Call Us : (317) 784-3660

Door of Mercy

  • October 9, 2016 at 2:00 pm
  • 1347 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46202

PILGRIMAGE  to the  JUBILEE DOOR

CATHEDRAL of SAINTS PETER & PAUL, INDIANAPOLIS, IN

The Monsignor Downey Council of the Knights of Columbus will sponsor a Pilgrimage to the Holy Door at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

All are welcome!

A special invitation is extended to parishioners of the South Deanery parishes that make up Council 3660.

The visit to the Cathedral will include:

  • a reflection offered by Fr. Joe Moriarty
    one of the Missionaries of Mercy appointed by Pope Francis for the Jubilee of Mercy
  • Passing through the Door of Mercy at the Cathedral
  • A Profession of Faith
  • A Prayer for Pope Francis and his intentions

Door of Mercy flyer (PDF 5.56MB)

Indulgences and the Jubilee Year of Mercy

During the Jubilee Year of Mercy our Holy Father, Francis, has extended an indulgence to those who sincerely seek the mercy of God. An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment that is due to our sin. The sins that are confessed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and of which we sincerely repent, are forgiven by God. The disorder caused by sin, however, remains and we must strive to repair that disorder as part of our sincere repentance. If I break my neighbor’s window while playing baseball, my neighbor may forgive me, but the broken window remains and I must try to repair the damage that I have done by doing all that I can to replace the broken window.

If I confess that I have stolen goods from a store and am truly sorry for my sin and confess that sin, I am forgiven by God through the mediation of His Church in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The damage caused by sin, however, remains and I must strive to repair that damage. Sins that have been forgiven, but for which I have not repaired the damage, incur a temporal punishment which is made up for through prayer, sacrifice and works of charity in this life and if, at the time of my death, the is still temporal punishment due my sin, this punishment is made up for in purgatory which is also a function of God’s mercy.

Exercising the power of the keys in which Jesus told Peter, “Whatever you declare loosed on earth will be loosed in heaven, ” (Matthew 18:18) the Church mediates the mercy of God through indulgences which may be partial or plenary (full/complete). Drawing from the storehouse of Christ’s merits and the good that has been done by the saints, the Church applies these merits to us who are sinners through what are called “indulgences”.

During the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has attached a plenary indulgence to those who visit a pilgrimage church. Archbishop Tobin has designated the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Indianapolis and the Archabbey Church of St. Meinrad in southern Indiana as pilgrimage churches in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Both have a Holy Door or a ‘Door of Mercy’ through which pilgrims are invited to pass through and so enter into the mercy of God.

A plenary indulgence is offered to those who visit a pilgrimage church and do the following during the Jubilee Year of Mercy:

  • Pass through the Door of Mercy of a pilgrimage church;
  • Make a profession of faith such as the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed;
  • Pray for the pope and his intentions;
  • Meditate on God’s mercy while receiving Holy Communion during a period either 20 days before or 20 days after the visit to the pilgrimage church;
  • Participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation 20 days before or 20 days after visiting the pilgrimage church.