(Long Island, NY) Pope Francis has called for a Jubilee Year of Mercy to begin Wednesday, December 8, 2015 and to continue until November 22, 2016. “With gratitude to the Holy Father for this initiative, I invite us all to set out on a pilgrimage of mercy here in our diocese beginning onDecember 12,” said the Most Rev. William Murphy, Bishop, Diocese of Rockville Centre. “Inspired by the Pope’s letter, Misericordiae Vultus, we as a Church will have many opportunities to live mercy and to let the Father’s mercy flood our hearts and make our hearts like that of His Son.”
Fr. Dom, Bishop Nelson Perez and Pastor Mike Vetrano. Photo Credit: Basilica of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
In addition to the Cathedral of Saint Agnes in Rockville Centre, one of the following places of worship has been designated as places of pilgrimage and each will have a Mass celebrated by an Auxiliary Bishop along with an official opening of a Holy Door of Mercy.
- Basilica of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Southampton (168 Hill Street, Southampton, New York —http://shjmbasilica.org/). On Sunday, December 13 at 9:30 a.m., Bishop Nelson Perez, Auxiliary Bishop, Diocese of Rockville Centre will celebrate Mass and open the Holy Door of Mercy at the Basilica.
Each diocese has its Cathedral as a primary location and then a group of Station Churches – each of these has a designated Door of Mercy and visitors and pilgrims can pass through this door and pray to receive the blessings of the year of mercy. These are a time of greater forgiveness, inviting people to seek God’s mercy on their own lives, and also a time of extending mercy to others.
Here at Sacred Hearts our new Parish Social Ministry is part of this. Social ministry embodies the ideals of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
On December 13 at our 9:30 a.m. mass Bishop Perez will open the main aisle door of our church as a Door of Mercy. After that on each Thursday we will have special events beginning with 12:00 p.m. mass and ending with Benediction at 4:00 p.m.
In addition, we will have a Lenten Mission this year entitled Mission of Mercy. Two of the speakers will be Bishop Perez, speaking on Mercy to the refugee and immigrant, and NYC Police officer Steven McDonald, speaking on forgiveness and mercy toward those who have harmed us. The mission will be the week of March 7-10, 2016.
Parishioners have been specially invited to become Anchors of Mercy and offer a time of prayer in our church each Thursday for God’s peace and mercy in the world.
For more information please go to our web site: http://shjmbasilica.org/
