Contact: Tom Ciesielka, 312-422-1333, 312-403-1333 cell, tc@tcpr.net

CHICAGO, April 19, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Thomas More Society has secured a permit for the fifth annual "Easter Cross" demonstration on Chicago's Daley Plaza, with a 19-foot tall wooden cross to be erected on Holy Thursday, and an interdenominational Sunrise Service to occur at 6 a.m. CDT on Easter morning.

Moreover, this year, a 10-foot tall image of Jesus, the "Divine Mercy" image, will also be present, sponsored by Heralds of the Divine Mercy. From Holy Thursday until Easter Sunday, the cross will be draped with purple linens and the Divine Mercy image concealed with purple linens. On Easter Sunday, the linens on the cross will be changed to white, and the linens on the Divine Mercy image removed to reveal the image of the resurrected Jesus.

The Heralds of Divine Mercy are also sponsoring a 24 hour prayer vigil at Daley Plaza, beginning on Good Friday and ending the Sunday following Easter, May 1. The late Pope John Paul II, who designated the Sunday after Easter as "Divine Mercy Sunday," will also be beatified in Rome this year on "Divine Mercy Sunday."

"We are excited for the fifth consecutive year that Chicago will honor our clients' First Amendment right to freely express their religious beliefs in the public square, and we thank the city of Chicago and the Public Building Commission for their cooperation," said president and chief counsel Tom Brejcha.

The Easter Sunrise Service will begin promptly at 6 a.m. with the Ebenezer Ministry 10-piece Orchestra, along with religious leaders, including the Reverend Casey Fiut of the Redeemer of Calvary United Methodist Church, Dr. Hiram Crawford of the Pro-Life Pro-Family Coalition, Catholic clergy, and other leaders. All are invited to this interdenominational Easter celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. The wooden cross is the handiwork of Karl Fritz, a local carpenter and member of the Redeemer of Calvary Church.

Find more information, go to www.thedivinemercyproject.org.
 
About the Thomas More Society
The Thomas More Society is a public interest law firm that counsels and defends those who work to protect innocent human life, defends those who proclaim faith-based values in our nation’s public square, and strives to protect the institution of marriage as a union of man and woman formed to beget, bear and nurture new human lives. For more information, please visit www.thomasmoresociety.org.