Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Sagar (Agenzia Fides) - "The size of the statue is a message that is intended to show the immensity of the mercy of Jesus": this is what the Bishop of Sagar, His Exc. Mgr. Anthony Chirayath explains to Fides Agency with regards to the initiative of having built a shrine that houses the tallest statue of Jesus in India, dedicated to the merciful Jesus". The "Statue of the Divine Mercy of Jesus", about 13 meters high, is a monument dedicated to the mercy of God for those who seek him", explains the Bishop. It will be Cardinal George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church who will bless the statue on September 30. The celebration will take place in Sagar, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, in the presence of more than 20 Bishops and pilgrims from India and other countries in the world. The people call the place "Dayasagar" ("Ocean of Mercy"). The statue is 15 km from the town of Sagar, in the village called Khajooria Guru. It weighs 1.5 tons, it is set on a concrete base of 30 meters to protect it from storms and earthquakes. It was made of thermosetting material and is 5 meters wide and one meter deep. The rays of the heart of Jesus are 6.4 meters long.
The idea to erect the monumental statue is of the Bishop of Sagar who - as he himself tells Fides - in October 2007, during a visit to San Francisco (USA), had the vision of a sanctuary of Divine Mercy and heard an inner voice asking him to build a shrine in Sagar dedicated to the Divine Mercy. After receiving the gift of a sacred image of the Divine Mercy on canvas, in 2007 the Bishop consecrated his diocese to the Divine Mercy and decided to create a sanctuary and a chapel dedicated to St. Maria Faustina, where there is also a relic of the saint, which was donated by the Congregation of Sisters of Merciful Jesus in Poland. Today pilgrims of all faiths come to the sanctuary for prayer, meditation, Eucharistic adoration, spiritual healing. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/09/2013)
