The Regina Mundi grounds, just north of Newmarket in Queensville, Ont., currently hold the Oratory of the Divine Mercy, a small hilltop monument. The grounds also include an outdoor Stations of the Cross and a collection of retreat facilities. But there is still much work to be done before the dream of turning these grounds into a national shrine becomes reality, said Robbertz.
“The members consider it to be holy ground, and this is why they hang on,” said Robbertz, who has been with Magnificat for four years.
This determination has allowed the community to maintain its home, which, this summer, is hosting a series of pilgrimages. Every Sunday through to the end of August, Magnificat will welcome up to 250 Catholics for a pilgrimage, which includes praise and worship, the Stations of the Cross, Mass, Confession and a picnic. The Magnificat community also organizes spiritual seminars, marriage enrichment courses and a variety of other community programs, including a recently formed youth group.
Throughout the pilgrimages and all Magnificat’s program, devotion to the Divine Mercy is always the main focus.
“A pilgrimage is a life renewal, a renewal of the faith and trust in God’s mercy,” said Robbertz. “(Pilgrims) will receive the graces of deep peace and a new fire to trust God.”
Trust in God is certainly something that Robbertz and Magnificat pray for as they continue towards their goal of establishing a national shrine. Before seeking the approval of the archdiocese of Toronto, which would allow the site to become an official shrine, the community needs to purchase the grounds and deal with a multitude of financial troubles that have long plagued Magnificat.
Those troubles, Robbertz admits, can make the idea of a national shrine seem like a dream. But he’s quick to point out that his own history — he has founded two churches, having to raise millions of dollars — proves that it’s possible.
“For these last three years, every month, we could have gone bankrupt, but we didn’t,” said Robbertz. “So far, the Lord comes up with something every time.”
Magnificat dreaming big
By Luc Rinaldi, The Catholic RegisterThe past three years haven’t been easy for the Magnificat Charismatic Prayer Community, but that hasn’t stopped the group from dreaming big.
After losing its spiritual director and half of its members, it might seem like the community would pack it in. But instead, the prayer community is working towards turning its home, Regina Mundi Retreat Centre in Queensville, Ont., into the national shrine of the Divine Mercy.
“Divine Mercy is really the heart of Scripture,” said Fr. Matthew Robbertz, spiritual director of the Magnificat community. “God came to save us, and everything is made of His mercy.”
The Divine Mercy devotion is followed by more than 100 million Catholics worldwide, and it owes much of its popularity to Pope John Paul II. Until he began to spread the word of the devotion, the Divine Mercy was unknown to — or even rejected by — many Catholics. The devotion began with St. Faustina, a Polish nun who lived in the early 1900s. She had many visions of Jesus and Mary, which she described in a diary that would later be published. Her writings, originally widely condemned, would inspire the Divine Mercy devotion, which asks for the mercy of God and the ability to show mercy to others.
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