SW News: The streets of nearly 200 Polish cities were filled with believers praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on September 28. Catholics in Poland joined believers in five continents on Wednesday to take part in this prayer initiative entitled Spark of the Divine Mercy.

Peace in war-torn Ukraine was the main prayer intention. The faithful also prayed for the priests to carry forward God's will. There were also prayers for the return of refugees to their home countries and in rebuilding their homes. During the chaplet, believers also prayed for "our countries, cities, our families and ourselves." In addition, families affected by the pandemic outbreak were also remembered during the prayer.

Every year, the event organizers invite faithful across the globe to take to the streets, wherever it would be in front of their office, home, and school, to join in praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Their website says, "We believe that 10 minutes of supplication to God can change our families, cities, and the whole world."

The prayer event occurred in the Polish cities of Warsaw, Gdańsk, Poznań, Katowice, Białystok, and Lublin. The streets of Papua New Guinea, Croatia, Argentina, Mexico, the United States, and the Ivory Coast were also filled with the faithful seeking the mercy of God. It was held under the 'honorary patronage' of Archbishop Grzegorz Ryś of the Archdiocese of Lodz.

The "Spark of Divine Mercy" is an evangelization group operating at the Sanctuary of the Holy Name of Jesus in Lodz, under the care of Jesuits. The annual chaplet began in the Polish city of Lodz in 2008. Every year on the anniversary of the beatification of Bl. Fr. Michał Sopocko, which falls on September 28, the crossroads, squares of cities, towns, and villages turn into places of prayer to ask God for mercy for themselves and the whole world. Fr Sopocko was the confessor of St. Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun who initiated the Divine Mercy devotion.