“Nothing is more important for man than Divine Mercy.”
With these words the late Pope John
Paul II gave powerful testimony to
God’s mercy, a theme which became
a hallmark of his papacy.
As bishop of Krakow, Poland he
initiated the cause of beatification of
Sister Faustyna Kowalska, the humble
Polish nun to whom Jesus entrusted
the message of Divine Mercy in 1931.
On the occasion of Sister Faustyna’s
canonisation in 2000, Pope John Paul
II declared that Divine Mercy Sunday
would be celebrated on the Sunday
after Easter throughout the Church.
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It is not surprising then that the largest
concentration of Poles in Australia,
who have been drawn to the south
eastern suburbs of Melbourne resolved
to extend devotions to the Divine
Mercy with the establishment of Polish
Catholic Centre in Keysborough in
1998. But their proudest moment was
undoubtedly the completion of the first
Divine Mercy Shrine in Australia in 2006,
built as a magnificent gesture of the
God’s Providence and recognition of the
blessing of their new homes in Australia.
The shrine seats 450 for Mass and
includes rooms for meetings and
religious education as well as a
cafeteria.
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CDF support of this project was
modest due to the huge outpouring
of donations, sponsorship and
fundraising efforts from Polish
communities throughout Australia
and overseas. The Fund congratulates
the Polish community on their
achievement.
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