December 10, 2015 - Year of Mercy to Begin With the Opening of the Cathedral Holy Door*

www.bostoncatholic.org/yearofmercy
 
December 9, 2015
 
December 9, 2015 Boston, MA- On Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 11:30 am at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross people from across the Archdiocese of Boston will join with Pope Francis and Catholics around the world to begin the Jubilee of Mercy. Most Rev. Peter J. Uglietto, S.T.D., Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Boston, will open the Holy Door of Mercy on behalf of Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, who is in Rome this week. 
 
“Pope Francis has said that Mercy is the beating heart of the Gospel,” said Cardinal Seán. “We hope to facilitate an encounter with God, the Father of Mercy, through the Holy Door and acts of charity towards one another, which, together, remind us of His goodness towards all people.”
 
Bishop Uglietto said, “This is our open invitation for the Catholic faithful and the wider community to pass through the Holy Door and encounter the Mercy of God.” 
 
Year of Mercy
 
Last year, the Holy Father promulgated an extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy on the second anniversary of his election as Pope. Unlike most jubilees that mark an anniversary, Pope Francis asked the world to celebrate God the Father’s most notable mark in human history: mercy. Every cathedral in the world designated a Door of Mercy to promote unity among all people and allow those unable to travel to Rome the opportunity to physically pass through a Holy Door.
 
Cardinal Seán sealed the designated door on November 29 at the conclusion of Vespers and the Cheverus awards ceremony. 
 
“This Jubilee of Mercy expresses the quality everyone today most appreciates about Jesus and His Vicar on earth, Pope Francis,” explained Shateara Hall, the Cathedral’s coordinator of pilgrimages. “In Boston’s Cathedral, we chose the most accessible door that anyone can pass through via the large elevator. Everyone, regardless of health, race, creed, or wealth, should make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral this year, walk together through the Door and experience the joy of the Gospel.”
The Mass will begin promptly at 11:30am, with a short greeting and gathering in the Cathedral’s Blessed Sacrament Chapel.  Following this short introductory rite, the Bishop accompanied by local clergy, lay members of the Orders of Malta and the Holy Sepulcher, ecclesial movements including the Neo-Catechumenal Way and seminarians from all three of Boston’s seminaries will process to the Holy Door. The Bishop will knock three times on the door, unsealing the door and opening it for all to enter in solemn procession. 
 
The Door of Mercy will remain open throughout the Jubilee and everyone is welcome to make a private pilgrimage or arrange for a group to come together. The Cathedral’s coordinator of pilgrimages will assist anyone. To plan a pilgrimage, please call the Cathedral’s office at 617-542-5682 and ask for Shateara Hall. 
 
For more information please visit www.bostoncatholic.org/yearofmercy.
 
About the Archdiocese of Boston: The Diocese of Boston was founded on April 8, 1808 and was elevated to Archdiocese in 1875. Currently serving the needs of 1.8 million Catholics, the Archdiocese of Boston is an ethnically diverse and spiritually enriching faith community consisting of 289 parishes, across 144 communities, educating approximately 38,000 students in its Catholic schools and 156,000 in religious education classes each year, ministering to the needs of 200,000 individuals through its pastoral and social service outreach.   Mass is celebrated in nearly twenty different languages each week. For more information, please visit  www.BostonCatholic.org.