Jubilee Holy Door Opens at St. Mary of the Angels

ST. MARY OF THE ANGELS TO OPEN 

HISTORIC ‘HOLY DOOR OF MERCY’ 

FOR JUBILEE YEAR PILGRIMS

OLEAN (NY)—3 December 2015— Because of an historic decision by Pope Francis, St. Mary of the Angels Church will take on an important role during a celebrated year-long event in the Catholic Church beginning this month. The downtown Olean parish will be one of a select number of churches in the region designated to open a “Holy Door of Mercy” during the pope’s Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy which begins December 8. 

Passing through special holy doors has always been a traditional part of the pilgrimage that Catholics are encouraged to make during a Jubilee year. The problem is these doors are located in Rome, Italy, too far for most Catholics to ever make the journey.  For the first time in the Catholic Church’s centuries-old Jubilee tradition, Pope Francis extended the unique privileges of the official Holy Doors in Rome to cathedrals around the world; and he took the favor a step further by permitting bishops to designate churches in their dioceses with their own holy doors of mercy which pilgrims can visit. Recently, Most Rev. Richard Malone, Bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, designated St. Mary of the Angels to be one of eight churches that will have a Holy Door of Mercy in the diocese.

“By letting bishops designate holy doors in a few churches in their dioceses,” explained Rev. Gregory Dobson, pastor of St. Mary’s church, “the pope made it possible for pilgrims to have practical access to the same jubilee experiences of grace offered in Rome during the holy year; we are honored and blessed to be a designated place of pilgrimage in the region for this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy,” he said. 

A jubilee year is a special year called by the Catholic Church for blessing and pardon from God and for the remission of sins, Fr. Dobson explained. Based on Biblical jubilees, the Catholic Church’s jubilee years have been called every 25 or 50 years since the year 1300—the last one being the Jubilee Year 2000 proclaimed by Pope John Paul II. From time to time, “extraordinary” jubilee years have been called outside the regularly scheduled ones. This Year of Mercy is one such occasion.   

Pope Francis announced the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy last spring calling on the entire global Roman Catholic church to take up his papacy's central message of compassion and pardon. As he explained in his formal proclamation, Misericordiae Vultus, part of the symbolic act of dedicating oneself to accepting God’s mercy and being merciful is to make the decision to cross the threshold of a Holy Door.

“That is because a Holy Door is symbolic of Jesus Christ who called himself ‘the door’,” Fr. Dobson explained. “Pilgrims are called to transformation to become more like Jesus when they cross the threshold. It’s not a trite symbolic gesture; the decision to enter a church through a holy door takes courage,” he said. “It is telling God that you are willing to leave behind your past and cross the threshold from sin to grace,” He said.

Drawing on Pope Francis’s Jubilee theme: “Merciful Like the Father,” the St. Mary’s pastor said, “In this Year of Mercy we are called to become more merciful and to bring God’s mercy to others; the transformation is about making peace with God, reconciling with your neighbors, nurturing compassion for the poor, restoring in yourself anything damaged from the past, and reshaping your heart.”  

The door at St. Mary’s selected for this jubilee celebration is a 100-year-old interior solid oak door that will be specially decorated and marked with a permanent plaque. Located in the church’s vestibule on the right-hand side, it is easily accessible from its front handicap entrance.  Fr. Dobson explained that the art restoration that is underway in the interior of the church will incorporate enhancing the new Door of Mercy.

“Because this door has such enormous historical and spiritual impact, we will add a beautiful hand-painted stenciled pattern that is unique to St. Mary’s,” he said, adding, “It certainly deserves this kind of visual treatment, and we want the door to stand out for the many visiting pilgrims we expect this year."

The Holy Door of Mercy at St. Mary’s will be formally opened on Sunday, December 13, the day all designated Doors of Mercy throughout the world are to be opened—five days after Pope Francis opens the principle Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Fr. Dobson will officially open the Door of Mercy at St. Mary’s in a centuries-old rite during the celebration of the regularly-scheduled 9:00 am Mass. The door will close with similar ceremonies on the final day of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, November 20, 2016—the Feast of Christ the King. 

Other Holy Doors of Mercy which Bishop Malone designated throughout the diocese are located in the following churches:

• The cathedral church of St. Joseph, downtown Buffalo
• Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Lacawanna
• Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Youngstown
• St. Leo the Great, Amherst
• St. Hyacinth Church/ Blessed Mary Angela Parish, Dunkirk
• Our Lady of Mercy, LeRoy
• Corpus Christi, Buffalo (limited dates)

Beyond the official ceremonial opening of the door, St. Mary’s will host or take part in several events during the Jubilee Year of Mercy focused on the theme of the love and mercy of God and sharing that love and mercy with others. These will include special healing Masses; additional scheduled times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession); the annual Christmas dinner serving more than 800 meals on Christmas Day; a Lenten retreat at St. John’s church given by Most Rev. Donald Trautman, Bishop Emeritus of Erie, Pa; Divine Mercy week devotions; Eucharistic Adoration; a special retreat for young people and a youth pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Poland next summer with Pope Francis. In addition, St. Mary’s will join in the world-wide 24 Hours of Mercy celebration which Pope Francis has called to be held on March 4 and 5.

Fr. Dobson notes that while specific elements of spiritual preparation are part of the traditional pilgrimage experience for Catholics, non-Catholics are welcome to walk through the Door of Mercy too. 

“If you are sincere in seeking mercy and have the courage to want to transform your life, our door is definitely open for you,” he said. 

For those making the pilgrimage to St. Mary’s, informational material about the observances of the Jubilee Year of Mercy are available in the church as well as on the parish web site devoted to the Jubilee.