Following the Holy Father’s trajectory, the Diocese will hold a Mass Nov. 19 at Queen of Angels Church in Riverside to mark the Jubilee Year of Mercy. A Mass to celebrate the beginning of the Jubilee Year was held last December 8 at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral.
The Nov. 19 liturgy will not focus on the closing of Jubilee Year because Bishop Gerald Barnes wants to emphasize that the renewed spirit of Mercy must continue, said Sister Jeremy Gallet, SP, Director of the Diocesan Office of Worship.
“It’s a celebration of the Year of Mercy and something we can extend,” she said.
Each of the 92 parishes in the Diocese is being asked to send a representative group, which may include someone who was confirmed during the Year of Mercy. Bishop Barnes had asked each parish to construct a Mercy Cross for display during the Jubilee Year, and parishes will be invited to bring their cross to the Nov. 19 Mass.
The parish Mercy Crosses will be displayed along both sides of the walkway leading to Queen of Angels Church, a new 1,600 seat church that is among the largest in the Diocese. The Mercy Crosses for the six Year of Mercy pilgrimage sites in the Diocese, plus Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral will be processed into the church and placed near the altar. The pilgrimage sites are Our Lady of Guadalupe, San Bernardino; Holy Family, Hesperia; St. Catherine of Alexandria, Temecula; Sacred Heart, Palm Desert; St. Catherine of Alexandria, Riverside and Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chino.
In the spirit of continuing the commitment to mercy in the future, those who attend the Mass will have an opportunity to write or present their pledge to practice a specific Corporal or Spiritual Work of Mercy in the coming year.