Since 1997, parishioners and guests have gathered for the Feast of Divine Mercy Holy Hour at Our Lady of Sorrows Church (OLS) in Homewood. On April 7, Father Manoj Karippai Urmese, parochial vicar, led the 3 p.m. prayer service, which included exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a homily, hymns, prayers from St. Faustina Kowalska’s diary, including the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Benediction. In his homily, Father Manoj commended the congregation for devoting part of their Sunday afternoon to mark the feast day united in prayer. Worshippers also had the chance to privately pray before the Divine Mercy image and two relics of St. Faustina. The holy hour ended with parishioners adding flowers to a cross framing the image of Divine Mercy outside the church as a witness to passersby.

In 1931, Jesus appeared to Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who kept a diary of her revelations. In one vision, Our Lord appeared in a white garment with His right hand raised in blessing, His left hand near His heart, and two rays, one red, and one white, coming from His heart. The red ray represents blood, and the white ray represents water. St. Faustina said Jesus told her to have the image painted for veneration with the words “Jesus, I trust in You” included. St. Faustina was canonized, and Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted in 2000 by Pope St. John Paul II.