Devotees from all over Netherlands gathered to celebrate the 2018 Feast Of The Divine Mercy

Angel Axinto
The Netherlands
April 15, 2018




The Divine Mercy of Jesus is a Catholic devotion associated with the repeated apparition of our Lord to Saint Faustina Kowalska.  In her diary she said that Jesus told her that “The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the First Sunday after Easter.”  Sister Kowalska was later given the title ‘Secretary of Mercy’ by the Holy See in the Jubilee year 2000.


This year the whole Christian world celebrated the Feast last April 8, 2018. In Netherland, the Kathedrale Basiliek  St. Bavo in Haarlem was hosting this years’ festival. Devotees from the entire country came in by busses to make their way to this Holy Feast.

The three main theme of the Divine Mercy devotion are to ask for and obtain mercy from God, to trust in the Lord’s abundant mercy and finally, to show mercy to others and act as a channel for God’s mercy towards them.



This yearly sacred festivity is organized by a very religious lady Mary Lou Pimentel. Born and raised in Cagayan de Oro City Philippines, her devotion to the Divine Mercy deepend when she attended the First World Apostolic Congress on Mercy (WACOM) held in Rome in 2008. This congress of devotees and friends of Divine Mercy incredibly touched her spiritually that she took it upon herself to spread His Mercy here in the Netherlands. Although there are a lot of Catholic organizations and groups in Holland, the Feast of the Divine Mercy has not been elaborately celebrated . She is determined to unite all Roman Catholic groups and together as one, celebrate this holy Feast of Divine Mercy yearly. 

Jesus also told Sta. Faustina “I want the Image to be blessed on the First Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it”.  Devotees and worshippers, some bringing their Divine Mercy Images and mainly dressed in red and/ or white, the color of the Divine Mercy,  filled the newly renovated huge Cathedral. With its heavenly imposing stained glass biblical paintings, people from different cultures came with one goal…to rejoice, thank and celebrate the Lord’s promise of His undying love and mercy to us all.



The first Feast of Mercy was held in 2009 at the Parish of San Nicolaas in Purmerend with Fr. Julius Elferink lighting the start of journey of the Divine Mercy in Holland. As supporters grew in numbers, Mary Lou Pimentel named this mission the ‘Divine Mercy Apostolates in Holland’  or DMAH. From then on, this Lord’s command of celebrating His Divine Mercy every first Sunday after Easter Sunday has spread in the whole of Netherland and all believers gather together to join the DMAH in this Holy celebration.



The picturisque Saint Bavo Cathedral built in the 1800’s was the venue of last Sunday’s Feast of the Divine Mercy. Very well organized and coordinated, the commemoration of the Our Lord’s Mercy was truly remarkable as well as mystical.



Those who joined included FCCR together with the International Catholic Community in Rotterdam, Couples For Christ, El Shaddai Amsterdam, Marian Group of Den Haag, the Block Rosary Community in Spijkenisse, communities from Amstelveen, Haarlem, Hoofddorp, Almere Weesp, Steyl Stream and promoters of The Alliance Of The Holy Family International. The FCCR has been the sponsor for the last two consecutive years and together with DMAH, they did a magnificent job in making this Divine Feast a perpetual one.

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Next years Feast of the Divine Mercy will be on April 28, 2019. Please reserve the date.

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Pictures courtesy of:  Mary Lou Pimentel, Tess Snoeks,Tony Perez, Herminia Arao, Grace Dagaraga Cabactulan, Yanie Houkes Sinajon, Rosa Cabrillas and Arnold Paco