On March 13, 2015, Pope Francis announced a special Holy Year, which will be celebrated from Dec. 8, 2015, until Nov. 20, 2016. The biblical theme of the year, he said, is “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
by AnnaMarie Prono REFLECTING ON THE past Holy Year of Mercy, I recall my visits to holy sites and walking through the Doors of Mercy. I was fortunate in that I traveled to Fatima, a wonderful pilgrimage destination. Locally, I ventured out to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island in Manorville, L.I., Graymoor and St. Patrick’s Cathedral were two other special places I visited.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is leading the diocese’s Year of Mercy Pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi and the Holy Land. Above, the group poses for a photo in Assisi.
Continuing his Year of Mercy practice of going one Friday a month to visit people facing special struggles, Pope Francis paid a surprise visit to a community helping 20 young women get their lives back together after being rescued from prostitution.
I felt a connection with them and with our Blessed Mother that went deeper than words: I experienced a sense of peace.
For the Year of Mercy, I strive to be more patient with everyone as we all grow and mature at different rates.
Young people from St. Bartholomew Church, Elmhurst, spent a weekend retreat focused on being Christ to others in preparation for this year’s World Youth Day in Poland. The young adults – who are part of the 400 pilgrims from the Diocese of Brooklyn going to World Youth Day (WYD) in Krakow July 26-31 – are preparing their hearts through service and prayer.
Immaculate Conception parish, Astoria, conducted a Pilgrimage of Mercy in accordance with the Pope’s Jubilee year of Mercy on Saturday, June 11.
“The main purpose of this pilgrimage is to rediscover and celebrate the mercy of God in the cold world,” said Father John O’Connor.
Four buses of pilgrims from St. Sebastian Church visited the six Holy Doors for the Jubilee Year of Mercy in Brooklyn and Queens.
The Tablet captured three first-place prizes and five second-place awards in the national competition among diocesan newspaper with a circulation of 25,000 or more.
