Posted November 4, 2016

As the Year of Mercy comes to a close this month in the Catholic Church, a Mass and rite for the Closing
of the Holy Door of Mercy will be celebrated Sunday, Nov. 6 by Archbishop Charles Chaput at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia.

A holy hour will begin at 5:30 p.m. and confessions will be heard, followed by the Mass at 6:30 p.m.

The Mass will feature prayers of mercy for prisoners.

During the Mass, among other prayers the archbishop will specifically pray the following:

“Dearly beloved brothers and sisters, we have reached the end of the Jubilee Year. It has been an extraordinary time of grace and mercy.

“In this Eucharistic celebration, we raise our voices to the Father in a hymn of praise and thanksgiving for all the gifts he has bestowed upon us. Once more, before approaching these sacred mysteries, let us invoke the soothing balm of his mercy acknowledging that we are sinners and forgiving one another from the bottom of our hearts.”

(See the ritual prayers for the Mass here.)

The cathedral is just one of the designated sites around the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that have had Holy Doors during the jubilee year. Those doors will also be closed on the following dates:

National Shrine of St. John Neumann, Saturday, Nov. 12 at the 12:15 p.m. Mass;
St. Katharine Drexel Shrine, Bensalem, Sunday, Nov. 13 at the 9:30 a.m. Mass;
St. Rita of Cascia Shrine, Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the noon Mass;
Miraculous Medal Shrine, Philadelphia, Friday, Nov. 18 at the 12:05 p.m. Mass;
National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Doylestown, Friday, Nov. 18 at the 7 p.m. Mass.