POPE LEO XIV
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In a moving nationwide celebration of faith, the Catholic bishops of the Philippines consecrated the country to Divine Mercy on April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday, as part of the Jubilee Year 2025. It is believed to be the first country to have been consecrated to Divine Mercy.
Masses across the archipelago paused for a special moment of prayer, as the faithful recited the Prayer of Consecration to the Divine Mercy in place of the General Intercessions. Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), had announced the initiative earlier this month, calling it a “collective response of faith and hope” amid growing global tensions, political corruption, and threats to family life and moral truth.
During the national consecration, bishops and priests emphasized the need to anchor the country’s future in trust in God’s mercy. As read in CBCPNews, Cardinal David explained that “this act of entrusting our nation to the Divine Mercy is not just symbolic — it is a real cry from our hearts for healing, renewal, and peace.”
The significance of the day was felt deeply among the faithful, who joined in prayer for their families, communities, and leaders. Many parishes also offered the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Eucharistic Adoration, and opportunities for confession in preparation for the consecration.
Here is the prayer of consecration:
MOST MERCIFUL JESUS,
You are the Face of the Father’s Mercy.
Out of mercy you have called us.
To be merciful like the Father
is the mission you have entrusted to us.With complete trust and
confidence in your boundless ocean of love,
we consecrate ourselves entirely to you
and place ourselves
under the protection of your merciful care.
We unite ourselves to your perfect offering,
with the Holy Spirit, to the Father,
that we may be completely transformed into Your Mercy.Have mercy on us
for the wars among nations
and terrors with which we harass one another.
Have mercy on us
for the widespread sins against truth
and gruesome sins
against justice and human brotherhood.
Have mercy on us
for the blasphemies
to which Your Divine Mercy is subjected to
and the abominable mockery of the weak and the poor.
Have mercy on us
for the abuses against human dignity,
sins against life, love and family.Help us, O Lord,
that we may reflect Your Mercy to those around us.
Guard us as your possession,
that in difficult moments we may not despair,
but with great confidence
submit ourselves to your holy will.Make us instruments of consolation to others
who have lost hope and do not trust in Your Mercy.
May all people come to know Your unfathomable mercy,
trust in your mercy and glorify Your Mercy forever and ever.Jesus, King of Mercy,
we trust in You.
We are all yours.
Amen.
What is Divine Mercy Sunday?
Divine Mercy Sunday, established by Pope John Paul II in 2000 during the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska, has become a major moment of prayer for Catholics worldwide. St. Faustina’s revelations emphasized God’s limitless mercy and the urgent need for humanity to trust in His compassion.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights mercy as “the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person” (CCC 1861), affirming that forgiveness and reconciliation are at the very center of Christian life.
Devotion to the Divine Mercy is anchored in the message entrusted to St. Faustina: that no sin is too great to be forgiven and that God’s love overcomes every human weakness. The familiar image of Jesus, with red and white rays shining from His heart, reminds the faithful of the blood and water that flowed from Christ’s side — a powerful sign of salvation and hope.
This devotion is not merely personal; it calls believers to be ambassadors of mercy in a wounded world. Acts of kindness, forgiveness, and justice are integral to living out the message of Divine Mercy. In consecrating the nation, the Church in the Philippines affirmed that true transformation begins not with human strength, but with hearts renewed by grace.
As the Jubilee Year unfolds, the consecration to the Divine Mercy stands as a powerful call: to trust more deeply, forgive more freely, and hope more boldly — in the God whose mercy endures forever.
