INSPIRATION: Divine Mercy Apostolate: 19 years and growing stronger

With only a few members in the beginning, the Divine Mercy Apostolate in the Archdiocese of Davao has grown to a big number and more devotees are still coming in.

Since its foundation in 1989, the Divine Mercy Apostolate has greatly increased in membership all over Mindanao. The large population of Divine Mercy devotees here in Davao City became evident during the celebration of the annual feast celebrated by the group.

Approximately six hundred men, women and children dressed in yellow filled Sta. Ana Shrine Parish during the feast of the Divine Mercy, April 19 in a mass presided over by Davao Archbishop Fernando R. Capalla and concelebrated with some diocesan priests.

Divine Mercy Apostolate Archdiocesan Coordinator Emelia Sitjar said that even she could not give exact reasons to explain the considerable rise in their membership.

“I guess it’s the hard work and the efforts of the members, the propagation and promotion of the devotion to different parishes and even to Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK). Sometimes the work of the Divine Mercy is really mysterious,” she said.

She added that she could not even retrace in detail why she have a strong devotion to the Divine Mercy and all that she knows is that it has given her the opportunity to have a personal relationship with God.

Sitjar also explained how her devotion made a great impact to her as a person, saying that it taught her the values of humility and patience which she find useful in everyday dealings at home and with the group.

Eden Garte who has been a member of the apostolate since 1992 said that she found the devotion as a refuge during those times when her life was entangled with many problems.

“Daghan kayo ko ug problems ( I had so many problems) before and I was seeking for a reliever—that’s how I came across the apostolate and became a devotee of the Divine Mercy,” Garte said.

She said that when she became a member she felt her calling to serve other people.

“It changed my life. It transformed me into a different person, I became a humble and a happy person,” she added.

Julie Sanz, the cousin of the late Celina ‘Tita Inday’ Ilagan who founded the apostolate, said that what she found to be the most satisfying part of becoming a member of the Divine Mercy Apostolate is the fact that it really develops someone’s spiritual aspect.

Sanz said that her being a part of the apostolate is a lifetime commitment as she recalled how Tita Inday asked her help in spreading the devotion and developing the apostolate during its humble beginnings.

She added that her membership to the apostolate is one of the contributory factors of her being active in their Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK) under the San Pablo Parish, Juna Subd., Matina.

The Divine Mercy Apostolate in the Archdiocese of Davao started through the efforts of the late Tita Inday Ilagan and has propagated widely all-over Mindanao.

To date, there are already 25 parishes who established their own Divine Mercy Apostolate, 15 of whom shows active participation in the activities of the group.

Aside from the regular prayer meeting held every Tuesday at the St. Jude Thaddeus parish, Malvar St., the group also conducts a monthly general gathering of all Divine Mercy Apostolate members in Davao City dubbed as “Come to My Mercy” held every third Saturday of the Month at the CAP Auditorium, Anda Street.