Year of Mercy Indulgence

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” —Mt 16:19

“In the spiritual realm everything belongs to everyone. There is no private property. The goods of others become mine and my goods belong to others […] This is what is intended by the expression ‘the treasure of the Church’ and the ‘merits’ of the saints. To ask for [an] Indulgence means to enter into this communion of spiritual goods and put oneself at its disposition.”

— Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope Francis grants to the following persons the opportunity to receive a jubilee indulgence:

Those who make a pilgrimage to a Door of Mercy in Rome or a Door of Mercy designated by the diocesan bishop, and who receive sacramental absolution and Communion within several days of the pilgrimage and offer a Profession of Faith and a prayer (Our Father, Hail Mary, etc.) for the Pope’s intentions; Those unable to enter a Door of Mercy, “particularly the sick and people who are elderly and alone [and] often confined to the home,” and who unite their suffering to the Lord’s passion and, if possible, receive Communion and attend Holy Mass or some community prayer, even if by means of radio or television; Those who are incarcerated, who make a pilgrimage to their prison chapel or “direct their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell”; Those who perform a spiritual or corporal work of mercy during the Jubilee Year.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

• Counsel the doubtful.
• Instruct the ignorant.
• Admonish sinners.
• Comfort the afflicted.
• Forgive offenses.
• Bear wrongs patiently.
• Pray for the living and the dead.

The Corporal Works of Mercy

• Feed the hungry.
• Give drink to the thirsty.
• Clothe the naked.
• Shelter the homeless.
• Visit the sick.
• Visit the imprisoned.
• Bury the dead.

Pilgrimage churches in the Diocese of Camden

Bishop Dennis Sullivan has designated the following as Jubilee Churches, each featuring a Holy Door:

† Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception,

Camden

† Church of Our Lady of Lourdes,

Mary Mother of Mercy Parish, Glassboro

† Church of Saint Nicholas,

Parish of Saint Monica, Atlantic City

† Church of Saint Francis of Assisi,

Divine Mercy Parish, Vineland

† Church of our Lady Star of the Sea,

Cape May