Divine Mercy for America is very excited to be working with Family Divine Mercy to bring you Enthroning The Divine Mercy as King of Home and Family and the Act of Consecration of the Family to The Divine Mercy.
Why Enthrone The Divine Mercy?
Because of the Need to Fight Back the Devil and the Promises of The Divine Mercy
You don’t have to look very far in today’s world to see the problems, hurts and consequences of a society that has turned its back on God. Many are concerned for those who are lost, for our country and for the future of our families. This is precisely why Jesus appeared to St. Faustina in the 1930s with a message of love and mercy that He wanted to be revealed to the whole world. He made known simple yet powerful ways in which He would reach out and touch us, protect us, lead, guide and heal us. One way is by means of an image of Him that He wanted painted and venerated throughout the world. The Lord told St. Faustina:
“I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. By means of this image I shall be granting many graces to souls: so, let every soul have access to it.” (Diary, 47, 48, 570)
The enthronement ceremony prepared by Family Divine Mercy includes the Chaplet of Mercy and also the Act of Consecration of the Family to The Divine Mercy. By this enthronement and consecration, we stake our ground in the battle against evil. We promise to become dependent on the mercy of Jesus Christ in all things: to offer all our prayers and oblations to The Divine Mercy, whom we publicly acknowledge as King and Ruler of our family, and to seek every grace that He promises through the veneration of The Divine Mercy Image. We commend all family members, past, present, and future, to His loving care.
Materials to Support Enthronements
The Divine Mercy Home Enthronement Kit contains everything you need to perform the ceremony to enthrone Jesus, the Divine Mercy, as King of Home and Family. The kit includes the Enthronement Informational Guide, four Enthronement Ceremony Pamphlets, and one Enthronement Certificate. You can order the kit in our store.
The Enthronement Informational Guide is a brochure that explains the ceremony and the eternal lasting effects of enthroning Our Lord in our homes. You can order the guide in our store or download it to your computer here.
The Enthronement Ceremony Pamphlet is a double-sided, one-page bi-fold that contains the text and prayers of the ceremony itself. It is available in our store and can also be downloaded and printed on your home computer.
The Enthronement Certificate provides space for family members to sign their names and can be easily inserted into an appropriately decorative 8 x 10 frame. Order the certificate from our store or download it here.
Enthroning The Divine Mercy in the Parish
A parish may embrace and support the enthronement of The Divine Mercy in various ways. A good place to start is with the enthronement of The Divine Mercy in the parish church. This may be done during a special mass, holy hour or event, or on a special day such as Divine Mercy Sunday. Click here for an outline of the ceremony.
Home Enthronement Process Options
Most often, parish home enthronements utilize a “pilgrim image” or two that will travel from home to home as a special sign of unity and fraternity within the parish. The pilgrim image is typically a nicely framed, high-quality image that gives true homage to whom it represents: Jesus, the King of Mercy. The image stays with a family for a week or two or more, depending on the parish plan. During this time the family utilizes the image as the focal point for devotion and prayer, cognizant of the true presence of Christ in their midst. They also utilize this time to learn more about The Divine Mercy message and devotion as the source of hope, healing, and reconciliation with God, neighbor and each other. See the list of suggested materials to be left with the family at the end of this article.
At the conclusion of the visitation period, the family is encouraged to have a permanent image “enthroned” in a place of honor in the home and to display the enthronement certificate near it. The certificate provides space for the signatures of all family members and the priest or spiritual director.
Transference of the pilgrim image from family to family may be done in a variety of ways or in any combination of the following suggestions:
Family to Family
After the designated time of visitation, the family that has had the pilgrim image is contacted by the subsequent family to arrange a time for them to bring the image and materials to them. The families share their experiences and expectations and join together in prayer as outlined in the Enthronement Pamphlet. Refreshments may be shared if desired.
Weekend Mass Exchange
As often done with a Vocation Cup or Cross, the pilgrim image may be transferred during or at the end of a weekend mass. In this way, the program is given exposure to the parish community. If time allows and if appropriate, the family may share their experience with the community, witnessing the mercy of God in their lives and encouraging others to invite Jesus into their homes.
Parish Ministry Team
Designating a prayer group, such as a Divine Mercy cenacle, or other work of mercy team as stewards of the pilgrim image or images and facilitators of the program is highly encouraged no matter how the Image is transferred, and the enthronements take place. A team can be divided into smaller teams that rotate the responsibility of transferring the image from home to home and leading the enthronement process.
