For the first time, the image of St. John Paul II will be brought along the streets of Cebu to join the procession on October 19, 2024, Saturday, at 4:30 AM, to cap off the Asian Apostolic Congress on Mercy.
This event holds historical significance, especially for those who participated the World Youth Day 1995. The last time St. John Paul II was seen along the streets of Cebu was when he was still alive.
St. John Paul II was instrumental in the propagation of the devotion to the Divine Mercy.
When he canonized Sr. Faustina (making her St. Faustina Kowalska), he also, on the same day, surprised the entire world by establishing Divine Mercy Sunday (the feast day associated with the message) as a feast day for the entire Church. The feast day falls on the Second Sunday of the Easter season. On that day, John Paul II declared, “This is the happiest day of my life.”
St. Pope John Paul II told the Marian Fathers: “Be apostles of Divine Mercy under the maternal and loving guidance of Mary.”
In his teaching and personal life, St. Pope John Paul II strove to live and teach the message of Divine Mercy.