Divine Mercy Sunday

Yesterday was the Feast of Divine Mercy.

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Pop Quiz: Who started the widespread devotion of Divine Mercy?

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St. Maria Faustina Kowalska.  She was a Polish mystic nun during WW II.  Poppop bought me her diary translated into English last year when we were on vacation.  It is very long.  500 pages, I think.  Pope John Paul II, sorry, Blessed JP II, beautified and canonized her on 2 Divine Mercy Sundays (and it wasn't any coincidence that that was the date he was beautified last year). The devotion was most popular in Poland first, before JP II continued Faustina's work.

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Anyway, Jesus appeared to Faustina many times over her time in convent, and one time commanded her to have an image painted of the vision she saw before her, with the inscription 'Jezu ufam Tobie', Polish for 'Jesus, I trust in You'.

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Yesterday we went on the JP II hiking club's annual Easter walk at the park.  It was 4.4 miles, I think.  And it was very long.  We were exhausted.  But the Easter Walk is on Divine Mercy Sunday because..... you got it! Since John Paul II popularized Divine Mercy, it makes sense that a hiking club names after him would have their Easter hike on the day he made universal (or catholic).