Significance of Holy Year of mercy
A letter from Sr. Silvia Maria, sctjm
December 3, 2015
Dear Friends of St JPII
I know this is a long letter, but trust me in Heaven you will thank me for it, and the Lord will be very unhappy with me if I do not share with you the immensity of the graces He wants to give you!
From December 8th to November 20th, 2016 Pope Francis has given to the world and Extraordinary Year of Mercy. It is “extraordinary” because these special Jubilee years of grace are usually every 25 years and we are only on year 15. ( 2015). Also on December 13, Pope Francis will open the “Holy Door of Mercy” at the Basilica of St. John Lateran and invites dioceses around the world to open their own local Holy Doors.
• In the Diocese of Peoria, Bishop Jenky has designated St John Paul II Catholic Newman Center to be 1 of 5 special “Doors of Mercy” for the Diocese where pilgrims can come to receive special graces.
Dear Friends of St JPII
I know this is a long letter, but trust me in Heaven you will thank me for it, and the Lord will be very unhappy with me if I do not share with you the immensity of the graces He wants to give you!
From December 8th to November 20th, 2016 Pope Francis has given to the world and Extraordinary Year of Mercy. It is “extraordinary” because these special Jubilee years of grace are usually every 25 years and we are only on year 15. ( 2015). Also on December 13, Pope Francis will open the “Holy Door of Mercy” at the Basilica of St. John Lateran and invites dioceses around the world to open their own local Holy Doors.
• In the Diocese of Peoria, Bishop Jenky has designated St John Paul II Catholic Newman Center to be 1 of 5 special “Doors of Mercy” for the Diocese where pilgrims can come to receive special graces.
what is one of the gifts god has for you?
Most especially you can receive a Plenary Indulgence daily (this removes all temporal punishment due for Confessed sins). This takes place when you pass through the “Holy doors” and pray the usual prayers: Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, pray invoking God’s mercy such as: “Jesus I trust in your mercy,” and go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and receive Holy Communion within 8 days before or after passing through the Holy doors.
Most especially you can receive a Plenary Indulgence daily (this removes all temporal punishment due for Confessed sins). This takes place when you pass through the “Holy doors” and pray the usual prayers: Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, pray invoking God’s mercy such as: “Jesus I trust in your mercy,” and go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and receive Holy Communion within 8 days before or after passing through the Holy doors.
what does this amazing gift mean?
That all the sins that we confess are forgiven to us by God, even if it is a grave sin that deserves hell, God’s forgiveness won for us on the cross saves us from the eternal consequences of our sins- hell.
However, if I sinned, though Christ forgives me when I go to Confession, there is still a consequence in time (this is called the “temporal” consequences of sins). Our sins though forgiven by God still leave wounds on those we hurt, they leave a stench. What a plenary indulgence does is cleans up the stench my sins leave behind, so that I don’t have to clean this up in purgatory. All of this is as a result of God’s amazing mercy and the price Christ was willing to pay for me on the cross.
So can you imagine that each time you walk through these Holy Doors- (They are the inside doors at the back of the Chapel outlined by the purple wall), every time you pass through these doors and pray the above prayers and try to detach from sin, Jesus is cleaning us up and all the shattered pieces our sins leave behind! Can you believe what a year of Grace is taking place?!! Note that you can come to receive 1 a day for nearly a whole year!!!; and it can be offered for yourself or for a deceased soul in purgatory.
However, if I sinned, though Christ forgives me when I go to Confession, there is still a consequence in time (this is called the “temporal” consequences of sins). Our sins though forgiven by God still leave wounds on those we hurt, they leave a stench. What a plenary indulgence does is cleans up the stench my sins leave behind, so that I don’t have to clean this up in purgatory. All of this is as a result of God’s amazing mercy and the price Christ was willing to pay for me on the cross.
So can you imagine that each time you walk through these Holy Doors- (They are the inside doors at the back of the Chapel outlined by the purple wall), every time you pass through these doors and pray the above prayers and try to detach from sin, Jesus is cleaning us up and all the shattered pieces our sins leave behind! Can you believe what a year of Grace is taking place?!! Note that you can come to receive 1 a day for nearly a whole year!!!; and it can be offered for yourself or for a deceased soul in purgatory.
When do we begin at St. jpii?
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Because of our academic calendar, we will have special times of opening so it would be good to check our web site… www.isucatholic.org. However, we know for sure that we will inaugurate this Extra-ordinary year of Mercy on December 9th at 7PM with Mass and it will be followed by an hour of confession and praise and worship music that you are free to join us at. Also on April 3 the Feast of Divine Mercy we will have a Special area-wide celebration, Mass at 2PM and Holy hour and Chaplet of Divine mercy at 3PM…. With confessions available then also…
What else is happening?We will be having special events for the year: Talks and Mercy Missions- these are opportunities to practice spiritual works of mercy. We began this past October and have plans already until August 2016.
We’ve collected used glasses for those who are too poor to afford glasses and these have been sent to Guatemala. We also wrote letters to the kids and youth in the refugee camps in the Middle East and sent them a donation.We attended “Feed My Starving Children” event and in January go to the March for Life in Chicago. Feel free to join us at any of these upcoming events. Check out Mercy Missions Page |
Why is the Holy Father declaring this Extraordinary year of Mercy?
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To reveal once more, to reveal anew in us -and through us- to the world the merciful love of the Father as we contemplate the face of Christ; and to beg the Lord for his Mercy for ourselves and for the whole world that is in such great need. As Pope Francis tells us, “God never tires of forgiving, it is we who tire asking God for forgiveness.” And what is God’s Mercy? Our Holy Father tells us: “Mercy is: the bridge that connects God and Man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.”
EXTRAORDINARYIn many ways this gift seems to have been foretold to us 5 years ago. On February, 10, 2010, Sr Sara and I had a sense during a time of Adoration that: Our Lady of Lourdes was pouring out graces so abundantly at the Center that they flowed from behind the center where the old chapel was- to the existing chapel and up to the top choir loft to the outside through the front window. This front window is specifically the window above the now proclaimed “Door of Mercy.” It is also amazing how in the sense we had- it was our Lady of Lourdes, and the Door -is a door of Mercy and our year as a Religious Community combines these 2 elements: Our Lady of Lourdes and Divine Mercy as we are called to open fountains of Mercy in the grottos of the world. We thank our Mother Foundress for her attentiveness to the Holy Spirit always going ahead of us and preparing us for the great works of God.
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Have questions?
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So we can begin getting all cleaned up on Wed December 9th! If you have any questions on this letter you can reach us via email, internet www.isucatholic.org (for more info) and phone at 309-452-5046. United as we rejoice in the shower of graces being poured down upon us by our Merciful Father! Keeping each of you in my daily prayers and offerings, Yours in Him, Sr Silvia Maria, SCTJM A Servant at, St John Paul II Catholic Newman Center |