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D Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy Newsletter Fall/Winter 2017

As Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy, we want everyone to

know about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. But what does the Eucharist have to do with Divine Mercy?

First of all, any discussion on the Divine Mercy Incarnate must include the Eucharist, for they are one and the same. That is, the Divine Mercy Incarnate is Jesus and Jesus is the Eucharist. Just as blood carries life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients to all the cells throughout our body, the Eucharist is our spiritual food and transfuses us with life-saving grace and power, providing us with nourishment and grace for our travels on the spiritual road of life.

The Sacrament was instituted by Jesus on Holy Thursday, and this gift is ongoing, celebrated daily in Masses all over the world. Jesus wants us to partake of this gift as frequently as our station in life permits.

He said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (Jn 6:53-54).

The Church teaches that at the moment of Consecration during the Mass, the bread and wine on the altar, through Transubstantiation, become the real Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In fact, the Council of Trent in 1551 condemned any notion that Christ is merely symbolically or figuratively present in the Eucharist. Indeed, after the Consecration, the bread and wine cease to exist, although their appearance remains. While it is true, spiritually speaking, that God is everywhere, the Eucharistic presence of Christ — that is, that Christ is truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity — is a rather unique mystery of the faith.

In John 6:48-51, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

When discussing the Real Presence, one can see from

John, chapter 6, that even at the time of Christ, there was disagreement and discussion, and many did not understand what He was saying. In verses 48-56, He speaks of being “the bread of life” which “comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.” However, in verse 60, it is written that many of His disciples, when they heard it, remarked, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” And in verse 66, “As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accom-panied him.”

The early Christians who believed in the Real Presence suffered much. There was much persecution, and there were many martyrs. People met and prayed in secret and could not openly discuss their

faith. A community of secrecy developed, as reflected in the signs and symbols of the early Church, ones that could not be deciphered by the pagans due to their complexity.

Early last century, when the catacombs were discovered and excavated, several symbols were found in far greater fre-quency than others. They reflected on the meaning of life and the “Great Secret,” the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Interestingly, it was not Christ’s Resurrection, His numerous healings, the Sermon on the Mount, or the Passion that predominated in the symbolic artwork of the catacombs; rather, it was the symbol of the Eucharist that was the focus throughout. It was even depicted on Peter’s tomb.

The Eucharist is the sum and summit of our faith, and a secret that is not supposed to be a secret! We must tell the world about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, for He is the answer to all of the world’s problems. As Jesus told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 300).

And as St. Faustina once wrote, “The most solemn moment of my life is the moment when I receive Holy Communion. I long for each Holy Communion, and for every Holy Communion I give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity. If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering” (Diary, 1804).

By Bryan Thatcher, MD

The eucharisT and eadM

EADM members from St. Augustine Church recently welcomed five new parishioners as EADM members. Our spiritual director, Fr. Jose Mercado, led this consecration of the new members. We were all filled with happiness for being part of a group dedicated to spreading the love and mercy of Jesus.

With this latest consecration on June 9, we at St. Augustine Church bid farewell to Fr. Mercado, who was relocated to New Haven. He inducted the first EADM group in 2009. EADM members with Father include Mercedes Diaz, Juana Durán, Nelly Mazariegos, Ramón Gil, Nicole Troche, and Maria Virella.

As a new apostolate within our parish EADM group, we recently held a community cenacle gathering, inviting people we had met while visiting homes as part of our evangelistic outreach program. Father Jose Linares, our new spiritual director, participated with us. We gave a presentation on our mission. It was met with love, happiness, and respect. We closed the cenacle by professing our love for God and for each other.

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C E N A C L E S U P D A T E

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE Nancy LaCross wrote and told us:

Anna Krakowski and Nancy LaCross, facilitators of Divine Mercy since 2006, and 15 members of Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel, were officially approved by our new pastor, Fr. Bob Bruno, as Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 23. Anna started the first cenacle in 2006 with evening meetings. Nancy spun off the group to begin a second cenacle.

We have completed three cenacle books and will now introduce Robert Stackpole’s new book, Mary: Who She Is and Why She Matters. Accomplishments of our EADM cenacles in spreading the Divine Mercy include:

1. educating the Military Catholic Women of the Parish Faith Study Group using the EWTN Divine Mercy series;

2. praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and dying at Langley Air Force Base Hospital and after daily Mass before the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel.

3. working with and through our Military Catholic Women of the Parish Outreach Program to provide money, clothing, food, and toys to Catholic Charities and for the homeless.

4. during Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy, members of the two Divine Mercy cenacles and the Military Catholic Women visited three basilicas with designated Doors of Mercy; coordinator Dulce Howe

HARTFORD, ConneCtiCutMaria Virella wrote and told us:

I am pleased to submit the applications of 10 individuals who have now completed the lessons of the first Cenacle Formation Manual. Please enroll each of us as Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy. Father Fransciso Rodriguez III, associate pastor at St. William, pre-sided over the induction ceremony at the 5 p.m. Mass on June 24.

