THE JUBILEE OF MERCY 12/8/15 to 11/20/16

INSERT #2: “The Holy Door of Mercy” and Plenary

Pope Francis wants this Year of Mercy to restore the Church to God’s intention for it to be a home to all who seek God’s merciful embrace.

The Holy Door of Mercy is opened as a ritual expression of conversion. The door represents Christ, the “gate for the sheep.” (Jn 10:7) Pilgrims and penitents pass through it as a gesture of leaving the past behind and crossing the threshold from sin to grace, from slavery to freedom, and from darkness to light.

To make this opportunity available to everyone, especially those who cannot travel to , Francis has asked Bishops to open designated Holy Doors at and Shrines throughout the world so that everyone can access this special ritual which includes a plenary indulgence. This is the first time in the history of the Jubilee Years that this accommodation has been made.

Bishop DiLorenzo opened the Holy Door at the of the Sacred Heart, Mother Church of our Diocese of Richmond, on November 20, 2015. This is the only Holy Door in the Diocese of Richmond during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. We encourage you to make a pilgrimage to pass through the Holy Door at Richmond or any of the other so-designated Holy Doors throughout the world!

CATHEDRAL OF THE SACRED HEART, Msgr. Patrick Golden, Rector 18 N. Laurel St., Richmond, VA 23220 (804) 359-5651 Church is open M-F from 8am to 4pm. Masses: M,W,TH,F at 12:05pm; SAT at 5:15pm and SUN at 9a, 11a and 5:15pm. Confessions: Saturday at 4:00pm www.richmondcathedral.org or cdryearofmercy.org A Partial or Plenary Indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven…Code of Canon Law (can. 992) & Catechism of the (n.1471). A partial indulgence removes some of the temporal punishment; a plenary indulgence removes it all.

In general, the gaining of requires certain prescribed conditions: The person must be in a state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day and in addition to being in a state of grace, the person must:  have interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin  have sacramentally confessed their sins  receive the Holy Eucharist (does not have to be within Mass)  pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff o an Our Father and Hail Mary are suggested It is appropriate, but not necessary, that these conditions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days before or after the indulgenced act. One sacramental Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions are required for each plenary indulgence. Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.

More information on the subject of indulgences can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and on the numerous Catholic websites available online.

Our next inserts will talk about other ways to participate more fully and more deeply in this Year of Mercy. We will continue to hole-punch the inserts so you can keep them in a binder for easy reference throughout the year.

1/10/16