Combo Approach
Any combination of the three suggestions above may be incorporated to achieve the highest visibility and most successful plan. However, having a program coordinator for a designated time will definitely help the planning and logistics go as smoothly as possible. Perhaps transference can be organized by the ministry team and most often facilitated by them, with families helping to transfer the image if they so desire. Transference from family to family can happen during a mass once a month or so, with the team visiting the family to complete the process. Again, let the plan that works for your parish be the one you adopt.
Individual Home Enthronement
The enthronement ceremony may be performed in the home even if there is no official parish program. It would be best to have a priest or deacon preside, but if that is not possible, the head of the household can lead the family through the prayers for a completely valid enthronement. The idea is to communicate definitively to Jesus that He is invited into our homes and families as our King, and what better way to do that than with the enthronement ceremony!
Suggested Items to Travel from Home to Home
Image
High quality framed image of The Divine Mercy, either on canvas or paper. We are partial to the Vilnius Image, as it is the original image painted under the direction of St. Faustina, but all images are a source of grace and mercy. See Images in the DivineMercyforAmerica.org store.
Candle
A Divine Mercy vigil candle should be lit and placed near the Image. We offer a candle globe (DMVC) with a 5 – 7-day wax candle insert that burns safely. The globe may be re-used; simply replace the insert. Families may order their own globe and inserts through the DivineMercyforAmerica.org store.
Brochures
The amazing story of how and when St. Faustina received the Chaplet of Mercy, how to pray it, and the many promises affiliated with its prayerful recitation are available in the beautiful brochure by Divine Mercy for America, The Chaplet of Mercy, product code COMB.
Booklets
For years, the greatest little book covering the major aspects of The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion has been the booklet by the same name published by the Association of Marian Helpers, product code M17. We also recommend the Divine Mercy Adoration Companion (MACBK), which contains a concise history of St. Faustina’s life, a well-rounded selection of favorite Divine Mercy prayers, and a Guide to Confession. This may prove very valuable to family members who may have been away from this Sacrament of Mercy for some time. It is also available in Spanish (MACKBS).
Prayer Cards
3 x 5.5 “ cards with the Prayer for Difficult Moments and the Chaplet of Mercy on the back are available through Divine Mercy for America in packs of 25 in both English (RVPC) and Spanish(MVSPC). These will most likely need to be replenished from time to time.
Books
The Diary of St. Faustina is available in English and Spanish and should be included for the family to review. However, we also recommend Loved, Lost, Found—17 Divine Mercy Conversion Stories, as it contains remarkable, short, easy-to-read true stories about the lives of people who have been drastically changed by virtue of Divine Mercy. This book does an excellent job of sharing the stories and instilling hope in our desperation.
DVDs
Mother of Mercy Messengers has produced excellent DVDs that give an excellent overview of the heart of The Divine Mercy message and devotion in just one hour. Be sure your kit includes Tell All Souls About My Mercy (TASDVD) and also Divine Mercy for Young Hearts (YHDVD), and Divine Worksheets and Activities for Kids CD-ROM (YHCDR) so that young and old may gain a better understanding of the promises of The Divine Mercy for each of them, their family and indeed the world. Also available in Spanish.
CDs
Singing the Chaplet of Mercy is quite popular, so we encourage you to include a CD in your kit. One of the most popular versions is by Trish Short, seen regularly on EWTN. Another very popular version, and our personal favorite, is by Annie Karto, included in her CD Divine Mercy Flood My Soul.
Log – Book of Prayer Intentions and Graces
Provide a “guest book” for families to log their enthronement and share their experiences with others. From time to time, share some of these comments with your community.
Act of Consecration of the Family to The Divine Mercy
O Jesus, you showed us your infinite compassionate love by exhausting the very last drop of blood and water from your body. From this day forward, with full confidence, we entrust our families to your Divine Mercy. We abandon our past, our present and our future. We place into your wounds all of our wounds which are caused by lack of love, understanding and trust. Jesus, expel Satan and all evil from our families, free us fro the consequence of sin and protect us from further harm. Heal our wounds. May our families learn to venerate your Divine Image that they will never perish but experience your loving mercy. Amen.
(Composed by Rev. Dermot S. Roache, SMA. Imprimatur John J Myers, D.D., J.C.D., Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey 07/12/2013 © SMA Fathers, Dedham, MA USA)
Act of Consecration Prayer Cards – English or Spanish
