The Women of Jesus’ Merciful Passion (WJMP) is a new expression of religious life in the Church, whose members desire to spread the message of Divine Mercy as revealed by Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska. The charisms of this community are Holy Hospitality and Spiritual Direction as they serve their apostolate at the Divine Mercy Center in Clinton Township, Michigan.

Besides the usual glorious events surrounding Divine Mercy Sunday, the sisters have an added reason to be happy this year as Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron has announced that he has granted the title of Archdiocesan Shrine to The Divine Mercy Center, in recognition of the Center’s service as a popular place of pilgrimage and its mission of sharing the mercy of God.

“With its designation as an archdiocesan shrine, we recognize that the Shrine of Jesus The Divine Mercy will continue its service as a sacred place of pilgrimage, a font of tremendous grace and aid for many of Christ’s faithful, and a welcoming reflection of God’s enduring mercy to all souls,” said Archbishop Vigneron.

The shrine will be open to the public from 2-4 p.m. on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 11, with Eucharistic adoration, access to the Our Lady of Guadalupe atrium, prayer request box, candle shrine, gift shop, outdoor Stations of the Cross, and the Our Lady of Sorrows rosary garden.

Archbishop Vigneron will celebrate a private Mass at the center that day, which will be recorded and available on the shrine’s website and social media channels.

The Center, founded in 2006, is under the care of the Servants of Jesus of The Divine Mercy, a lay association of the faithful whose mission is to encourage people to experience the mercy of God, to minister with love and compassion, and to open the door to healing through which all may pass. It is also home to the WJMP, the emerging women’s community aspiring to become a religious order.

In her book, A Call to Trust, Catherine M. Lanni, Foundress and Spiritual Moderator of the Servants of Jesus of The Divine Mercy and of the Women of Jesus Merciful Passion, describes how in 1994 the Lord requested that she establish and form a religious order of women. In 2012, Catherine received permission from Archbishop Vigneron to begin work on this new community of women. The Statutes and Bylaws for this community of women were approved in 2016. In 2019, Archbishop Vigneron gave his approval and blessing for the women interested in discerning this community to begin living in common on the property of the Divine Mercy Center. May 13, 2019 marked the inception of the WJMP and the call from the heart of Jesus became a reality.

The members of the WJMP seek to attain holiness and live in community while following the Rule of the Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They seek to imitate Mary’s life and virtues in thought, word, and deed, which are rooted in the Gospels.

If you are a Catholic woman 16 to 40 and are feeling called to the charisms of this community, they invite you to contact them at www.wjmp.org or 586-777-8591.

Most Pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph we implore your assistance to help guide humble, healthy, and holy women to this new community of women which is a call from the heart of Jesus. Help them to know the divine will of God and embrace the vocation which He has destined for them. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.