Religious Education

Divine Mercy Parish feels it is important to educate our youth on their Catholic Faith from an early age.  Our parish offers Religious Education classes for grades K-12 during the school year.  For more information on our Religious Education Program, please contact Janie Kempf, Parish Catechetical Leader, at extension 2.

Liturgy of the Word

Liturgy of the Word is offered for even the youngest members of our faith.  Liturgy of the Word is offered at the Sunday morning mass at 10:00 am at the St. Anthony of Padua Church Campus from September through May.  It is available for children ages three to six.  Please contact the Parish Office if you have any questions.

 

Youth Group

Divine Mercy Parish has a youth group, G2 Youth Group, for youth in grades 9 - 12.  G2 Youth Group was started in 2013 by merging the youth groups of St.. Anthony of Padua and Sacred Heart of Jesus under the guidance of Fr. Tim Tenbarge.  The title G2 is from Saint Maria Goretti and Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, the patron saints of female and male youth.  The G2 Youth Group is in charge of the children's games at the Parish Picnic in October and Silent Auction in November.  Their main fundraiser is making and selling mock turtle soup in the Spring.  The money raised is used toward senior scholarships, helping the youth attend different formations throughout the diocese, and an annual fun outing.  The Youth Group is under the supervision of Kelly Schroering, Jeff & Lindsay Verkamp, and Diane Verkamp. 

World Mission Sunday

October 7, 2026

Dear Diocesan Directors,

 

Today, the Vatican released the Holy Father's video message for World Mission Sunday 2026! 

 

In this new video message, the Holy Father reflects on a century of prayer and generosity for the missions. He also references his personal connection to World Mission Sunday! He speaks about how the fruits of this celebration helped prepare his heart to become a missionary, and how later he experienced its support firsthand as a missionary in Peru. This is a powerful message that I hope we can share as widely as possible across our many dioceses and with every parish.

 

Here is a link to the folder with additional video formats.

 

What began in 1926 has helped accompany extraordinary growth in the missionary Church. Today, the Church's 1,131 mission territories are home to more than 346 million Catholics, 41,000 parishes, 124,000 Catholic schools and 26,000 social institutions.

 

Thank you for all you are doing to promote World Mission Sunday in your dioceses. We look forward to sharing this significant moment with the faithful as we continue our preparations for this centennial celebration.

 

With gratitude,

Michael Mitchell

Director for World Mission Sunday