Divine Mercy devotion growing in archdiocese

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

Robert Bourgeois of Slidell, now 82, had been away from the Catholic Church for more than 30 years when Father Kyle Dave came to his mother’s hospital room many years ago to anoint her.

What happened next changed Bourgeois’ life. After administering the sacrament of the sick, Father Dave knelt at his mother’s bedside and began praying and singing a prayer Bourgeois had never heard.

“It touched me,” Bourgeois said.

Nurses who heard the priest singing came into the room and asked what the prayer was. It was the Divine Mercy chaplet.

“I had not been to church for over 30 years, and I felt a tug in my heart to return to the church and become more familiar with the Divine Mercy devotion,” Bourgeois said. “I went to confession for the first time in 30 years.”

Bourgeois came back to the church with evangelical fervor, joining a small group that met at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Slidell each week to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. The group was solid but was not increasing in numbers.

Sold 2,000 in 2017

In 2017, the group decided to sell six-inch, circular Divine Mercy car magnets to spread the devotional message. About 2,000 magnets were sold, mostly on the northshore, including 900 at Our Lady of Lourdes alone.

The group advised parishioners they could pray the Divine Mercy chaplet daily at home or at the office at 3 p.m., the hour of Jesus’ death, and the group expanded to 75 participants. They prayed for special intentions, particularly for a child who was born prematurely and could not eat solid food for many years.

“She is 6 years old now, and she’s perfect, as smart as could be,” Bourgeois said.

The prayer ministry expanded to the elderly residents at SummerHouse Park Provence in Slidell. A man with dementia heard the group praying and began making the Sign of the Cross.

“Lo and behold, he started praying,” Bourgeois said. “You could see his lips moving. He understood.”

Bourgeois is trying to grow the parish’s Divine Mercy ministry throughout the Archdiocese of New Orleans and once again is selling Divine Mercy car magnets to fund further spiritual outreach.

Bourgeois said people may be motivated to join the group in order to “harvest souls for heaven through Christ’s Divine Mercy, who promised to forgive all sins and any reparations for our sins.”

For more information on joining the Divine Mercy group or purchasing car magnets with the Divine Mercy image, contact Bourgeois at [email protected] or (504) 451-6802. Bourgeois said there are plans to produce the magnets in different colors depending on the demand.