THE HOLY YEAR OF MERCY
At the close of the Family Synod Pope Francis spoke of 'bringing to every part of the world, to every diocese, to every community and every situation, the light of the Gospel, the embrace of the Church, and the support of God’s mercy.’To facilitate this encounter with God's mercy the Holy Father announced an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy which on 8 December 2015, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, when he opened the great Holy Door in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The Jubilee of Mercy is an extraordinary ‘Year of the Lord’s favour’ when extraordinary grace and mercy are experienced by everyone and no one is excluded. Every Diocese has plans for celebrating the Jubilee of Mercy. Please use our interactive map to contact your local Diocesan Coordinator of Family Ministry for information on events.
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Visit the Official Vatican Jubilee of Mercy Website
Watch the inauguration of the Jubilee of Mercy
Visit the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales' Jubilee of Mercy Page
A NEW RESOURCE FOR FAMILIES
For the Jubilee of Mercy the MFL Project Office has produced Light for the Path a resource of six reflective sessions to help families enter into this special time for the church, beginning at home.At the heart of each session is a Scripture passage from one of the texts referred to by Pope Francis in his letter Misericordiae Vultus or 'The Face of Mercy'. The session material will help us to reflect on what mercy means and how we live it in our daily lives. Light for the Path is designed for use in a relaxed, informal setting, with any combination of family people: parents, children, grandparents, uncles, sons, daughters, aunts, brothers, sisters and cousins.
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HOW DO THE SESSIONS WORK?
The Light for the Path resource consists of 6 user-friendly sessions for use throughout the Holy Year, with accompanying guides for adult only and adult & child sessions. Choose your session time to fit your family life and demands. It should be an enjoyable experience and each session can be adapted to the time you have available. Ideally allow 45 minutes for a session to cover all the steps but if you have limited time the most important section is Step 3: ‘We Listen’. If possible allow 10-15 minutes quiet time, listening to the scriptural reading and then invite group members to respond to the ‘I Wonder’ questions. Our Light of the Path resource includes a ‘How To’ Guide offering a simple and effective way of reflecting with Scripture, most commonly known as lectio divina. Through this simple way of praying with Scripture, anyone of any age can go deeper in their relationship with God.Read more
The full session outline is as follows:
- We gather: creating the welcoming space, followed by a brief introduction to the session
- We look at our experience: first thoughts on this topic in our Catholic tradition, and in our family
- We listen to the Word of God in Scripture as ‘light for the path’: a time of gentle exploration of the Scripture speaking to all ages and abilities
- We respond: an invitation to ‘wonder’ at what we have seen and heard and what the story tells us about our family and what is important to us
- We mix it together and make sense: in the light of Scripture and Church teaching we identify and describe practical ‘Works of Mercy’ as we experience them at home and more widely
- We plan: in this final section we are encouraged to respond to the question, ‘What difference does this make?’ Or ‘What might we do differently this week?’
- We pray: the session concludes with a simple prayer or blessing in the family or group
Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet, and a Light for My Path
Session One of the Light for the Path resource begins with an Advent reflection on Mary, the Mother of Mercy. Sessions Two to Five follow bi-monthly over the first six-months of 2016 and conclude with Session Six in the Autumn of 2016. However the sessions are flexible and can be used at any time of the year and in any order. For easy reference, each Light for the Path session guide has the Scripture text in full. In the Resources Section of this page you will also find a link to Misericordiae Vultus, and a downloadable PDF of the Scripture passages referenced in it.Read more
Session One
Download Light for the Path Session One Guide for AdultsDownload Light for the Path Session One Guide for Adults & Children
Session Two
Download Light for the Path Session Two Guide for AdultsDownload Light for the Path Session Two Guide for Adults & Children
Session Three
Download Light for the Path Session Three Guide for AdultsDownload Light for the Path Session Three Guide for Adults & Children
Session Four
Download Light for the Path Session Four Guide for AdultsDownload Light for the Path Session Four Guide for Adults & Children
Session Five
Download Light for the Path Session Five Guide for AdultsDownload Light for the Path Session Five Guide for Adults & Children
Session Six
Download Light for the Path Session Six Guide for AdultsDownload Light for the Path Session Six Guide for Adults & Children
RESOURCES
LINKS
Links to external websites provided on this page have been checked but we cannot take responsibility for the content on external websites or that organisation’s affiliations with third parties. The link is provided for information purposes only. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales cannot and does not necessarily endorse the content on these websites.
Misericordiae Vultus
Online sources of Catholic, child-friendly and audio bibles
Godly Play UK
The Gospel for Little Children