Workshops:
The School of Liturgy
Guidelines:
Policies and guidelines for Liturgy in the Diocese of Wollongong.
Jubilee Year of Mercy
The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy began when Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica on 8 December 2015 (the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council). The Jubilee concludes when Pope Francis closes that same door on 20 November 2016.
In announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has urged us to reflect deeply on the gracious mercy of God and to hear again Jesus' call to us to "be merciful just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36).
Pope Francis asks us in this Jubilee Year to especially rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy: "The experience of mercy, indeed, becomes visible in the witness of concrete signs as Jesus himself taught us .... Wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an oasis of mercy."
Resources
Pope Francis and the Year of Mercy
Tweets by @pontifexPapal Documents
The following documents provide essential reading on our pilgrimage through the Year of Mercy:
24 hours for the Lord, Friday, March 13, 2015 - St Peter Basilica
Apostolic Letter (Bull of Indiction)
To My Venerable Brother Archbishop Rino Fisichella,
President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization,
1 September 2015
Opening of the Holy Door
Saint Peter's Square
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Bishop Peter Ingham - Pastoral Letter
Pastoral Letter
Bishop Peter Ingham sent a Pastoral Letter to the Diocese on the weekend 5-6 December 2015 alerting us to the good news that Pope Francis has proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Pastoral Letter was printed in the Summer 2015 issue of Journey which was distributed on the following weekend, 12-13 December 2015. It can be downloaded here:
Year of Mercy Logo
Description of the Logo
Excerpt from the Vatican website
The logo and the motto together provide a fitting summary of what the Jubilee Year is all about. The motto Merciful Like the Father (taken from the Gospel of Luke, 6:36) serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure (cfr. Lk 6:37-38).
The logo, the work of Jesuit Father Marko I. Rupnik, presents a small summa theologiae of the theme of mercy. In fact, it represents an image quite important to the early Church: that of the Son having taken upon his shoulders the lost soul demonstrating that it is the love of Christ that brings to completion the mystery of his incarnation culminating in redemption.
The logo has been designed in such a way so as to express the profound way in which the Good Shepherd touches the flesh of humanity and does so with a love with the power to change one's life. One particular feature worthy of note is that while the Good Shepherd, in his great mercy, takes humanity upon himself, his eyes are merged with those of man. Christ sees with the eyes of Adam, and Adam with the eyes of Christ. Every person discovers in Christ, the new Adam, one's own humanity and the future that lies ahead, contemplating, in his gaze, the love of the Father.
The scene is captured within the so called mandorla (the shape of an almond), a figure quite important in early and medieval iconography, for it calls to mind the two natures of Christ, divine and human. The three concentric ovals, with colors progressively lighter as we move outward, suggest the movement of Christ who carries humanity out of the night of sin and death. Conversely, the depth of the darker color suggests the impenetrability of the love of the Father who forgives all.
Year of Mercy Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.
Year of Mercy Song
Misericordes Sicut Pater!
by Eugenio Costa SJ and Paul Inwood
The official hymn for the Year of Mercy has been made available by
the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. PDF music scores can be downloaded by clicking on the images to the right. The Copyright Owners have granted permission for these to be reprinted without charge throughout the Year of Mercy.The Diocese commissioned Bernard Kirkpatrick and the Choir of St Patrick's Cathedral Parramatta to make a recording of the English translation. It is available for download here. It is also available as a
bonus track in the "24 Hours for the Lord" CD Resource in the Diocese of Wollongong 2016 Lenten Program "Mercy."The original recording in Latin by the Sistine Chapel Choir is available at the Jubilee Year of Mercy website.
Blest Are the Merciful!
by Jakub Blycharz.
The official World Youth Day song is also particularly appropriate
during the Year of Mercy. PDF music scores of the English translation, arranged by Ed Bolduc, can be downloaded by clicking on the images to the right. The Copyright Owners have granted permission for these to be reprinted without charge leading up to the World Youth Day celebrations in Krakow in July.There is also an excellent recording of the English translation,
commissioned by the US and Australian Catholic Bishops. The recording features Australian singers Fr Robert Galea and Steph Unger. It is available for download here. It is also available as a bonus track in the "24 Hours for the Lord" CD Resource in the Diocese of Wollongong 2016 Lenten Program "Mercy."The original audio mp3 files, youtube and downloadable pdf music scores are available at the Australian Bishops' World Youth Day website.
Pilgrimage Sites and the Holy Doors of Mercy
Pilgrims Through the Holy Door
The practice of pilgrimage has a special place in this Holy Year because our life is a pilgrimage as we make our way to our final destination - to be with God for ever.
Year of Mercy Calendar - Jubilees and Other Key Dates
Date / Celebration Universal Church Local Church 8 December Feast of the Immaculate Conception Opening of Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica Rome (50th Anniversary of the Closing of Vatican II) 13 December 3rd Sunday of Advent Opening of Holy Doors of St John Lateran Basilica Rome, and all Cathedrals throughout the world Opening of Holy Door of St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral Wollongong, 20 December 4th Sunday of Advent Opening of Holy Door of Immaculate Conception Parish Unanderra (Diocesan Shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary) 20 December 4th Sunday of Advent Opening of Holy Door of Our Lady of Mercy, Penrose Park 1 January Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Opening of Holy Door of St Mary Major Rome 19-21 January Jubilee for those engaged in pilgrimage work 25 January Opening of Holy Door of St Paul’s Basilica Rome 2 February Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Jubilee for Consecrated Life and the Closing of the Year of Consecrated Life 4 February Mass for Religious 10 February Ash Wednesday Sending of Missionaries of Mercy. “Mercy” Lenten Program begins 22 February Jubilee for the Roman Curia 4-5 March3rd Week of Lent 24 Hours for the Lord. 24 Hours for the Lord in local communities 3 April 2nd Sunday of Easter Jubilee for those who are devoted to the spirituality of Divine Mercy 24 April 5th Sunday of Easter Jubilee for young boys and girls (aged 13 – 16) 5 May 6th Week of Easter Vigil to Dry Tears 27-29 May Corpus Christi Jubilee for deacons 3 June Sacred Heart of Jesus Jubilee for priests 12 June 11th Sunday in Ordinary time Jubilee for those who are illJubilee for persons with disabilities 26-31 July 18th Sunday in Ordinary time Jubilee for young people. World Youth Day (Krakow, Poland) 4 September 23rd Sunday in Ordinary time Jubilee for workers and volunteers for mercy 25 September 26th Sunday in Ordinary time Jubilee for catechists 8-9 October 28th Sunday in Ordinary time Marian Jubilee 6 November 32nd Sunday in Ordinary time Jubilee for prisoners 13 November 33rd Sunday in Ordinary time Closing of the Holy Doors throughout the world 20 November Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Closing of the Holy door of St Peter’s Basilica Rome Lent 2016 - 24 Hours for the Lord
The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
Oases of Mercy
Formation for Mercy
Liturgical Resources for the Year of Mercy
The Rite of the Opening of the Door of Mercy in Local Churches
A PDF of the Rite can be downloaded here.
Resources from the Vatican
Diocesan Assembly Resources - 5 September 2015
Resources from the Australian Bishops
Resources from other Australian Dioceses and Organisations
Liturgy Office
liturgy@dow.org.au
Liturgy Handbook
