RELIGIOUS SIGHTINGS RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES EMBRACE YEAR OF MERCY
A THE CONGREGATION of Notre Dame sisters in Montreal, Canada marked the opening of the Year of Mercy holy door at St. Peter’s Basilica with the opening of their own holy door. The sisters built a doorway near their infirmary and invited elderly sisters to ritually pass through it, accompanied by mercythemed music.
ROUND THE WORLD, religious communities have been making this truly an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Here are just a few of the ways men and women in consecrated life are expressing the merciful dimension of God during this year: • Many religious order priests have become “missionaries of mercy,” priests specially appointed by Pope Francis to be responsible for preaching, teaching, and practicing mercy. • Communities are using social media to communicate the Christian concept of mercy. Check out #MakeMercyReal and #MercyMonday.
• Communities are hosting retreats, days of reflection, and book discussions with a theme of mercy. • Schools sponsored by religious communities are discussing mercy in classrooms, praying about it in chapels, and spearheading special works of mercy projects. • Priests in religious communities are doubling up their efforts to make the sacrament of Reconciliation more accessible. Father Michael Champagne, C.J.C. of St. Martinsville, Louisiana, went so far as to convert a former ambulance into a “confessional on wheels” that he has been driving to meet people where they are and offer God’s forgiveness. • Religious communities have ritually opened “holy doors of mercy” in their own chapels, shrines, and holy places. Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to make a pilgrimage to a “holy door of mercy” to better experience God’s mercy through the symbolism of crossing a threshold. Learn more about what other communities are doing at vocationnetwork.org/blog/ spiritcitings_blog.
“Minstrel of God” unites through music
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ROTHER AL MASCIA, O.F.M. uses music to bring people together across religious differences. In doing so, he says, he is following an old tradition of his Franciscan ancestors: that of being a “minstrel of God.” A musician, singer, songwriter, and storyteller, Brother Mascia is co-founder of Song and Spirit Institute in Berkley, Michigan. He and his two artistic partners—interfaith married couple Steve Klaper and Mary Gilhuly—conduct retreats, programs, and performances that blend music, storytelling, and visual art. The Song and Spirit Institute frequently adds a charitable element to its outreach, too, encouraging the
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making of food sacks at their bookings. Mascia has been a member since 2001 of the Franciscan Friars of the Cincinnati, Ohio-based St. John the Baptist Province. In fact, closely associated with Song and Spirit Institute is the Duns Scotus Friary, a residence for men in the Franciscan community. The friary is located in a section of the former convent that houses the Song and Spirit Institute. At the heart of Song and Spirit’s interfaith approach is the pairing of Catholic and Jewish traditions. Klaper calls himself a “Jewish troubadour”; he is also a cantor, musician, and storyteller. Mascia—whose songs can be found on YouTube—explains his ap-
“MINSTREL OF GOD” Franciscan Brother Al Mascia, O.F.M. uses his musical talents to deepen understanding between people of different faiths.
proach on songandspirit.org: “When we experience another’s culture, their music, rituals, beliefs—we come to understand that there are no ‘others’— we are all one people seeking the same human relationships, grappling with the same divine mysteries.”
