he was martyred. Sit in tranquility at the Old Town where pilgrims assemble for orientation about the Shrine, or reflect at the Garden of the Black Madonna, also known as Our Lady of Czestochowa where Mary’s image came directly from Poland, or simply meditate quietly at the amphitheatre.
More than the place, it is the people who come and pray at the Shrine. It uplifts one’s spirit to see thousands of people from different walks of life singing the song “Alam Kong May Magagawa ang Diyos” (I know that God can Do Something) during Mass celebrations, or the friendly exchange of gentle smiles during the Sign of Peace. Celebrating the Eucharist at the Shrine is all about being part of a larger family, where no one, even the most sinful of sinners, is rejected. After all, the God of Mercy as personified by the statue at the entrance of the Church depicting the Parable of the Prodigal Son, is always waiting for those who want to return to His Fatherly care. In God’s time, the Mercy of God will surely overshadow them towards complete repentance! Coming to the Shrine is already an initial attestation of opening a line of communication with God who cannot refuse a soul in need of His love.
There are a lot of future plans for the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy to be at par with other places of pilgrimage in the country. There is a plan to construct the Divine Mercy Assembly Hall with a standing capacity of 12,000 people to accommodate the increasing number of devotees that flock the Shrine especially on Sundays. Designed by the well respected Architect Yolly Reyes, it will also house the biggest and tallest painted image of the Divine Mercy in the world to be drawn by Mr. Willy Dazo, who is himself a beneficiary of Divine Mercy miracle. On top of the 10 storey high Assembly hall will be an adoration chapel inside a metal globe with the map of the Philippines at the center. Under the church will be a columbary with 7,000 niches to allow the interment of ashes of devotees who may wish to continue their journey with the Lord of Mercy through eternity. These are dreams not impossible to reach because God always sends people to be channels of His generosity.
The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy is and will continue to be a place where one can experience God to lighten up one’s burden and be secured with the belief that God is present as a Loving Merciful Lord now and forever.
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