Building the house of Mercy

By Anne DiBernardo - Florida Catholic

This article has been corrected.

MIAMI | For the last 10 years, Deacon Rafael de los Reyes has been charged with raising funds to build a new Divine Mercy Spirituality Center, one that would include a sanctuary, convent, and retreat house.

The spiritual director of the archdiocesan Apostolate of Divine Mercy is still approximately $600,000 shy of his first goal: the money needed to build the convent that will house Our Lady of Mercy Sisters from Poland.

But the good news is that the two-acre property, conveniently located in the heart of South Miami, at 4121 S.W. 85th Avenue, is already paid for, thanks to the many people who have made donations.

The convent will be the first phase of a master plan consisting of three phases, which means a lot more money remains to be raised: $2.3 million for a new sanctuary (phase 2), and $1.3 million for the retreat house (phase 3).

Divine Mercy is a devotion that dates back to a 1931 revelation to St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun and mystic who recorded the revelations in her 699-page diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” St. John Paul II canonized St. Faustina in April 2000 and declared the Sunday after Easter as the feast of Divine Mercy. The Church offers a special plenary indulgence on this day for all who take part in this devotion.

During the last two decades, the devotion has spread throughout the world, and the number of visitors to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow-Lagievniki, including those from North and South America, has increased significantly.

Alternative to Poland

The Divine Mercy Spirituality Center in South Florida will provide an alternative to Divine Mercy devotees in the Americas who cannot afford the long trip to Krakow, but could certainly travel to Miami.

The idea to construct a Divine Mercy sanctuary, and to bring a group of religious to staff a convent here, began in 2004. The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland agreed to be part of the project, which was then formally presented to Archbishop Emeritus John C. Favalora. He agreed to proceed provided that the apostolate raised 100 percent of the project’s costs and assumed complete financial responsibility for its execution and operations.

The Divine Mercy Spirituality Center will be a facility where people can come to venerate the Divine Mercy image and the relic of St. Faustina; to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament chapel; and to receive spiritual comfort and guidance. The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy will also provide spiritual formation to the Apostles of Divine Mercy associated with the “ Faustinum,” an institute of spiritual formation named after St. Faustina.

In 2005, as a precursor to the project, the apostolate founded the Divine Mercy House of Prayer at 2300 S.W. 67th Avenue. As the devotion grew, so did the need to expand.

In 2010, with the consent of Archbishop Thomas Wenski, the apostolate purchased two acres of land at the South Miami site. A 25-year-old residence that sat on the property is now the temporary home of the Divine Mercy House of Prayer, which has a main chapel where the Divine Mercy image and a first-grade relic of St. Faustina are venerated. It also houses a Blessed Sacrament chapel, a small store that sells religious articles, mostly brought from Poland, and supporting office space.

More than $1 million so far

More than $1 million has been raised so far to build the Divine Mercy Spirituality Center, but no construction can begin until all the money is on hand. For now, that means the $600,000 for the convent, which will accommodate three Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. That will be followed by the sanctuary together with office areas, religious articles shop, conference room, meditation garden and parking areas; and then the retreat house for spiritual retreats, days of reflection and teaching lectures.

“We own the land and our plans have evolved,” Deacon de los Reyes said. “Today, all the designs have been carried out and all construction plans have been completed. We have already presented the (convent) plans to Miami-Dade County for approval of the first phase and the issuance of the building permit. We hope to have it in our hands by the end June.”

No donation is too small. Deacon de los Reyes recalled the advice of Miami’s late Auxiliary Bishop Agustin Roman, who told him that even if they were blessed by some special donor who would give all the money needed to start construction right away, he should wait until the community got involved.

The deacon said several elderly ladies have been sending $1 every month and even a retired priest sends $1 to $2. “Our largest donation has been $35,000 from an inheritance through our archdiocese’s business office,” he said.

“Our biggest challenge has been to make people, especially our Catholic brothers and sisters, aware of our existence and about our plans. At the same time it has been our greatest blessing,” Deacon de los Reyes said, alluding to the “the thousands of people that are associated with this ministry,” all volunteers.

“The feast of Divine Mercy is the strongest power to obtain complete forgiveness,” said Juana McKiernan, a parishioner at St. Timothy in Miami who was among the close to 1,000 people who gathered at the sanctuary grounds for this year’s feast. “I believe that Divine Mercy will open the door heaven for us. It is the way of sanctification, to be holy.”

An earlier version of this article gave the impression that only $600,000 remained to be raised for the entire project. That amount is what remains to be raised for the first phase of the project, the convent. The second phase will cost an additional $2.3 million, and the third phase another $1.3 million, all of which remain to be raised. Construction will not begin on any phase until all the money for each phase is on hand.

FIND OUT MORE
The Divine Mercy House of Prayer, located at 4121 S.W. 85th Avenue, Miami, 33155, is open Monday-Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. For information, call 305-267-9061 or email [email protected].