Thirteen Holy Doors to be opened throughout Diocese
It is a time for mercy, to seek forgiveness and to be merciful as our Father in Heaven is merciful.
This is the message proclaimed by Pope Francis in announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, echoed here in central New Jersey by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
In addition to his pastoral letter released last September, Bishop O’Connell has designated the following churches in the Diocese of Trenton as places of pilgrimage. Visiting these sites and following the conditions below offers the chance to receive a plenary indulgence.
Throughout the Diocese, parishes and communities will be celebrating the Holy Year of Mercy throughout the liturgical year.
Mercer County
St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton • Dec. 8, Opening Mass with Bishop O’Connell, 12:10 p.m…Dec. 13, Mass to open Holy Doors, 10:30 a.m. For information, call 609-396-8447 or visit www.stmarys-cathedral.org.
Divine Mercy, Trenton • Beginning Dec. 16, every Wed., Mass, 12:15 p.m., Holy Cross Church, 218 Adeline Street. For information, call 609-393-4826 or visit www.divinemercyoftrenton.org.
St. Gregory the Great, Hamilton Square • Dec. 13, Mass, 10:30 a.m., opening of the Holy Door. For information, call 609-587-4877 or visit www.stgregorythegreatchurch.org.
St. George, Titusville • Dec. 12, Mass, 5:30 p.m., Dec. 13, Masses, 9, 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., will celebrate the opening of the Holy Door. For information, call 609-737-2015 or visit www.thechurchofstgeorge.org.
Burlington County
St. Katharine Drexel, Burlington • Dec. 13, opening of the Holy Door, located at St. Paul Church, 226 E. Union Street. For information, call 609-386-0152 or visit http://www.stkatharinedrexel-nj.org.
Monmouth County
St. Mary, Middletown • Dec. 13, Mass, 10:30 a.m., will begin with the opening of the Holy Door, Sacrament of Reconciliation, every weeknight, 7 p.m. (during the Jubilee year of Mercy). For information, call 732-671-0071 or www.stmarychurchnj.org.
St. Mary, Colts Neck • Dec. 13, Mass, noon. For information, call 732-780-2666 or visit www.stmarycoltsneck.com.
Holy Cross, Rumson • Dec. 13, Mass, 10:30 a.m., followed by hospitality. For information, call 732-842-0348 or visit www.holycrossrumson.org.
St. Robert Bellarmine, Freehold • Dec. 13, Mass, 10 a.m., opening of the Holy Door; Confessions, Tues. evenings, beginning Dec. 8, 7 to 8 p.m. For information, call 732-462-7429 or visit www.strobert.com.
St. Catherine, Middletown • Dec. 14, Masses, 8 a.m., noon (Traditional Latin) and 7 p.m. (Benediction) will honor the Feast of St. Lucy. All Masses will combine the Blessing of the Relic of St. Lucy and the opening of the Holy Door. For information, call 732-787-1318 or visit www.stcathek.org.
Ocean County
St. Peter, Point Pleasant Beach • Dec. 13, Mass, 10:30 a.m.including opening of Holy Door, which will remain open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For information, call 732-892-0049 or visit www.saintpetersonline.org.
St. Barnabas, Bayville • Dec. 12, Mass, 4 p.m., will incorporate a blessing and opening of the Holy Door. For information, call 732-269-220 or visit www.stbarnabasbayville.com.
St. Aloysius, Jackson • Dec. 13, Mass,
opening of the Holy Door. For information,
call 732-886-9336 or visit
www.saintaloysiusonline.org.
A Holy Year Pilgrimage with the Bishop to Rome, Italy
The Holy Year of Mercy will be a time of great grace, and it could be a time of great memories as well. The Diocese of Trenton is offering a diocesan-wide pilgrimage to Rome and Italy April 4-14, 2016. Under the direction of Father Jeffrey Lee, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Colts Neck and director of diocesan pilgrimages, Bishop David O’Connell, C.M., will lead pilgrims on this extraordinary journey of faith.
The pilgrimage will include four days in Rome, visits to the Basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Peter, St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, and St. Mary Major and possibly an audience with the Holy Father, as well as stops in Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Siena, and San Gimignano.
The total program cost is $3,999 per pilgrim and includes airfare to and from Newark Liberty International Airport, as well as most meals.
For a full pilgrimage itinerary or to reserve your spot, visit http://www.dioceseoftrenton.org/holy-year-of-mercy-pilgrimage
The deadline to register for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is Dec. 22.
Receiving a plenary indulgence during the Holy Year of Mercy
All Catholics of the Diocese of Trenton who make a pilgrimage to one of designated churches and its Holy Door of Mercy shall, with the proper intention and disposition, receive the Jubilee plenary indulgence available during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
An plenary indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment for sins already forgiven. The conditions to properly receive an indulgence are:
The recipient must be a baptized Catholic in the state of grace (free from mortal sin) at time of the pilgrimage;
The recipient must internally express a detachment from and rejection of sin at time of the pilgrimage;
The recipient must make a sacramental confession within 20 days of the pilgrimage, preferably (but not required to be) on the day itself;
The recipient must receive Holy Communion within 20 days of the pilgrimage, preferably (but not required to be) on the day itself, and;
The recipient must pray for the intention of the Holy Father at the time of the pilgrimage, usually the Profession of Faith (the Nicene Creed), one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory be to the Father, or other suitable prayers.
The plenary indulgence may be obtained for the living or the dead and will be available only one time daily.