Dialog Editor
EASTON, Md. — Bishop Malooly told the more than 600 people who accompanied him through the Year of Mercy Holy Door at Ss. Peter and Paul Church’s 10:30 a.m. Mass here Dec. 13 that the extraordinary Year of Mercy, proclaimed by Pope Francis, is a gift of grace.
The bishop and Father James Nash, Ss. Peter and Paul’s pastor, led a prayer service prior to Mass in front of the church before the bishop opened one of the eight Holy Doors in the Diocese of Wilmington.
Rite of conversion
“To pass through the Holy Door means to rediscover the infinite mercy of the Father, who welcomes everyone and goes out to encounter each of them,” the bishop said in his homily. It is the Father “who comes to encounter us.”
Pope Francis began the Year of Mercy in Rome on Dec. 8 by opening the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica. The pope asked that Holy Doors be opened at every cathedral in the world and said bishops could designate additional churches in their dioceses for Holy Doors where pilgrims could enter churches as a symbol of life’s journey toward God.
Bishop Malooly has designated eight churches, including the Cathedral of St. Peter in Wilmington, as Holy Door sites.
“This is a wonderful time in our church throughout the world,” Bishop Malooly said in his homily. “It’s a honor to be here at Ss. Peter and Paul in Easton to celebrate the beginning of the Holy Year for our Diocese of Wilmington with its nine Maryland counties [on the Eastern Shore] and its three Delaware counties.
“In each of my seven deaneries there is one church designated with the Holy Doors … I’m delighted to be able to begin the process in our diocese here. I will conclude next year at St. Elizabeth’s in Wilmington.”
The bishop called Holy Doors “a ritual reminder of walking through the rite of conversion from sin to grace, from slavery to freedom, from darkness into light.”
Bishop Malooly called the Year of Mercy a time “in which we grow ever more convinced of God’s mercy.”
‘Gaudete’ Sunday — Rejoice
On the unusually warm Third Sunday of Advent, the bishop said, “This is actually one of my favorite Sundays of the year. I’ve always liked “Gaudete” [rejoice] Sunday. …
“This third Sunday each year reminds us that we’re almost there [at Christmas]. Let’s start rejoicing this Sunday because … we can welcome the Savior.”
Bishop Malooly said a personal reason for rejoicing on Gaudete Sunday is that it was the first Sunday Mass he celebrated after being named a bishop in Baltimore 15 years ago. Based on that year’s Sunday second reading from St. Paul, the same proclaimed this year, he took a quote from the Scripture, “Rejoice in the Lord” as his bishop’s motto.
He said the motto “reminds me that no matter how heavy the burdens of life can be — and we’ve had our share in this diocese as everyone else has — God’s joy is always there to grab hold of.”
Citing the readings from Zephaniah, St. Paul and the Gospel of Luke’s account of John the Baptist, the bishop noted their themes of rejoicing in the Lord, forgiveness of sin and caring for others.
“For each of us, the Advent and this entire year … there will be something that we probably need to correct, something in our lives that we need to straighten out.” But we know, the bishop said, “that God always seeks us out. … But we need to take some initiative. We need to take stock of our lives.”
Christmas in the Year of Mercy is an opportunity to “bring us closer together to one another and the Lord.
“We have walked through the door,” Bishop Malooly said. “Let us continue this season and this year to walk through the door with one another, to help find that same mercy and peace. The Father always is anxiously waiting for us.”
Father Nash said parishioners were happy to welcome the bishop to the church for the Holy Door service. The pastor said the congregation in Easton included people from surrounding Maryland churches, such as Ss. Peter and Paul’s missions — St. Josephs in Cordova and St. Michael in St. Michael’s — and St. Benedict in Ridgely.
Now, Father Nash said, “We’re going to figure out a way to have the church open for pilgrimages during the day, maybe from 12 to 4 or from 1 to 4 after lunch. So if people want to come, they can and we can keep the church open.”
‘The quality of mercy’
Mary Lou and Joseph Peters, members of the parish since 2003, attended the Mass. “We walked through the door this morning,” Mary Lou Peters said, adding she didn’t know the bishop would give an apostolic blessing at the end of the Mass.
“I didn’t know we give plenary indulgences anymore. That was news to me.”
Peters said she was glad Pope Francis is emphasizing mercy this year.
“I always loved Shakespeare’s ‘The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth gentle as the rain from heaven, upon the place beneath,’” Peters said. “I’m hoping that Francis will inspire that mercy on all those bishops in Rome, so that they will be a lot more considerate of family.”
Also on Dec. 13, Year of Mercy Holy Doors were opened in the diocese at the Cathedral of St. Peter, Wilmington; St. Joseph on the Brandywine Church, Greenville; St. Elizabeth Church, Wilmington; Holy Spirit Church, New Castle; St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Glasgow; St. Ann Church, Bethany Beach; and Holy Cross Church, Dover.
