This month, the Jubilee of Mercy will close worldwide. In our own diocese, this means the five Holy Doors located throughout South Jersey will officially close, as well. Four doors will close on Nov. 13, with a Mass and Rite of Closing of the Holy Door. On Nov. 20, Bishop Sullivan will close the final Holy Door at Mary Mother of Mercy Parish in Glassboro at the Noon Mass of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
During the Rite of the Closing of the Holy Doors we will give thanks to God for the graces received during the Jubilee Year and the door will be officially closed.
As he noted at his vespers homily on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2015, Pope Francis called for the Holy Year “because this is the time for mercy. It is the favorable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone, everyone, the way of forgiveness and reconciliation. May the Mother of God open our eyes, so that we may comprehend the task to which we have been called; and may she obtain for us the grace to experience this Jubilee of Mercy as faithful and fruitful witnesses of Christ.”
While the Jubilee of Mercy comes to a close this month, the spirit of this Holy Year should stay with us long into the future.
Schedule of Holy Doors Closings
Nov. 13: Parish of Saint Monica (at Saint Nicholas Church), Atlantic City — Noon Mass — Celebrant: Father John Vignone
Nov. 13: Parish of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (at the Cathedral), Camden — 11:30 a.m. Mass — Celebrant: Father John Fisher
Nov. 13: Divine Mercy Parish (at Saint Francis of Assisi), Vineland — 11 a.m. Mass — Celebrant: Msgr. John Burton
Nov. 13: Our Lady Star of the Sea, Cape May — 10:30 a.m. Mass – Celebrant: Father Robert Hughes
Nov. 20: Mary, Mother of Mercy, Glassboro — Noon Mass — Celebrant: Bishop Sullivan.