Celebrating God’s gracious gift of mercy

The Church of the Divine Mercy celebrated its feast day on the Second Sunday of Easter. Streams of pilgrims arrived at the church some two hours before Mass to go for confession and chant the chaplet.

Apr 19, 2024

Members of the congregation standing with the image of the Divine Mercy for blessing.


By Rachael Philip

The Church of the Divine Mercy celebrated its feast day on the Second Sunday of Easter. Streams of pilgrims arrived at the church some two hours before Mass to go for confession and chant the chaplet.

Fr Michel Dass was the main celebrant at the 3.30pm Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday. Concelebrating were Archbishop Julian Leow and Frs George Harrison and Lawrence Ng, CDD.

During the six days of the Octave Weekday Masses leading up to the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, the faithful contemplated the Beatitudes – one Beatitude fleshed out each day by different priests.

Children also participated in a special Mass on the morning of Easter Saturday, where Fr Lawrence preached on the line “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God”.

“And the journey continues,” said Fr Michel. “Blessed are we who are teachable, blessed are we who are joyful, blessed are we who are aligned with God, blessed are we who are agents of mercy, blessed are we who welcome and acknowledge that you and I are children of God,” he said in his homily, reminding the faithful of the teachings of the past week.

He added that we are indeed blessed to be drinking from His font of mercy during Mass. And when we leave the church, we take with us blessings to be shared with others.

“We are all companions on this journey as we bring blessings to others. We are all not perfect. As a priest, I serve despite my failures and weaknesses.

“For it is through our weaknesses and challenges that God uses us and speaks through us to others.”
He advised us to remain connected to God as His sons and daughters for this is how we can remain blessed and become a blessing unto others.

The seven weeks, starting from Ash Wednesday and leading up to Easter and the Divine Mercy feast day, saw the acting parish priest crafting and introducing a spiritual journey for the parishioners.

The parishioners embarked on an “adventurous” journey that began on Ash Wednesday and continued right through Lent, Easter and Divine Mercy with them seamlessly moving through the themes of Repentance, Belief and Trust.

The message was constantly at the top of our minds, thanks to the regular flow of posters and messages which parishioners – young and old alike – received on their handphones, all inspired by Fr Michel.

We will surely miss Fr Mike, as he is fondly known, and his savvy media skills. Fr Michel is moving to the Church of St Anthony, Kuala Lumpur, effective April 15. Fr George Harrison is appointed parish priest of the Church of the Divine Mercy.

These two years, it was hard to escape Fr Michel’s presence. Like a caring dad, he ensured regular communication by sharing ‘love’ messages through social media posters, thanking parishioners, congratulating confirmands and encouraging students before their exams. His effort extended to far-reaching videos of his homily in Bahasa that edified the faithful in the interiors of Sabah, Sarawak, and even in Indonesia.

Social media has become a vital tool in local parishes, forever changing the way we receive the Word of God, teachings and, yes, the parish bulletin. Indeed, blessed is the priest who can use this as a tool to advance God’s mission.

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