Don Bosco Church at North Paravur, Kerala, is a church of Paravur Parish under the Roman Catholic (Latin) Diocese of Kottappuram.
Situated near Perumpadanna Junction at Paravur-Cherai road, this is one of the few churches in India named after Don Bosco. The Church is a pilgrim site due to the many sightings of sacred blood stains on a pedestal bronze oil lamp (Nilavilakku). Thousands of devotees of all religions attend the Novena of The Sacred Heart on Fridays. The blessed oil from the lamp is believed to possess miraculous healing power. Thanksgiving letters and offerings by the devotees are the testimonials of this Divine Intervention.
On 30 September 2011, the relic of Don Bosco which was on a world tour (arranged by Salasian Fathers from Italy) was received at Don Bosco Church, North Paravur and was venerated by thousands. [1]
A relic of Saint Faustina, a Polish nun who was canonized in 2000 was brought to Don Bosco Church on 11 January 2013 by Ms. Joy Hunt and her associate Mr. Ian Gaudery. They were visiting from Australia on a tour to spread devotion to the Divine Mercy ignited by Saint Faustina. The relic was received by Rev. Fr. Jackson and placed at the altar for veneration. Mr. Ian Gaudery gave a speech to the devotees. He said "the Divine Mercy devotion was ignited by Saint Faustina, whose diary is one of the great sources of valuable, mystical and spiritual writings the Catholic Church possesses." They were also accompanied by a Buddhist convert, Maria Tine from Singapore.
The annual feast of the patron saint is celebrated in the months of January and February. The major festival is the celebration of Sacred Heart of Jesus in the month of June. A Bible Convention is also arranged for spiritual meditation before this celebration. Adoration of the Virgin Mary is held in November with month-long Rosary Prayers in every parish houses and family units. A Rosary Procession is taken out through the town to mark the conclusion.
The 2012 celebration was inaugurated with flag hoisting by Rt Rev Dr Joseph Karikkassery, [2] Bishop of Kottappuram Diocese on 15 June. On the day of Celebration on 17 June, around 700 Presidents ("Prasudenti" in local vernacular) took out a procession at 9:30 am followed by Holy Mass consecrated by Rev Fr Fransico Padamadan. The "Word of the Lord" was conveyed by notable biblicist and orator Rev Fr. Nelson Job. [3] Around 12,000 devotees participated in the celebration. There are about 500 families under the church's jurisdiction. Fr. Jackson Valiyaparambil is the vicar. [4]
The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
In Catholicism, the Divine Mercy is a devotion to Jesus Christ associated with the reported apparitions of Jesus to Faustina Kowalska.
Divine Mercy Sunday is a feast day that is observed in the Roman Rite calendar, as well as some Anglo-Catholics of the Church of England. It is celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter, which concludes the Octave of Easter. It is originally based on the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy that Faustina Kowalska reported as part of her encounter with Jesus, and is associated with special promises from Jesus and indulgences issued by the Catholic Church.
The image of the Divine Mercy is a depiction of Jesus Christ that is based on the Divine Mercy devotion initiated by Faustina Kowalska.
The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, also called the Divine Mercy Chaplet, is a Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy, based on the Christological apparitions of Jesus reported by Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938), known as "the Apostle of Mercy". She was a Polish religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and canonized as a Catholic saint in 2000.
Catholic devotions are particular customs, rituals, and practices of worship of God or honour of the saints which are in addition to the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes devotions as "expressions of love and fidelity that arise from the intersection of one's own faith, culture and the Gospel of Jesus Christ". Devotions are not considered part of liturgical worship, even if they are performed in a church or led by a priest, but rather they are paraliturgical. The Congregation for Divine Worship at the Vatican publishes a Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy.
Popular piety in Christianity is an expression of faith which avails of certain cultural elements proper to a specific environment which is capable of interpreting and questioning in a lively and effective manner the sensibilities of those who live in that same environment. Its forms in the Roman Catholic Church are explained in the Directory on Popular piety and the liturgy issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. In the Lutheran Churches, popular piety is expressed through the reception of the sacraments, the displaying of sacred art, the signing of hymnody, prayer, Bible study and devotions.
The Roman Catholic tradition includes a number of devotions to Jesus Christ. Like all Catholic devotions, these prayer forms are not part of the official public liturgy of the church but are based on the popular spiritual practices of Roman Catholics. Many are officially approved by the Holy See as suitable for spiritual growth but not necessary for salvation.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima(Filipino: Pambansang Dambana ng Mahal na Birhen ng Fatima) is a Roman Catholic parish church and national shrine in the Diocese of Malolos in the Philippines. It serves as a Philippine apostolate of Our Lady of Fatima in Fátima, Portugal, which is recognized by the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The shrine is located near the Our Lady of Fatima University campus in Marulas, Valenzuela City in Metro Manila, Philippines. The shrine is one of the three major pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Malolos, with the National Shrine of St. Anne in Hagonoy and the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Marilao as the other sites.
Maria Faustyna Kowalska, OLM, also known as Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, was a Polish Catholic religious sister and mystic. Faustyna, popularly spelled "Faustina", had apparitions of Jesus Christ which inspired the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy, therefore she is sometimes called the "secretary" of Divine Mercy.
The Church of Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic church within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Sungai Ara, the church was established in 2005.
The Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Kraków, Poland, is a Roman Catholic basilica dedicated to the devotion of the Divine Mercy, and is the resting place of Saint Faustina Kowalska.
The National Shrine and Parish of the Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Divine Mercy in Marilao, Bulacan, the Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Malolos. It was elevated to the status of National Shrine by Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. The first Mass was held at the site on February 2, 1992, the Feast of the Presentation.
The Divine Mercy Sanctuary is a Roman Catholic chapel, in Poland, dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion, originated by Faustina Kowalska.
Little Flower Church, Kaprassery is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, in the village of Kaprassery, India. It is dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. It is located close to the Cochin International Airport.
Holy Rosary Church is a Roman Catholic church located within the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland. It was established to serve Baltimore's Polish community.
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary – La Naval de Manila is a venerated title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with the same image in the Philippines. Pious believers believe that the Virgin's intercession under this title helped to defeat the invading forces of the Protestant Dutch Republic during the Battles of La Naval de Manila in 1646.
Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Białystok is a Roman Catholic church in the district of Białostoczek District at the plac Błogosławionego Księdza Michała Sopoćki 1.
The National Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Mercy is a Roman Catholic church under the Diocese of Novaliches in the Philippines. It is the oldest parish in the diocese, established in 1856 by the Augustinian missionaries from Spain.
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral Parish, commonly referred to as Boac Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church and cathedral in the town center of Boac, Marinduque, in the Mimaropa region of the Philippines.