Holy Year of Mercy in Galicia
Holy Year of Mercy in Galicia
The Galician Cathedrals of Lugo, Mondoñedo, Santiago de Compostela, Ourense and Tui have celebrated this third Sunday of Advent in a very special way. The Cathedral of Santa María de Lugo, the Cathedral of Mondoñedo, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the Cathedral of San Martín de Ourense and the Cathedral of Santa María de Tui celebrated the beginning of the Jubilee Holy Year of Mercy .
Just as Pope Francis did a few days ago in the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Rome, the five Cathedrals, and other significant Galician churches, opened the Holy Door, which during this Extraordinary Holy Year will be known as the Door of Mercy.
Many other Churches and Cathedrals throughout the world will open the Door of Mercy to celebrate this Holy Year. Pope Francis has determined that the Cathedrals, the Co-Cathedrals and the sanctuaries that the Diocesan Bishops select are jubilee temples.
The Holy Doors of all the jubilee churches will remain open from December 13 , the day on which we light the third candle of the Advent wreath as it is the third Sunday of Advent, until November 20, 2016 (solemnity of Jesus Christ King of the universe), the day that will officially end the Holy Year of Mercy.
Any pilgrim who crosses any of the Holy Doors during this Jubilee Year of Mercy will be able to receive jubilee graces and a plenary indulgence as long as they comply with the precepts established by the Pope:
- Repent of sins and use the "Sacrament of Reconciliation", or Confession, to seek forgiveness of their sins and be reconciled with God.
- Participate in a Eucharist reflecting on Mercy.
- Pray for the Pope and his intentions as well as for the fruits of the Holy Year of Mercy.
- Perform a corporal or spiritual work of Mercy.
The Cathedral of Santa María de Lugo, begins the Holy Year.
On the third Sunday of Advent , the Cathedral of Santa María de Lugo was the center of attention in the capital of Lugo. In mid-afternoon, several hundred people were waiting for the Bishop of Lugo, Msgr. Alfonso Carrasco Rouco, to open the Holy Doors of the Lugo Cathedral.
Before the official opening of the Holy Door, a small procession was made to the atrium of the Cathedral, just in front of the main façade, in Plaza de Pío XII (very close to our religious articles store ).
During the Eucharist after the opening of the Holy Door, the Bishop of Lugo, Mons. Alfonso Carrasco Rouco Santa insisted that during the Holy Year of Mercy we all must remember the love of God and the Mercy that comes from Him.
In Lugo, the door of the main façade located on the left has been selected as the Holy Door. It is the door that leads directly to the chapel of the image of San Froilán , patron saint of Lugo and León, which had been closed for 50 or 60 years.
The opening act of the Puerta de la Misericordia is one of the important events that the city of Lugo and its Cathedral have experienced in recent months. Throughout this year that is now ending, the Cathedral of Santa María de Lugo became a UNESCO World Heritage Site , as well as the Primitive Way to Santiago that crosses the historic center of the city of Lugo.
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Jubilee Year between Jacobean Years.
The Holy Year of Compostela, Jacobean Year, is celebrated in Santiago every time that July 25, the solemnity of Santiago Apóstol (Galicia's day), falls on a Sunday . The last time this event occurred was in 2010. The next time the Jacobean Holy Year will be celebrated will be in 2021.
During the Jacobean Years, the Holy Door of the Cathedral is open so that all pilgrims can pass through it and win the jubilee graces. With the proclamation of the Holy Year of Mercy, Extraordinary Jubilee Year, the Holy Door of the Cathedral will also be open.
Opening the Holy Door in years other than the Jacobean Year is an extraordinary event. In the last 130 years it has only happened twice. The first of them in 1885 to celebrate the discovery of the remains of the Apostle Santiago. The second time was in 1938. The reason was to give pilgrims who had not been able to visit Santiago the previous year due to the calamities of the Spanish Civil War the opportunity to win Jacobean graces.
The person in charge of opening the Holy Door, Door of Mercy during the Holy Year, was Archbishop Monsignor Julián Barrio during the course of a simple ceremony that began at 5:00 p.m.
