SAN DIEGO — Have you been looking for a sign from God? If so, have you checked the nearest intersection?
Towering above the street traffic, three billboards are currently sharing the message of Jesus’ love and mercy with passing motorists and pedestrians in San Diego.
All of them feature the Divine Mercy image of Jesus, based on an artwork commissioned by the 20th-century Polish nun and mystic St. Faustina Kowalska at the request of Jesus himself, who appeared to her and told her that he wanted the image to be venerated.
The Divine Mercy image depicts Jesus with his right hand raised in blessing and his left hand held to his heart, from which two rays of light emanate. (The rays – one red, one white – represent the blood and water that flowed from his side at the crucifixion.) At the bottom is the inscription, “Jesus, I trust in You.”
The billboards, which measure about 10.4 feet by 22.6 feet, pair this image with a comforting message taken from St. Faustina’s diary, in which she transcribed all that Jesus communicated to her.
“Even if your sins are great, My Mercy is greater,” the billboards proclaim. “Come to My Divine Mercy.”
Three billboards went up in anticipation of Easter Sunday, April 20, and Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, and can still be seen at the intersections of El Cajon Boulevard and 58th Street (from March 10-May 18), Barnett Avenue and Midway Drive (March 10-May 4), and Cass and Felspar streets (April 7-May 4).
Another billboard, located on El Cajon Boulevard near the I-15 freeway, will be displayed from May 5 through June 1.
According to data from Clear Channel Outdoor, which rents the billboard space, these billboards receive between 85,000 (Cass & Felspar) and 163,955 (Barnett & Midway) weekly views.
Sharing the Divine Mercy message through billboards is a ministry that has been undertaken by various people since the mid-1990s. The effort is currently led by Paul DeMartini, a member of Mary Star of the Sea Parish in La Jolla, who has been involved since 2012, and by Gerard Greer, a member of St. Brigid Parish in Pacific Beach, who joined him two years later.
“The billboard plants the seed of Jesus and his mercy,” said Greer. “Having heard this message, in the quiet of someone’s soul, they begin to trust in Jesus.”
Every July, the two men scout out potential billboard locations for the next year, taking into consideration such factors as visibility, traffic density and the presence of traffic lights and large numbers of pedestrians.
“I’m probably one of the few people that love red traffic lights,” quipped Greer, explaining that he and DeMartini often seek out locations where idling motorists will see the billboards, unexpectedly coming face-to-face with God’s mercy before continuing on their way.
With funds donated toward the project, DeMartini and Greer rent billboard space from Clear Channel Outdoor between September and May, during which Divine Mercy billboards can be seen in various San Diego locations.
“In this very, very secular world we live in,” said DeMartini, the billboards provide “this wonderful encounter with Christ and the most beautiful expression of who he is, his mercy, and his invitation.”
More information about the Divine Mercy devotion is available at thedivinemercy.org. To learn more about the billboard ministry, contact Gerard Greer at (858) 997-5278.
