Third time was a charm for the North American Congress on Mercy (NACOM III), held for the first time in Canada, Nov. 15-17, 2024. Under the theme “Divine Mercy and Mary: Our Hope,” the Congress was hosted by Good Shepherd Church in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, with the 800-seat parish church filled nearly to capacity.
Speakers included such famous names as Fr. Chris Alar, MIC; Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC; Sister M. Inga Kvassayová, OLM (a member of St. Faustina’s order, the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy); and many other Divine Mercy experts, leaders of the Marian Fathers’ official apostolates, and members of the Marian Family.
Blessed fellowship
“People who promote Divine Mercy are almost instantaneous friends,” said Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, NACOM coordinator.
“How grateful we are for this gift of God’s mercy as we open the Third North American Congress on Mercy here in Canada,” he said. “This world is crying out for mercy, and the Lord is choosing us to be His instruments to proclaim that mercy, to live it out, and to make His mercy concrete in the environments where we live.”
Father Kaz thanked the Most Rev. J. Michael Miller, CSB, Archbishop of Vancouver and lead celebrant of the opening Mass, for his extraordinary openness to Divine Mercy and hosting NACOM III in his archdiocese. He also offered thanks to Fr. Augustine Obiwumma, Good Shepherd’s pastor, and all of the volunteers. He noted that the next NACOM would most likely be held in Mexico.
Also on deck: the next World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania. Archbishop Gintaras Grušas closed NACOM III with a recorded talk, welcoming everyone to the land of St. Faustina, Bl. Michael Sopócko, and the original Image of Divine Mercy, June 7-12, 2026.
Divine Mercy unites
All ages were represented at the Congress — the babes in arms; the extremely elderly; the disabled; faithful folks of all ethnicities, from across the North American continent. As was observed early in the Congress, Divine Mercy brings people together, unites us in the love of God and neighbor.
“We each one of us by our Baptism — we are made advocates of His mercy,” said Archbishop Miller, summing up the whole mission of the Congress. “We are entrusted with the great mission that Jesus entrusted to the Church. And what is that? To make disciples … to bring other people into the knowledge and friendship of Jesus Christ.”
Throughout the Congress, a relic of St. John Paul II stood to the left of the altar and a relic of St. Faustina to the right, each surrounded by beautiful fresh red and white roses, as well as an image of the saints. Between Masses, devotions, and talks, many pilgrims came forward to venerate the relics.
Long-time Good Shepherd parishioner Gisela Deutsch was a volunteer, but also an eager participant in the Congress. When asked what it’s been like to have this Congress come to the parish, she said fervently, “Amazing. Indescribable. I never had an opportunity to see so many priests and parishioners being together and people from all over North America. We are so blessed.”
