Anita Draper
Catholic Herald staff
Along with dioceses around the world, the Diocese of Superior’s observance of the Jubilee Year of Mercy comes to a close Sunday, Nov. 20.
On that day, Bishop James P. Powers will celebrate the closing of the diocesan holy door and the conclusion of the yearlong spiritual pilgrimage at the 10:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior.
Opened Dec. 13 by Bishop Powers, then diocesan administrator, the door was designated to provide an opportunity for plenary indulgences to those who attended Mass, participated in the sacrament of reconciliation and prayed for Pope Francis’ intentions.
The Jubilee marked the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council.
“Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith,” is how Pope Francis began the bull of indiction, the document announcing the jubilee.
Designed to be “a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective,” according to Pope Francis, the jubilee presented Northern Wisconsin Catholics with many opportunities for spiritual enrichment. Both the diocese and individual parishes have hosted events throughout the year focused on God’s mercy – 24-hour vigils, Masses, prayer services, presentations by guest speakers and more.
This is the takeaway from the Jubilee Year of Mercy, said diocesan Office of Worship director Paul Birch, quoting a Vatican text: “To look at our holy door, then, even as it is closing, means to look beyond it, to look for a different space and time, another dimension, a goal which lies beyond the limits of this world: it means in other words to seek God, until our pilgrimage leads us to the door of heaven, which Lord himself will open and invite us to enter the wedding feast in his company.”