Our group has met every (available) second and fourth Tuesday since July 12, 2016, for a two-hour session to discuss the lessons in Cenacle Formation Manual #1. In addition to the lessons from the manual, we often supplemented our sessions with videos on Divine Mercy purchased from the Marian Fathers.

As a group, we also participated in several parish activities, including:• at the building dedication for St. William’s new Evangelization

Center, providing cake with the Divine Mercy Image and information about the devotion and cenacle groups; and

• a very successful novena to St. Faustina that drew approximately 20 to 25 people each evening, with a slightly longer celebration on St.

ROUND ROCK, texasCarol Troy wrote and told us:

Faustina’s Feast Day.Many of our members also completed the 33 Days to Merciful Love

book by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, in time for St. Faustina’s Feast Day celebration.

Our cenacle members are involved in many ministries at St. William, and we are reviewing the works of mercy to determine where else we might make a difference in our faith community. Currently under consideration is taking the message of Divine Mercy to Annunciation Maternity Home and the Williamson County Jail.

We participate in an annual bilingual Divine Mercy Novena and Divine Mercy Sunday celebration at St. William and help to develop the script and provide the promotion for events in the bulletin, the website, etc.

We provide free printed resources at the St. Faustina statue in the St. William sanctuary, including Divine Mercy Chaplet pamphlets, Divine Mercy Sunday pamphlets, and the Way of the Cross pamphlets.

All 10 cenacle members have committed to continued studies using the Cenacle Formation Manual #2, which we began on Aug. 8, with an aggressive schedule to complete that manual by June 26, 2018.

We are also currently promoting the formation of a second cenacle for new individuals interested in beginning the lessons in Formation Manual #1. We hope to have 7-15 individuals interested and committed to this second cenacle group, which will meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

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C E N A C L E S U P D A T E

Container shipments continue!EADM has aggressively continued its scheduled shipments of medical

supplies to the poor. Our last container was loaded in September and went to indigent hospitals in Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao, Philippines. The area is the site of the Marians’ house and the Shrine of Divine Mercy.

More than 200 boxes of supplies, including walkers, crutches, wheel-chairs, and exam tables, were loaded by volunteers.

Each container costs nearly $5,000 to reach its destination, and your continued assistance is vital to continue our work.

set and exceeded the goal of entering 100 Doors of Mercy; and all received plenary indulgences; and

5. Velky McAnelly organized the Fatima Prayer Rosary Rally on May 13, in a vacant lot adjacent to an abortion clinic in Newport News, Virginia. An invitation was sent to all local parishes to join in the Rosary Rally for the conversion of the United States of America.

We will continue to spread the message of Divine Mercy through word and deed and will give testimonials of the heavenly power of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the sick and dying.

After many years of participating, nurturing, and facilitating in the initiation of Divine Mercy cenacles in both English and Spanish, as well as nurturing cenacles in Mexico, Panama, and Central America, we started the first cenacle program on the Virgin of Guadalupe Radio! The cenacle program is on the air every Friday from 2 to 3 p.m., with a rerun on Tuesdays. Our group on the air consists of five to seven people, including a priest. This radio cenacle has a potential audience of thousands, including those in the hospital, lonely and elderly in the home, inmates in prisons, truck drivers on the road, and more. We also have people listening to us on the Internet from coun-tries as far away as Spain.

Our cenacle follows the program outlined in the EADM formation program. We adhere to and practice the tenets of Divine Mercy, such as prayer, formation, community, and charity. We pray to the Holy Spirit for His gifts of love, wisdom, and fortitude to help us and our listeners live the message of mercy daily.

We discuss the Image of Divine Mercy, and we stress the importance of praying the Chaplet daily and the need to forgive others and our-selves. We try to help others love Jesus, be role models in the family, and support the needy through works of mercy.

One positive fruit of our cenacle is that we are reaching the lonely and those facing a crisis in their lives. There have been instances in which people considering suicide happened to tune in, and when they

SAN ANTONIO, texasBetty Geraldo wrote and told us:

heard the message of God’s love and mercy, they were filled with joy and hope. They obtained a new focus in life and understood the need to trust in Jesus.

Lastly, our hope is that this cenacle on radio will encourage other stations to do the same and use technology to spread the message of mercy. Through the feedback of our listeners, we know that the cenacle is reaching thousands in homes and places where there is a pro-found thirst for the Living Water.

Our weekly meetings at St. Anne Parish are faithfully attended by 15 active members, and we have several suffering souls as members.

We have enthroned the Image of Divine Mercy in 299 homes, including three in Mexico. We also visit homes for the elderly and try to reach out with works of mercy as needs arise.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, we use proceeds from sales of materials to fund programs to propagate the Divine Mercy message. We also participated in St. Anne’s annual bazaar; we had a booth where we sold balloons and pictures of the Divine Mercy to help with needs in the parish. On the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the members served breakfast, chocolate, coffee, and juice for the par-ish community after the traditional Mañanitas event.

