‘A Divine Mercy Encounter’

ROCKAWAY  The faithful kneel in prayer as they experience Christ’s love and mercy in the Blessed Sacrament in front of them on the altar at the start of a recent holy hour dedicated to Divine Mercy. They also listen to Jesus’ message of love and mercy, as Derek Nelson, leader of the service, softly sings his song “My Mercy” — written as if Christ were sitting in the pews next to them and inviting them to receive his infinite forgiveness.

“I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners…I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world,” Nelson, music director of Sacred Heart Parish here, sings in “My Mercy,” which echoes Jesus’ message, during a special Divine Mercy holy hour, called “A Divine Mercy Encounter,” that he and his wife, Jennifer, have developed. “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace,” he sings.

Now, a newly released compact disc can let the faithful experience — or re-experience — Jesus’ loving and healing message of Divine Mercy in the holy hour, which the Nelson’s have been leading in 12 parishes in the Paterson Diocese and Newark Archdiocese over the past three years. Ahead of Divine Mercy Sunday on April 28, Derek Nelson released “A Divine Mercy Encounter,” a CD that presents the holy hour’s reflections, prayers, and music. The Nelsons also invite local faithful to experience for themselves Divine Mercy, a devotion first promoted by Polish-born St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, during their next holy hour on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 28, at 3 p.m. in St. Cecilia Church, Rockaway.

“The CD came out great. The goal is to promote the sacrament of Reconciliation for all Catholics but especially for those who have been away from the faith,” said Derek Nelson, who wrote the 19 songs of faith and meditation on the CD, which the couple created with friend, Steve Babula of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes. He produced and engineered the project in his home studio in Boonton. “We want people to feel as if Jesus is there beside them, waiting for their confessions. With the Divine Mercy Encounter and the CD, we also want to introduce people to the meaning of suffering and help them get close to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,” Derek Nelson said.

The CD features the songs by Derek Nelson; reflections taken from Scripture, the popes, the saints and St. Faustina’s diary, as recited by Jennifer Nelson; and Chaplet of Divine Mercy set to music. It also features vocals by the choir of Sacred Heart Parish in Rockaway; Angela Mintel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Boonton; and three of the Nelsons’ five children: Gianna, 12; Gabriel, 10; and Lucianna, 8. Adding guitar and mixing the CD was Babula, who was inspired to a devotion to Divine Mercy because of his work on the faith-filled music.

Jesus’ instructions to his disciples in John 20:23 are recited near the start of the Divine Mercy Encounter: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Derek Nelson then sings “I Trust in You” — based on the words that Jesus instructed St. Faustina to place on the Divine Mercy image of him.

The program has a more-than 20-minute musical recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy set to the melody of an ancient chant and features a full, dramatic production with choir and additional instruments. The CD comes with a printed copy of the program, so the faithful can pray along with the prayers and sing along with the songs, Jennifer Nelson said.

“Divine Mercy shows that God’s mercy has no limits and that our suffering, when united with Christ, has great power,” said Jennifer Nelson, soon expecting her sixth child. Recently, she spoke to Marian Helper — the magazine of the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy in Massachusetts, who promote the devotion — about people’s reactions to the holy hour. “Someone, who lost his job, came up to us afterward to thank us. One woman, who lost a son in a tragic accident, said that this helped to heal her. She told me, ‘I had been so angry at God.’ ” she said.

The inspiration for The Divine Mercy Encounter holy hours started about five years ago, when the N.J. Center of Divine Mercy in Newark asked Derek Nelson to write a song, “Suffering for Souls,” which appears on the CD. He read St. Faustina’s diary, which inspired him to write additional Divine Mercy-themed songs.

Last August, the Nelsons befriended Father Michael Gaitley — evangelization director of Evangelization for the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception and formation director of the Marian Missionaries — who gave a “Mary and Mercy” retreat at St. Cecilia Church in Rockaway, which Jennifer helped coordinate. Through his assistant, the couple was able to secure permission from the Marian Missionaries, who hold the rights to St. Faustina’s dairy, to use portions of its text on the CD. The Nelsons will donate half of the price for each album to the Marian Missionaries.