Missionaries of Mercy

As Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, I have the great joy of announcing the appointment of two of our priests as “Missionaries of Mercy” by Pope Francis:

Rev. Vincent Euk, pastor, St. Veronica Parish, Howell

Rev. Joseph G. Hlubik, administrator, St. Andrew Parish, Jobstown

Father Hlubik and Father Euk were among only 100 priests in the United States and 800 worldwide selected for this special appointment.   Beginning on Ash Wednesday 2016, they will receive the mandate from the Holy Father to be preachers and confessors of “mercy,” the theme of the Holy Year, which began Dec. 8, 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, announced Dec. 4 that the “Missionaries of Mercy” are “appointed exclusively by the Holy Father.” They “will receive from the Holy Father the faculty to forgive sins reserved to the Holy See, and will be the sign of the closeness and pardon of God for all.”  After Ash Wednesday and throughout the Holy Year of Mercy, these “Missionaries” will be available for liturgies, retreats or special events connected with the Holy Year.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.