YEAR of MERCY

This Thanksgiving we have much to be thankful for- in spite of a troubled war. Our Holy Father Pope Francis has declared the coming year a special one for the Church, hence the whole world. 

“We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of MERCY. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. MERCY: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. MERCY: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. MERCY: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. MERCY: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.”

“It is a journey that begins with spiritual conversion. That is why I have decided to announce an extraordinary Jubilee centered on God’s mercy. It will be a HOLY YEAR of MERCY. We want to live in the light of the Lord’s word: ‘Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful’ .

“I am convinced that the whole Church will be able to find in this Jubilee the joy of rediscovering and making fruitful the mercy of God, through which we have all been called to give consolation to every man and women of our time. From this moment on, let us entrust it to the Mother of Mercy, that she may turn her gaze upon us and watch over our journey.”

The Holy Year of Mercy will be an opportunity to encourage all Christians to meet people's "real needs" with concrete assistance, to experience a "true pilgrimage" on foot, and to send "missionaries of mercy" throughout the world to forgive even the most serious of sins.

The Jubilee will begin with the opening of the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica on the 8 December 2015, Feast of the Immaculate Conception and  will conclude on 20 November 2016, Christ the King.

Benedictine nuns of Turvey Abbey
England