Bishop O’Connell to mark closing of Year of Mercy with Mass in Freehold church

Along with dioceses from throughout the world, the Diocese of Trenton will observe the closing of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy Nov. 20.

On that day which the universal Church observes the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., extends an invitation to all the faithful of the Diocese to attend a Mass that he will celebrate at 11:30 a.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Church, 61 Georgia Rd., Freehold.

The Holy Year, which commenced on Dec. 8, 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was proclaimed by Pope Francis to draw special attention to God’s mercy and justice. Throughout the past year, the faithful were encouraged to rediscover and embrace the Corporal Works of Mercy by reaching out to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead. They were further asked to concentrate on the Spiritual Works of Mercy by counseling the doubtful; instructing the ignorant; admonishing sinners; comforting the afflicted; forgiving offenses; bearing patiently those who do us ill and praying for the living and the dead.

In his proclamation, Pope Francis instructed that a Door of Mercy be opened for the duration in every local Diocese. In the Catholic Church, the Holy Door represents the passage to salvation, the path to a new and eternal life, which was opened to humanity by Jesus. In response to the Holy Father’s instruction, Bishop O’Connell designated 13 churches throughout the four counties of the Diocese as pilgrimage sites where Doors of Mercy were officially opened on Dec. 13, 2015. Throughout the year, faithful were encouraged to visit the designated churches and pass through the Holy Doors and in doing so had fulfilled a requirement in obtaining special graces during the Jubilee year. In anticipation of the closing of the Year of Mercy, those churches that opened Holy Doors were invited to close them on Nov. 13.