10
OUR DIOCESE
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
By Joanne Ward
Editor-in-Chief
general and moderator of the curia, and
Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski. Both offered
him encouragement and support.
“So I filled out the electronic application, attached the bishop’s letter
of recommendation and hit ‘send.’ And
then, I just left it in God’s hands.”
In October, he received the news
that he had been selected.
“That not only humbles me in some
ways but it puts me right in the middle
of this reality that we all live in — that
we all are a combination of grace and
sin,” said Msgr. Celano. “St. Paul said,
‘Where sin abounds, grace abounds
even more,’ and to be an instrument of
that grace in people’s lives, to me, is the
work of the priest.”
While he appreciates
that his family, friends, colleagues and parishioners
will view this role as an
honor, Msgr. Celano said, as
a priest of 28 years, the role
means much more to him.
“I find the work of the
Missionaries of Mercy, especially during the Jubilee
Year, not only personally
compelling but, I think, absolutely necessary. It’s really the work itself that I
find myself drawn to,” he
explained.
“For me, it really is an
opportunity to be a preacher
of mercy and, as a priest, to
reconcile people who either
have been away from the
Church for a long time or
people who haven’t been to
confession in a long time.”
According to Archbishop Fisichella, the motto of the yearlong worldwide
Year of Mercy observance, “Merciful
Like the Father,” 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.
For more information about
Extraordinary Year of Mercy observances in the Diocese of Metuchen,
visit diometuchen.org/mercy or email
[email protected].
Erin Friedlander is director of the
diocesan Office of Communications and
Public Relations
Above, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski prays at the beginning of the ceremony during which
he opened the Holy Door at the Cathedral. To the left of the bishop is Father Edmund A.
Luciano III, who served as emcee for the service and Mass which followed. Above right,
Maureen Kelly Cranley, lector at the Cathedral, reads the beginning of Pope Francis’
Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordiae Vultus.
— Mike Ehrmann photos
call. We are here to assist each other, to
buoy each other up in the light of the mercy
of God,” he asserted.
He related how that concept was illustrated in the Gospel reading of the
day, which recalled Mary’s journey to see
Elizabeth. The angel Gabriel had told Mary
her cousin was with child, but did not tell
her to go to her. Even though she herself
was pregnant and her journey to Elizabeth
ZRXOGEHGLI¿FXOW0DU\WRRNLWXSRQKHUself to go because she wanted to help her
cousin.
“Let that be an image for you and
me throughout this Year of Mercy. Let us
recall that again and again when we are
called upon or we hear of someone who
has a need and we pull back and say, ‘It’s
WRRGLI¿FXOW,GRQRWZDQWWRJHWLQYROYHG¶
That’s not the leaven we are called to be in
this world. We are called to the discipleship
of giving of ourselves as Mary did,” said
Bishop Bootkoski.
“So you and I, when we pass through
that Holy Door, are saying ‘yes’ to Jesus
Christ. Yes, I want to follow you and I want
to put on the face of mercy,” he said, adding, “It’s not a smile. It’s not just a gesture.
It’s how we live our lives. How we reach
out and give to the other.
“We Catholics have to be leaven. We
have to make this a better world. Let’s pray
that we truly exhibit the merciful face of
our Savior Jesus Christ through our compassionate work,” the bishop said emphatically.
Among the concelebrants at the Mass
were Msgr. William Benwell, vicar general and moderator of the curia, who is
coordinating the diocese’s observance of
the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy
and Msgr. Celano. Pastor of St. Bernard
of Clairvaux Parish, Bridgewater, Msgr.
Celano has been chosen by the Holy Father
to be one of his Missionaries of Mercy during the Jubilee Year. He will be commissioned in Rome at the beginning of Lent
and then be assigned to go from place to
place to preach about the mercy of God.
