Press release: The Jubilee for Workers of Mercy and Volunteers about to start on Friday, 2 September

31-8-2016 PCPNE

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On Sunday, the Canonization of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

To bring comfort through a visit to someone sick, to give a smile and friendship to our disabled brothers and sisters, to offer a little of your time to the imprisoned: these are a few of the works of mercy that are depicted in a video accessible through the hashtag #BeMercy, found on the social media of the Jubilee of Mercy.  The video promotes the Jubilee event dedicated to volunteers and workers of Mercy, scheduled to take place in Rome between 2-4 September.  The Pope’s invitation is directed to everyone throughout the world, because each of us in the Jubilee of Mercy is called to be a worker of mercy, carrying out concrete actions and gestures of Mercy. Through the hashtag #BeMercy, those who cannot come to Rome are invited to participate by sharing their own testimonies about volunteering.

 

The Jubilee event will culminate on Sunday, 4 September, with Mass at 10:30, during which Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, an untiring model as a Worker for the Mercy of God, will be canonized. This Jubilee will have as a particular focus the central region of the Italian Peninsula and the victims of the devastating earthquake there, along with all the volunteers who have hastened to help the tragic situation.

 

On Friday, 2 September, the Jubilee for Workers of Mercy and Volunteers will begin at 14:00 with several options of activities, which will continue to be available on Saturday afternoon as well. In the Jubilee churches (San Salvatore in Lauro, San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini and Chiesa Nuova) Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available in preparation for making the pilgrimage to the Holy Door. Participants may also visit the stands of a number of associations that carry out works of mercy in the gardens surrounding Castel Sant’Angelo, or they may undertake the journey “In the Footsteps of the Saints and Blesseds of Mercy”, an itinerary that consists of 7 churches in the center of Rome where it is possible to venerate Saints and Blesseds who, during their lives, concretely practiced Mercy: the Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio (Blessed Luigi Novarese), the Church of Santa Brigida in Campo de’ Fiori (Saint Bridget), the Church of San Salvatore in Onda (Saint Vincent Pallotti), the Basilica of Santa Francesca Romana (Saint Frances of Rome), the Basilica of the Santi XII Apostoli (The Apostle James the Lesser), the Church of Sant’Ignazio di Loyola (Saint Aloysius Gonzaga), and the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena (Saint Camillus de Lellis).

 

The following morning, Saturday, 3 September, Pope Francis will hold a catechesis directed to the volunteers in Saint Peter’s Square at 10:00.  It will be preceded by a period of preparation with testimonies from all over the world, including that of the police officers who participated in the rescue of Giorgia, a 4-year old girl extracted alive from the ruins of her house in Pescara del Tronto after 16 hours, thanks to the sense of smell of the dog Leo, who made her recovery possible. Another testimony will be that of Mayas Keryo, a refugee who fled from the war in Syria; as well as that of Carolina Hodani, a Palestinian Catholic and volunteer for Mercy in Bethlehem. Many artists will also be present, including Kelly Joyce and Usha Uthup, a famous Indian artist who knew Mother Teresa for 40 years.

The day’s activities will continue in the afternoon with prayer and reflection. As has been previously communicated, the celebration planned for the Gardens of Castel Sant’Angelo will not take place, as a gesture of solidarity with the victims of the earthquake, their families, and the many volunteers working in the affected areas.

 

 

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