‘The Holy Year’s central message about God’s love and mercy’

Bishop to celebrate, preach at four Masses on Year of Mercy on March 5-6 weekend at Morristown church

MORRISTOWN  Bishop Serratelli will proclaim the message of the Jubilee Year of Mercy — encouraging faithful to seek out the boundless mercy of God and then sharing it with other people — while serving as the main celebrant and homilist during four weekend Masses March 5 and 6 in English and Spanish at St. Margaret of Scotland Church here.

The Bishop will visit St. Margaret’s, home to a large Hispanic community, to celebrate the Masses on March 5 at 5 p.m. in English and 7 p.m. in Spanish for immigrants and then on March 6 at 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., both in English. On Dec. 13, Bishop Serratelli opened Holy Doors at the dynamic Morris County parish and later at Holy Rosary Church, Passaic, home to a large Polish community. The opening the Holy Doors — which pilgrims from around the diocese and beyond are invited to visit — launched the Diocese’s observances of the universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began Dec. 8.

“I am delighted to visit St. Margaret’s Parish to preach during this Year of Mercy. By celebrating all four Masses during the March 5-6 weekend, I can reach all the people of the parish with the Holy Year’s central message about God’s love and mercy,” Bishop Serratelli said. “I am also delighted to celebrate Masses at a parish that has a community both rich in diversity and vibrant in its faith.”

One of the concelebrants of the Masses with the bishop will be Father Hernan Arias, St. Margaret’s pastor, who has been designated as one of seven Missionaries of Mercy for the Diocese. Pope Francis, who declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy, will give more than 800 missionaries around the world a mandate to become preachers of mercy during Ash Wednesday Mass on Feb. 10 in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Five Missionaries of Mercy from Paterson — not including Father Arias — will travel to the Vatican to concelebrate the Mass and, before that, meet with the Pope during an audience, where he will speak about their duties as Missionaries of Mercy.

“I believe in the mercy of God and that we see mercy in Jesus. We are to carry that mercy to people and bring them the ‘Good News,’ ” Father Arias said. “We are to welcome everyone into the Kingdom of God. Also, we are to be compassionate, accepting, and forgiving of sinners and those people, who have been marginalized by society and the Church,” the pastor said.

On Dec. 13, Bishop Serratelli proclaimed, “This is the Lord’s gate; let us enter through it and obtain mercy and forgiveness,” as he opened Holy Doors at St. Margaret’s and at Holy Rosary Church in Passaic during Masses at both locations. During the Holy Year, Pope Francis is granting a plenary indulgence — which removes all temporal punishment due for sins — to Catholics, who make a pilgrimage and pass through a Holy Door, whether in Rome or in their dioceses.

Bishop Serratelli also wrote a pastoral letter, “The Jubilee of Mercy and the Promise of Christ,” which he promulgated on Nov. 22. He will return to St. Mar­garet’s and Holy Rosary at the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which concludes on Sunday, Nov. 20, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Toward the conclusion of the Dec. 13 Mass at St. Margaret’s, Father Arias called the opening of the Holy Doors “very exciting” and “history for the Diocese.”

[Information: St. Margaret’s at (973) 538-0874 and Holy Rosary at (973) 4783-1578.]