(See related story on previous page)
At the close of the Mass, Bishop Bootkoski prayed, “We now turn our thoughts
to Mary, the Mother of Mercy. May her
merciful gaze be upon us throughout this
Holy Year.” The congregation then sang
the Salve Regina.
After blessing the people in the pews,
the bishop explained how Catholics could
obtain a plenary indulgence, which removes all temporal punishment due for
sins by passing through the Holy Door at
the Cathedral or a parish with a Holy Door,
and within several days receive the sacrament of reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, say the profession of faith and pray for
the intentions of the Holy Father.
The Mass ended with Deacon Rick
Fortune announcing, “Be merciful, just as
your heavenly Father is merciful. Go in
peace.”
At right, a parishioner touches the Holy
Door in the Cathedral of St. Francis
of Assisi. On the door is the logo for
the Year of Mercy, the motto of which
is, “Merciful Like the Father.” Catholics
who pass through the door and fulfill
certain conditions can receive a plenary
indulgence. Below, Deacon Rick Fortune, who ministers at the Cathedral,
reads a Gospel passage during the
service which preceeded the opening
of the Holy Door.
DECEMBER 31, 2015
At top, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski opens the Holy Door at the Cathedral of St. Francis
of Assisi signaling the start of the observance of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year
of Mercy in the diocese. Above the bishop, principal celebrant and homilist at
the Mass, and Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, a concelebrant, sprinkle Holy Water on
the congregants. Since the 15th century, Holy Doors have been used as a ritual
expression of conversion during jubilee years. Today, passage through the Holy
Door still signifies the passage from sin to grace which every Christian is called
to accomplish. Jesus said, “I am the door” (Jn 10:7), in order to make it clear that
no one can come to the Father except through him.
METUCHEN — Before opening the Holy
Door at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi on Dec. 20, Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski,
stood at the Baptismal font where prayers
were said, and a Gospel passage as well
as a section from the Bull of Indiction of
the Extraordinary Jubilee were read. The
bishop then processed into the vestibule
of the Cathedral and pulled open the Holy
Door — the inner right door that had been
shut Dec. 13, and putting his hand over
his heart, crossed the threshold signaling
the beginning of the Extraordinary Jubilee
Year of Mercy in the Diocese of Metuchen.
Pope Francis proclaimed the Extraordinary Jubilee or Holy Year of Mercy on
the second anniversary of his election
to the Papacy. In the Bull of Indiction,
(Misericordiae Vultus nos. 1-3), the Holy
Father states, “Jesus Christ is the face of
the Father’s mercy… Jesus of Nazareth, by
his words, his actions, and his entire person
reveals the mercy of God … At times we
are called to gaze even more attentively on
mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s actions.” On the
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception,
Dec. 8, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door
at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, beginning
the Year of Mercy, which will end Nov. 20,
2016, the Solemnity of Christ the King.
Since the 15th century, Holy Doors
have been used as a ritual expression of
conversion during jubilee years. Today,
passage through the Holy Door still signi¿HVWKHSDVVDJHIURPVLQWRJUDFHZKLFKHYery Christian is called to accomplish. Jesus
said, “I am the door” (Jn 10:7), in order to
make it clear that no one can come to the
Father except through him.
Once through the Holy Door, Bishop
Bootkoski processed to the altar then he
and Msgr. Joseph G. Celano walked down
the Cathedral’s center aisle sprinkling the
congregants with Holy Water.
During the Mass, the bishop began
his homily by referring to the proclamation
that had been read earlier. “One line stated,
‘Jesus is the face of the Father’s mercy.’
What does that mean to you, to me, to all
of us?” he asked.
Before answering the question, he
said that the focus on God’s mercy did
not just begin. “John Paul II certainly set
the tone about the mercy of God with his
great devotion to the Divine Mercy, and the
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of Pope Benedict XVI,” stated the bishop.
“Our present Holy Father,” he continued, “has truly taken the concept of mercy
to heart, making it the main thrust of his
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of God.”
