In March 2015, Pope Francis announced an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy, from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016, as a way to highlight the Church's particular mission to be a "witness of mercy."  Events will be planned throught the year here at St. Monica to emphasize the theme: "Be the Face of God's Mercy." 

Jubilee Logo

The official logo from the Vatican, designed by father Marko I. Rupnik, shows Jesus carrying on his shoulders a "lost man," emphasizing how deep the Savior touches humanity; His eyes are merged with those of the carried man. The background is filled by three concentric ovals, with lighter colors outwards, meaning that Jesus is carrying the man out of the darkness of sin. On one side the image is also joined by the official motto: Misericordes Sicut Pater (Merciful Like the Father), based on Luke 6:36, which stands as an invitation to follow the example of the Father by loving and forgiving without limits.

Papal Bull

The Jubilee of Mercy was formally declared through the papal bull of indiction, Misericordiæ Vultus, issued on April 11, 2015, which emphasizes the importance

of mercy and the need to "gaze" on it; the bull also recalls the need for the Church to be more open, keeping alive the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. In the bull, Pope Francis states about the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica: ″the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instils hope."  You can read a copy of the papal bull at www.im.va

Jubilee Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: “If you knew the gift of God!”

You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind.

We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of
Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and
ever.

Amen.