SEATTLE – To celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne and his auxiliary bishops will pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy during a Holy Hour of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at St. James Cathedral April 19.

“At the end, I will carry the monstrance to the front doors of the Cathedral and bless the Archdiocese with the Blessed Sacrament,” Archbishop Etienne said in an April 17 letter to priests, parish leaders and the people of God.

The holy hour, which begins at 2 p.m., and the blessing afterward will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Vimeo channel and its Facebook page; a bilingual worship aid will be provided so those watching the livestream can follow along. (The cathedral will not be open to the public.)

Archbishop Etienne, Bishop Eusebio Elizondo and Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg “will be praying each decade of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for a different intention:  First responders, medical researchers, the deceased and their loved ones, those suffering economic distress, for a deepened protection and promotion of all human life,” the archbishop said in his letter.

Divine Mercy Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter, was instituted by Pope John Paul II in 2000, based on the private revelations received in the 1930s by a humble Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska. In her diary, Faustina recorded Jesus telling her, “I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy.” Jesus also gave her the chaplet of Divine Mercy, promising, “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death.” (View a guide to praying the chaplet.)

In his letter, Archbishop Etienne encouraged all priests in the archdiocese to simultaneously observe a holy hour in their parishes, and at the conclusion, “to bring the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament to the front doors of your parish church to join me in blessing all the communities across Western Washington in unison.”

“This way together, we can collectively pray for our Archdiocese and the people of God,” the archbishop said. “This expression of communion as we seek God’s mercy for all people can be an opportunity for grace, healing and peace for all of us.”

Read Archbishop Etienne's letter on his blog.