The Friends of the Divine Mercy Foundation traces its origins to the Friends of the Divine Mercy Missionaries, a charismatic community founded by Bro. Rene Tumang in 1991. Bro. Rene is a veteran in the charismatic movement, involved first with the Oasis of Love charismatic community whose members are from the movie and TV industry of which he was also a part. He left the community to form his own, which he named after the Divine Mercy, a popular devotion among Catholics.

The community started out as a small group doing mainly prayer meetings and Catholic Life in the Spirit seminars. The first members were mostly young professionals. Later on, outreach activities were pursued to fulfill the precept of the Divine Mercy devotion – “to be merciful.” Service to the less fortunate is to be done in line with the 7 Corporal Acts of Mercy and 7 Spiritual Acts of Mercy. Outreach projects included medical missions, sending poor students to school, gift-giving to children in orphanages and to the abandoned elderly, soup kitchens and extending assistance to victims of calamities.

After a period of self-evaluation to find its purpose, the community redirected itself to the propagation of the Divine Mercy devotion, and along with it strengthened its initiatives on the works of mercy. The enthronement of the Divine Mercy image in homes, offices and business establishments has since become the primary tool for propagation being undertaken in different locations in the Philippines and abroad.

The community anchors its newfound mission on the revelations received by St. Faustina Kowalska, who started the Divine Mercy devotion, from Jesus himself. The message of mercy is to be proclaimed as “a sign for the end times” and the works of mercy are to be “a reminder” of God’s mercy.

Over the years, the community membership also saw marked expansion to include a broader base – from mothers to more young people, in fact entire families, all willing to be involved in propagation and community outreach projects. Chapters sprouted all over Metro Manila, then to the Visayas and overseas. The main chapter of the community was known for being friendly – after all, the first members were mostly young people in search for new friends making their own contribution to help people in need. This disposition was kept alive like a tradition in the chapters in every location. It is something that was also reflected in the works of mercy – friends joyfully coming together to make a difference in people’s lives.

With a firm thrust on propagation, the community has been constantly on the lookout for opportunities to raise the level of its outreach activities, propagation and works of mercy being profoundly intertwined. Thus, the founding of a non-stock, non-profit foundation has always been on top of the mind. After years of planning and brainstorming, that finally came to fruition with the establishment of the Friends of the Divine Mercy Foundation in September 2021.

The propagation of the Divine Mercy devotion and conduct of works of mercy will go full drive with the Foundation in place. Meanwhile, the Friends of the Divine Mercy Missionaries will be enfolded into it. All its activities from devotion to evangelization to outreach will be transferred to the Foundation.

What comes out is a new organization with more than three decades of history behind it, on a noble mission to help the poorest of the poor. New in identity but storied and experienced and boasting a full complement of manpower and presence in key locations ready to make a change in people’s lives in the Philippines and in the world.