Bishop Bootkoski went on to talk
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of the face of God and we are called to
be Christ to each other, to be merciful as
he was merciful. “In the world today, too
many hurt each other and that is not our
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
DECEMBER 31, 2015
for me to underscore that the Missionaries of Mercy are appointed exclusively
by the Holy Father, and that the faculty
of forgiving reserved sins will be given
to each one of them personally.”
The first meeting with Pope Francis
will take place Feb. 9, in Rome, where
Missionaries of Mercy from around the
world will gather to learn more about
their role and what it will entail. The
Holy Father will confer the mandate to
the missionaries the following day, Ash
Wednesday.
Msgr. Celano said he applied to become a Missionary of Mercy after learning about the possibility to serve in that
capacity on the Vatican website for the
Year of Mercy.
“I was on the website just looking
for
some
ideas, some things that we
Msgr. Joseph G. Celano will serve as one
could
do
within
the parish, and then just
of the Vatican’s Missionaries of Mercy.
happened to see a tab that said, ‘Missionaries of Mercy.’”
By Erin Friedlander
According to the Vatican website,
“The missionaries will be invited by
individual diocesan bishops within their
Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, pastor of St. particular country to give missions or
Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, Bridgewa- facilitate specific initiatives organized
ter, has been chosen by the Vatican to for the Jubilee, with a particular attenserve as a Missionary of Mercy during tion given to the Sacrament of Reconthe Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. ciliation.”
Once commissioned by Pope Francis at
The Holy Father also “will grant
the beginning of Lent, the missionaries Missionaries of Mercy the authority to
will preach, lead spiritual retreats, and
pardon even those sins
hear confessions in
reserved to the Holy
their respective dioceses
“I find the
See,” including: violaand may be invited by
tion or profanation of
work of the
local bishops to other
the Holy Eucharist, abdioceses as well.
solution of an accomMissionaries of
Msgr. Celano replice in a sin against
Mercy, especially
cently received a letter
the sixth commandsent by Archbishop Rino
ment, and unauthorized
during
the
Fisichella, president of
ordination of a bishop.
WKH 3RQWL¿FDO &RXQFLO
Jubilee Year, not
Essential characfor the Promotion of
teristics of the missiononly personally
the New Evangelization,
aries are to be:
stating he had been se• A living sign
compelling but,
lected for the “special
of the Father’s welI think, absolutely
apostolic responsibilcome to all those in
ity.”
search of his forgivenecessary.”
The Bull of Indicness;
— Msgr. Joseph Celano
tion for the Jubillee,
• Facilitators for
“Misericordiae
Vulall, with no one excludtus,” (The Face of Mercy) issued by ed, of a truly human encounter, a source
Pope Francis April 11, says, in part: of liberation, rich with responsibility for
“During Lent of this Holy Year, I intend overcoming obstacles and taking up the
to send out Missionaries of Mercy. They new life of Baptism again;
will be a sign of the Church’s maternal
• Guided by the words, “For God
solicitude for the People of God, en- has consigned all to disobedience, that
abling them to enter the profound rich- he may have mercy upon all;
ness of this mystery so fundamental to
• Inspiring preachers of Mercy;
the faith.
• Heralds of the joy of forgive“I ask my brother Bishops to invite ness; and
and welcome these Missionaries so
• Welcoming, loving, and comthat they can be, above all, persuasive passionate Confessors, who are most
preachers of mercy. May individual especially attentive to the difficult situdioceses organize ‘missions to the ations of each person.
people’ in such a way that these MisAfter mulling it over for a few days
sionaries may be heralds of joy and and praying about applying to become a
forgiveness.”
Missionary of Mercy, Msgr. Celano, who
In a Dec. 4 press conference, Arch- said he felt “led to do this,” approached
bishop Fisichella said, “It is important Msgr. William Benwell, diocesan vicar
OUR DIOCESE
Diocese begins observance of Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Francis
11
Vatican council selects priest from diocese to be a Missionary of Mercy