Divine Mercy Sunday is the Second Sunday of Easter, which in 2027 falls on April 4. Pope St. John Paul II gave this name to the octave day of Easter in the year 2000, when he canonized St. Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun to whom Jesus revealed his desire for a feast of mercy. On this day the Church celebrates the infinite mercy of God poured out through the death and Resurrection of Jesus, and grants a plenary indulgence to those who honor it.
Divine Mercy Sunday 2027 at a glance
| Date | Sunday, April 4, 2027 (Second Sunday of Easter) |
| Novena | Begins on Good Friday, March 26, 2027 |
| Readings (Year B) | Acts 4:32–35; Psalm 118; 1 John 5:1–6; John 20:19–31 |
| Color | White |
| Next year | April 23, 2028 |
The Gospel of Divine Mercy Sunday
The Gospel is the same every year: the risen Jesus appears to the apostles on Easter evening, breathes on them and gives them the power to forgive sins; a week later, he invites Thomas to touch his wounds.
Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you.
And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.
He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.
When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you.
Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.
Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God.
Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.
The wounds of Christ, from which mercy flows, and the sacrament of forgiveness given that night are at the heart of the feast.
The origin of Divine Mercy Sunday
Between 1931 and 1938, St. Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938), a sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland, recorded in her diary the words she received from Jesus about his mercy. Among them was the request that the first Sunday after Easter be a feast of Mercy, preceded by a novena beginning on Good Friday, and that an image be painted with the words “Jesus, I trust in You.”
On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina and declared that the Second Sunday of Easter would be called Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Church. He died on the vigil of that feast in 2005, and was both beatified (2011) and canonized (2014) on Divine Mercy Sunday.
The Divine Mercy image
The image shows the risen Jesus raising his right hand in blessing and pointing with his left to his heart, from which two rays shine: a pale ray, representing the water that makes souls righteous, and a red ray, representing the blood that is the life of souls (John 19:34). At the bottom are the words Jesus, I trust in You. On Divine Mercy Sunday many parishes display and venerate the image.
The plenary indulgence
In 2002 the Apostolic Penitentiary granted a plenary indulgence on Divine Mercy Sunday under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Pope, with the soul completely detached from any sin, even venial), to the faithful who, in any church or chapel:
- take part in prayers and devotions in honor of Divine Mercy, or
- in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, pray the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus, such as “Merciful Jesus, I trust in You.”
Those who cannot go to church because of illness or a just cause may gain it by praying these prayers before an image of the merciful Jesus with the intention of fulfilling the conditions as soon as possible.
St. Faustina also recorded Jesus’ promise of the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment for those who go to confession and receive Holy Communion on that day. Many people go to confession during the week after Easter for that reason; see how to go to confession.
The Divine Mercy Novena and Chaplet
The Divine Mercy Novena, in St. Faustina’s diary, begins on Good Friday and continues for nine days, ending on the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday. Each day Jesus asked her to bring a different group of souls to his mercy: all mankind, priests and religious, the devout, unbelievers, separated brethren, the meek and humble, those who venerate his mercy, the souls in purgatory, and the lukewarm. Each day is prayed with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Pray the chaplet bead by bead with our Divine Mercy Chaplet guide. Many people also pray it daily at 3 p.m., the Hour of Mercy, when Jesus died on the cross.
Prayers for Divine Mercy Sunday
The simplest prayer of the feast:
Jesus, I trust in You.
A prayer for Divine Mercy Sunday, written for this page:
Merciful Jesus, risen from the dead,
you showed your wounds to Thomas and breathed peace on your apostles.
Pour out your mercy on me, on my family and on the whole world.
Forgive my sins, heal what is wounded in me,
and make me merciful as you are merciful.
Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.
Prayers of the Faithful for Divine Mercy Sunday
Response after each petition: Lord, hear our prayer.
- For the Church, that she may be a witness of the mercy of God to every person, we pray to the Lord.
- For priests, that they may be generous ministers of the sacrament of forgiveness, we pray to the Lord.
- For those who doubt, like Thomas, that the risen Lord may show them his wounds and give them faith, we pray to the Lord.
- For the world, that God’s mercy may bring peace where there is war and reconciliation where there is division, we pray to the Lord.
- For the sick and the suffering, that they may trust in the mercy of Jesus, we pray to the Lord.
- For the souls of the faithful departed, that they may rest in the merciful love of God, we pray to the Lord.
These petitions were written for this page.
Frequently asked questions
When is Divine Mercy Sunday 2027?
Sunday, April 4, 2027, the Second Sunday of Easter (one week after Easter, March 28). In 2028 it is April 23.
When does the Divine Mercy Novena start in 2027?
On Good Friday, March 26, 2027, ending on Saturday, April 3.
What do I need to do to receive the Divine Mercy indulgence?
Go to confession (within about twenty days before or after), receive Holy Communion, pray for the Pope’s intentions, and on Divine Mercy Sunday take part in Divine Mercy devotions in a church or pray the Our Father and the Creed before the Blessed Sacrament with a prayer such as “Merciful Jesus, I trust in You,” while rejecting all attachment to sin.
Who was St. Faustina?
Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938), a Polish religious sister whose diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, records the revelations of Jesus about his mercy. Her feast is October 5.
More Easter pages
- Psalm 118 (This is the day the Lord has made)
- Divine Mercy Novena
- St. Faustina prayer
- The Divine Mercy Chaplet
- Easter 2027
- The Easter Octave
- Catholic Easter prayers
- How to go to confession
Texts and sources
- Scripture: John 20:19–29, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain. Reading references follow the Lectionary for Mass, Second Sunday of Easter, Year B.
- Apostolic Penitentiary, decree on indulgences attached to devotions in honor of Divine Mercy (June 29, 2002).
- Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, decree of May 5, 2000, on the Second Sunday of Easter, “or of Divine Mercy.”
- John Paul II, homily for the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska (April 30, 2000).
- The prayer and Prayers of the Faithful were written for this page.