Our ministry offers a guided study program for prayer communities that includes Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and St. Faustina’s Diary. EADM nurtures genuine belief in the Real Presence of our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist. Most of our EADM members are also extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. We promote Eucharistic Adoration, together with hourly praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and dying.

In addition, we distribute Catholic resource material, including fli-ers relative to Church holy days of obligation, the history of the scapu-lars, praying the Rosary, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

TOMBALL, texasOscar Kellert wrote and told us:

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I n 1992, the Holy Family Ministry Center was founded by my

wife, Nan, and me “for the renewal and restoration of the family and Catholic family life through the spir-itual and corporal works of mercy.” In 1995, with Fr. Francis Bagan, OMI, pres-ent, this ministry for family renewal was dedicated to the Divine Mercy. This led to more study of the life of St. Faustina and her Diary, in which numerous passages focus on God’s mercy for those at the end of life.

In St. John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), he stated, “[W]e are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the ‘culture of death’ and the ‘culture of life.’ We find ourselves not only ‘faced with’ but necessarily ‘in the midst of’ this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life” (28). This culture of death has led to the growing disintegra-tion of the family in American society and a lack of respect for human life — both at its beginning and at the end of life (with physician-assisted suicide and stealth euthanasia now a reality).

In 1999, through prayer and seeking God’s will, we came to real-ize that it wasn’t enough to work solely to preserve the lives of God’s children at the beginning of life. God inspired us to reach out to serve those at the end of life — the elderly, the sick, and the terminally ill. Through the study of St. Faustina’s Diary, a growing trust in God’s merciful love, and much encouragement from friends and advisors such as Dr. Bryan Thatcher of the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy, we persevered with this call from God.

In the process of learning about caring for those at the end of life, we came to realize that there was a need for a marriage of medical and spiritual care, especially what God had planted in our hearts through the study of the Diary. Our Lord told St. Faustina, “I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it” (Diary, 1317). This call from God and the demand for deeds of mercy struck our hearts and inspired us to conclude we would need a special home where this type of care could be provided as part of daily life. This type of caregiving requires hearts filled with, and formed by, God’s

mercy. This is a mission of love; it is not a job for profit.

Loreto on the Plains Personal Care Home, an outreach of the Holy Family Ministry Center, in Hartley, Texas, became the fruit from those seeds of mercy and trust in God’s provision for those at the end of life. Yes, with God, all things are possible. It opened in 2009 and has served 12 residents, assisting them with personal care and prayer, wrapped in God’s mercy, which has helped them to prepare to go home to the Father.

Demographically, a tidal wave of elderly in need of care is upon us. All across America, there is a need for homes where the elderly and those at the end of life can be cared for with hands guided by God’s merciful love, homes where the sacredness of life is respected and protected and people are helped to live until they die, not helped to die.

Our mission now is for others to learn about and discern a role in establishing homes for the sick and terminally ill where the sanctity of every human life is protected. We call these “Homes of Life” — places where up to three unrelated persons can live with a family and be cared for and loved. These homes could provide a new pathway for care for those most vulnerable to the culture of death. Homes of Life are simply homes of loving people living the spiritual and corporal works of mercy by serving those in need of the loving care and attention of brothers and sisters of the family of God. The more loving, welcoming, and (to borrow a word from today’s world) “inclusive” the envi-ronment is, the longer the resident patient tends to live. It can be unnatural to be in an institution, but very natural to be at home.

We put strong focus on homemade meals and sharing around the table. Other activities give life and happiness to our residents, such as birthday parties, playing games together, and, when able, taking every-one to a favorite restaurant. Each resident has his or her own room and has privacy and quiet when desired. You see, Homes of Life are exactly that, homes of life!

Please call us if you are interested in learning about this type of care-giving and/or joining the Homes of Life Across America movement. Get your questions together and email them to nanweber@xit.net or call 806-361-5097. We will get back to you with the answers. Visits to Loreto on the Plains PCH can be arranged as well. You can also go to our website (HomesOfLife.net) to learn more.

Homes of Life Across America

Call the EADM office toll-free at 1-877-380-0727, and we’ll send you a free informational packet with a DVD on the ministry.

Want to start a cenacle?

By Ed Weber

New pathway of care for elderly, sick, and terminally ill

NEED A SPEAKER?

EADM relies on your generosity to keep the ministry running. Help us continue to bring the message of Divine Mercy

to a hurting world.

Please donate to EADM today.

Call 1-800-462-7426,visit marian.org/eadm

or use the enclosed envelope.

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Dr. Bryan Thatcher, director of Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy, spoke in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sept. 16, and in Albany, New York, on Sept. 30. He will be speaking in Arlington, Virginia, on Oct. 5; at the 2nd Cleveland Divine Mercy Medicine, Bioethics & Spirituality Conference on Oct. 26-27, and in Oakland, California, on Nov. 25-26. He would love to speak to your parish. For more information on upcoming talks or to schedule him for a talk at your parish, please call the office at 1-877-380-0727.

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