The ceremony was structured in six parts:
- The introductory rite. A procession was carried out from the cloister to the High Altar of the Cathedral where the Gospel of Saint Luke was read (Lk 15, 1-10). An excerpt from the convocation of the Holy Year of Mercy (the Bull Misericordiae Vultus) was then read.
- Procession from the Puerta de Platería to the Plaza de la Quintana. Leading this procession were Archbishop Mons. Julián Barrio, a retinue of priests who concelebrated, a representative group of the Compostela Church and institutional authorities.
- Opening Rite of the Door of Mercy. At 5:26 p.m. the archbishop opened the Holy Door with a large key that he turned once. Unlike the Jacobean Years, he did not knock on the Holy Door three times with a silver hammer. Once the Door was opened, the bells began to ring with the sound of the French peal. Sound that has not been used in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela since the seventies.
- Memory of the Sacrament of Baptism, in the baptistery of the Cathedral.
- The Sacrament of Penance.
- Celebration of the Eucharist in which Archbishop Mons. Julián Barrio encouraged us to look at the world without idolizing money, avoiding wars and pollution with a merciful attitude towards our neighbors.
Opening of the Holy Year in the Cathedral of Mondoñedo and the Co-Cathedral of Ferrol.
On the third Sunday of Advent, as happened in the other Galician Cathedrals, the Door of Mercy of the Cathedral of Mondoñedo was opened . The day before, on Saturday December 12, various acts had already been carried out in the Ferrol Co-Cathedral on the occasion of the opening of the Holy Doors for the Year of Mercy. In addition to these two temples, acts will also be held in the Misericordia de Viveiro chapel to commemorate this Holy Year.
The opening ceremony was simple but very beautiful. First, a small procession was made from the parish church of Santiago to the Door of Mercy of the Cathedral. Once they arrived at the Mindoniense Cathedral, the person in charge of opening the Holy Door was the diocesan administrator D. Antonio Rodríguez Basanta.
After the opening of the Puerta de Santa, a Eucharist presided over by D. Antonio Rodríguez Basanta was officiated.
The opening ceremony of the Holy Door of the Mondoñedo Cathedral is a great climax to a year full of important news. For a few months the Primitive Way to Santiago de Compostela that runs through the streets of Mondoñedo and the Cathedral have been part of the select group of UNESCO World Heritage monuments.
Holy Year in Ourense, the Cathedral opens its Mercy Door.
The Diocese of Ourense was no less than the other Galician Dioceses. On the third Sunday of Advent, the Door of Mercy was opened in the capital of Ourense.
The opening ceremony was very similar to that of other cities. First there was a small procession. The image of Christ went out for a procession accompanied by the people of Ourense who were anxious for the start of the Holy Year. The procession started from the Church of Santa Eufemia and ended at the North Door of Ourense Cathedral , which will be the Door of Mercy until November 20, 2016.
The person in charge of opening the Holy Door was Monsignor Leonardo Lemos Montanet, Bishop of the Diocese of Ourense . Next to him was a delegation of institutional representatives, representatives of the Church as well as the large audience that followed the ceremony.
Finally, a Eucharist presided over by Monsignor Leonardo Lemos Montanet was celebrated inside the Cathedral.
Te Tui Cathedral, beginning of the Holy Year of Mercy.
The Cathedral of the Diocese of Tui-Vigo was celebrating the third Sunday of Advent. As announced days before, the Holy Year of Mercy began on December 13.
The opening of the Door of Mercy was opened by D. Luis Quinteiro Fiuza, Bishop of the Diocese of Tui-Vigo . During the ceremony numerous priests, seminarians, representatives of the different institutions and numerous faithful accompanied the Bishop during the ceremony.
During the Eucharist after the opening of the Door of Mercy, with the liturgical incense creating an atmosphere of great solemnity, the importance of mercy and forgiveness as central ideas of the Extraordinary Holy Year was highlighted. In addition, the central role of Baptism for any Christian was recalled, and the image of the Virgin Mary was invoked to take care of all the faithful with her mercy.