Deacon – Icon of Mercy of the New Evangelization
Deacons are Invited to Rome for Special Jubilee of Mercy Celebration!
Deacons and their families from around the world are invited to come to Rome to participate in a major celebration for deacons as part of the Jubilee of Mercy Holy Year! The Jubilee for Deacons is a celebration for deacons, their wives and families that will be held in the Eternal City from May 27 to 29, 2016.
On March 13, 2015, Pope Francis announced an “Extraordinary Jubilee which has at its centre the mercy of God. It will be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live in the light of the word of the Lord: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (cf. Lk 6:36).” The Jubilee of Mercy Holy Year begins on December 8, 2015, with the opening of the Holy Doors at St. Peter’s Basilica. Major events are scheduled throughout the year.
The Holy Year of Mercy will be an opportunity to encourage Christians to meet people’s “real needs” with concrete assistance, to experience a “true pilgrimage” on foot, and to send “missionaries of mercy” throughout the world to forgive even the most serious of sins.
More than a dozen individual jubilee celebrations are scheduled in 2016, such as a jubilee for consecrated men and women to close the Year of Consecrated Life; a jubilee for the Roman Curia; a jubilee for those devoted to the spirituality of Divine Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday; and separate jubilees for teenagers; for deacons; priests; the sick and disabled; and catechists.
A formal letter from Most Reverend Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, invites deacons and their families on behalf of Pope Francis to participate in a convocation for deacons in May 2016 (see attachment). Bishop Fisichella states, “I am certain that such a global convocation of deacons, men who by their vocation and ministry are closely associated with works of charity in the life of the Christian community, will serve to give witness to all that ‘mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life’ (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus 10).”
The second attached document is the Jubilee for Deacons program schedule. Details by day include:
Friday, May 27, 2016: Beginning at 5:00 pm, deacons and wives will be organized by language (English, Italian and Spanish) for a series of presentations at the seven church of St. Lawrence. A keynote address will be presented on the subject, “Deacon – Icon of Mercy of the New Evangelization.” Three additional presentations will discuss application of the Deacon as the Icon of Mercy “- In the Family,” “- In the Parish,” and “- In the Workplace.”
Saturday, May 28, 2016: Starting at 8:00 am and ending at 5:00 pm, there will be opportunities for Eucharistic adoration, reconciliation and tours of the seven churches of St Lawrence as personal pilgrimages. At 6:00 pm, pilgrims will walk through the Holy Doors at St. Peter’s Basilica to hear official catechesis on the subject: “The Deacon: Called to the Service of Charity in the life of the Community.”
Sunday, May 29, 2016: 10:00 am. Holy Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Square with Pope Francis. Deacons will be seated to the front.
There is no registration cost to attend the Jubilee for Deacons, but participants will be required to register in advance. More information about registration will be shared as it becomes available.
We hope to see you in Rome at the Jubilee for Deacons!