Saturday, September 30, 2023

Philadelphia archbishop commissions 10 new Missionaries of Mercy

 

Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, commissioned ten new Missionaries of Mercy with their mandate from the Holy See at Vespers in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on Sunday, September 24.

Missionaries of Mercy are available, upon invitation, to help facilitate pastoral initiatives that focus on conversion and divine mercy, with a particular attention given to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

They have also been given the authority of the Holy Father to absolve in his name certain sins that are ordinarily only forgiven by the Pope. 

These specific types of sins are commonly known as sins “reserved to the Holy See.”

In December 2015, Pope Francis called for an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, beginning on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 2015, to direct attention and actions “on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives.”

In addition, Pope Francis commissioned Missionaries of Mercy, a select international group of over 1,000 priests to serve in (Arch)Dioceses around the world. 

Locally, Pope Francis commissioned one Archdiocesan priest, Reverend Monsignor George A. Majoros, as a Missionary of Mercy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Although the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy concluded on November 20, 2016, the Holy Father extended the mandate of the Missionaries of Mercy until further notice as a sign that the graces of the Jubilee of Mercy continue.

In June 2023, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Pope Francis appointed 10 new Missionaries of Mercy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. 

In total, the Holy Father has commissioned 11 missionaries for the local Church as a visible expression of the mercy of God, which is at the heart of the priesthood and all of Catholic life.

The ten new Missionaries of Mercy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are: