As Catholics prepare to celebrate the end of the Year of Mercy this Sunday, Knights of Columbus are broadcasting their “The Face of Mercy” documentary that combines history and theology with personal accounts of God’s Divine Mercy in people’s lives. The documentary explores how Pope St. John Paul II inherited and shared the message of Divine Mercy revealed to a Polish nun, Sister Faustina Kowalska, in the first half of the 20th century. While still an archbishop in Poland, John Paul worked to gain the Church’s approval of the message revealed to Sister Faustina. Her message was embraced, and the pope who had worked so hard to spread her message declared her a saint in 2000. These two Polish saints — Faustina and John Paul II — together propelled the image of Divine Mercy — and insight into the concept — onto the world stage. The documentary will air on ABC affiliates until Dec. 16.
During Year of Mercy, Documentary Highlights Transformative Power of Forgiveness
Film is airing on ABC affiliates nationwide, available online
NEW HAVEN — “The Face of Mercy,” a new Knights of Columbus documentary that tells personal stories about the impact of God’s mercy on people’s lives, is airing on ABC affiliates nationwide as Catholics prepare to celebrate the conclusion of the Year of Mercy on Sunday, Nov. 20.
The Year of Mercy was proclaimed by Pope Francis and began on Dec. 8, 2015.
“This extraordinary film highlights the sort of transformations that are possible in individual lives that embrace the way of mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation,” said Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson. “These testimonies remind us that Divine Mercy is not just a devotion or theological concept — it is alive, it is present, and it is a force that can transform the world.”
Narrated by actor Jim Caviezel and filmed in 4K ultra high-definition, the documentary is available at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Face-Mercy-Jim-Caviezel/dp/B01LX19CA7), Ignatius Press (http://www.ignatius.com/Products/FMER-M/the-face-of-mercy.aspx) and Knights Gear (http://www.knightsgear.com/the-face-of-mercy-dvd).
“The Face of Mercy” weaves theology and history together with modern testimonials to reveal what constitutes the face of mercy in people’s lives and how it is the antidote to evil even in the most difficult times.
Those featured include Immaculée Ilibagiza, who found freedom in forgiveness after seeing her family wiped out by genocide in Rwanda; an NYPD cop who was shot and paralyzed from the neck down and continues to work for peace; a former NFL linebacker who walked away from his sports career to share Christ’s mercy with the homeless; a baseball player who traded major league ambitions for a priestly vocation; a priest with a drug-dealing past; and a young widow who chose to forgive her husband’s killer.
The documentary is also being shown on ABC-affiliated channels around the country.
Broadcast dates and times and other information about the 60-minute film are available at
www.faceofmercyfilm.com
