As we celebrate the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy with the Universal Church and the Year of the Eucharist and Family in the Philippines, our beloved bishop, Most Reverend Jesse E. Mercado, DD, has chosen our parish, Presentation of the Child Jesus, to be one of the Jubilee Churches within the Diocese of Paranaque –a center of worship and pilgrimage — for the duration of the year.
This is in accordance to the instructions contained in a letter from Pope Francis for the faithful to make pilgrimages to the Holy Doors found in Cathedrals and churches designated by the Diocesan Bishops during the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. Here is a portion of the letter from the Pope:
My thought first of all goes to all the faithful who, whether in individual Dioceses or as pilgrims to Rome, will experience the grace of the Jubilee. I wish that the Jubilee Indulgence may reach each one as a genuine experience of God’s mercy, which comes to meet each person in the Face of the Father who welcomes and forgives, forgetting completely the sin committed. To experience and obtain the Indulgence, the faithful are called to make a brief pilgrimage to the Holy Door, open in every Cathedral or in the churches designated by the Diocesan Bishop, and in the four Papal Basilicas in Rome, as a sign of the deep desire for true conversion. Likewise, I dispose that the Indulgence may be obtained in the Shrines in which the Door of Mercy is open and in the churches which traditionally are identified as Jubilee Churches. It is important that this moment be linked, first and foremost, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy. It will be necessary to accompany these celebrations with the profession of faith and with prayer for me and for the intentions that I bear in my heart for the good of the Church and of the entire world.
In line with this, we invite everyone to experience the mercy of the Lord during the Opening of the Door of Mercy Rites on December 13, 2015 which is the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday, at 10:30 am.
From thereon, everyone who visits our parish and enters through the Holy Door, will receive Plenary Indulgence upon satisfying the conditions outlined by the Holy Father: participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, celebration of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy, a profession of faith, and a prayer for the Holy Father and his intentions.