Know God’s mercy and show it to others, Bishop Sullivan says

CAMDEN — With a pull of the handle and a prayer, Bishop Dennis Sullivan opened the Holy Door of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception here last Sunday morning, and began the Jubilee of Mercy in the Diocese of Camden.

On Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome to start the Year of Mercy, a time to “go out to every man and woman, bringing the goodness and tenderness of God,” he said earlier this year announcing the Jubilee, which will conclude on Nov. 20, 2016, the feast of Christ the King.

“May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the kingdom of God is already present in our midst,” he said.

Before Sunday’s 10 a.m. Mass, Bishop Sullivan and faithful gathered outside the Cathedral door, near the corner of Broadway and Market Street.

“May all who enter (this door) hear the word of God and heed the voice of Christ,” and know his personal welcome, he said before opening the door, and leading the congregation into the church.

During the Mass, he urged all to “open the doors of our soul to the gift of God’s mercy. May we indeed know the mercy of the Father and show it to others.”

In addition to Camden’s Cathedral Holy Door, four other churches in the Diocese of Camden will open Holy Doors this weekend: Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Mary Mother of Mercy Parish, Glassboro (8 a.m.); Church of Saint Nicholas, Parish of Saint Monica, Atlantic City (noon); Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Divine Mercy Parish, Vineland (12:30 p.m.); and the Church of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Cape May (10:30 a.m.).

Pilgrims who enter through these Holy Doors during the Jubilee of Mercy make a public acknowledgement of repentance and recommitment to their Catholic faith. Those faithful who make pilgrimages to these doors, or do good works during the Jubilee of Mercy, can receive indulgences, provided that within one week of performing the act attached to an indulgence, they also receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father.