Recent Church years have had little impact. But already the Pope’s extraordinary jubilee looks different, says Madeleine Teahan
BEFORE midnight Mass on December 24, 1999, the holy door at St Peter’s Basilica was pulled open and St John Paul II fell to his knees at the threshold and prayed. The Great Jubilee year that followed was widely seen as a triumph. Even the BBC’s correspondent David Willey called it an “unqualified success”. Rome drew 25 million pilgrims, several times the usual number. Pope John Paul II visited the Holy Land and became the first pope to pray at the Western Wall.
In 10 days’ time the door at St Peter’s will once again be opened and the Year of Mercy will repeat many of the themes of the Great Jubilee. As in 2000, dates have been set aside for different groups to celebrate the year with Pope Francis. Jubilee indulgences have been widely granted. But can the year inspire the faithful in the same way as the Great Jubilee?
Pilgrimage operators are gearing up for a busy year. One, Pax Travel, is extending its pilgrimages across Italy. Distributers of the Magnificat prayer booklet have also noticed a marked interest from their readership in the Year of Mercy.
These are only tentative signs of course. The more pessimistic among us might be inclined to point out that the Year of Consecrated Life, which is taking place this year, has passed almost without notice, and that the Year of Faith (2012-2013) went out with a whimper thanks to the resignation of Benedict XVI.
The Year of Mercy is a little different as it is a jubilee year. As in other jubilee years, each diocese will designate a “holy door” at its cathedral or at another important church. This gives the Year a tangible presence in every local area.
The Year of Faith went out with a whimper thanks to the resignation of Benedict XVI
There are indications, too, that priests and bishops are responding creatively to the initiative, especially in terms of encouraging Confession. Across the Atlantic, the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, has launched a “mobile confessional” in the form of an ambulance. (The ambulance, recently donated to the diocese, has “Spiritual Care Unit” emblazoned on its side.) Bishop Michael Jarrell explained that he hoped it would encourage more Catholics to confess their sins by bringing the sacrament to busy people with hectic schedules.
A similar project is being organised in the Diocese of Salford. A double-decker bus will stop off in town centres, housing estates, colleges, and homeless centres across parts of Greater Manchester and Lancashire. It will have priests on board available to hear Confession, to give blessings or just to have a chat.
Blogger Fr Ray Blake of St Mary Magdalene’s, Brighton, told the Catholic Herald that his parish would be marking the beginning of the year, – December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception – with a procession through the centre of Brighton.
However, he also noted that the theme of mercy was flexible and might mean different things to different people. Some dioceses have shown so far that they regard the Year of Mercy as an opportunity to encourage individuals to reconcile with the Lord, while others, in an effort to be inclusive, may see it as code for taking a lenient approach to Holy Communion, he suggested. Ultimately, Fr Blake said, the success of the Year will depend upon each individual bishop’s enthusiasm and initiative.
So far, again, the signs are good. Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury will announce in his pastoral letter on Sunday the designated holy doors in his diocese. (One, at St Anthony’s church in Wythenshawe, Cheshire, will open from December 12 until Easter; from Easter until November next year the holy door will be at Shrewsbury Cathedral.)
In his letter, released in advance, he added: “I also wish to propose that the door of the Confessional in every parish church should be clearly marked out this year so we can find our way more frequently to the Sacrament of Mercy and encourage others.”
Meanwhile, Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth has written to members of his diocese appealing to them to “undertake a review of life, to acknowledge sins and to receive more frequently – say, once a month – the Sacrament of Reconciliation”.
As Christians, it is hard to practice mercy for a day, let alone a year. But on this occasion, there are several momentous events throughout the following year that could help to sustain momentum.
In February the Pope will visit Mexico, which has the second largest Catholic population in the world. During Lent, on March 13, Rome will mark 24 hours for the Lord, with Pope Francis presiding at a penitential service at St Peter’s Basilica.
And in the summer Francis will attend World Youth Day in Kraków, near the Divine Mercy Sanctuary, where people will remember the life of St Faustina and recall Christ’s words to her: “I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy.”
There is one other event that may have a considerable impact and influence how the Year of Mercy goes down among the faithful: the Pope’s apostolic exhortation on the family. But what the Pope will say no one can predict.
Holy Year facts:
✣ The Holy Year tradition was started by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300
✣ More than a half a million pilgrims visited Rome for the Jubilee of 1825
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