Pope Francis described 2016 as a “packed year,” one full of initiatives that helped Catholics “see and touch with their hands the fruits of the mercy of God.”

Pope Francis described 2016 as a “packed year,” one full of initiatives that helped Catholics “see and touch with their hands the fruits of the mercy of God.”
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.
Acknowledging and sharing God’s mercy is a permanent part of the Christian life, so initiatives undertaken during the special Year of Mercy must continue, Pope Francis said.
Father Dwayne Davis, parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas parish, Flatlands, led a full-day tour of seven Holy Doors of Mercy at churches in Brooklyn and Queens in anticipation of the closing of the Jubilee Year of Mercy this Sunday, Nov. 20.
THIS YEAR, Thanksgiving week starts right after the formal conclusion of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. How do we incorporate what we have gained from the prayers, talks, readings and reflections that most of us took part in during the year to shape the way we think about and celebrate this Thanksgiving?
In the spirit of the Year of Mercy, the Sister Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara led teens in baking for and visiting the homebound.
Nearing the end of the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis paid a visit to seven families formed by men who left the priesthood to marry.
This week’s Tablet TALK features a visiting Our Lady of Charity statue in Queens, invites readers to run, walk or bike to benefit a Brooklyn food pantry, highlights a meet and greet event for college students and religious men and women and more.
Over 100 pilgrims from Incarnation parish, Queens Village, led by their pastor, Father John O’Connor, processed through the streets, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet as they journeyed from their church to the Holy Doors at St. Gerard Majella, Hollis.
The Holy Year of Mercy will close on Sunday, Nov. 20. In the Brooklyn Diocese, five bishops and an episcopal vicar will participate in closing ceremonies that include Mass and the blessings of the Holy Doors at six sites.