CHARLOTTE — As the Church begins the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has expressed his intention that the celebration be a way for the Church to "make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy."
One way the pope wants to show "the Church's maternal solicitude" is to send out "Missionaries of Mercy" – specially selected priests who have been granted "the authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See," the pope wrote in "Misericordiae Vultus" ("The Face of Mercy"), the document officially proclaiming the Holy Year.
About 50 U.S. priests have been designated a Missionary of Mercy, including two from the Diocese of Charlotte: Father George Byers, administrator of Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews, and Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.
According to Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, the priests selected are chosen on the basis of their ability to preach well, especially on the theme of mercy, and be "good confessors," meaning they are able to express God's love and do not make the confessional, as Pope Francis says, like "a torture chamber."
The priests will also have to "be patient" and have "an understanding of human fragility," the archbishop said.
Father Byers notes, "All priests are Missionaries of Mercy in their own parishes and apostolates, and I assume that all would like to have whatever special faculties to manifest the mercy of God to all who desire the same, calling especially those who do not yet desire mercy into the required humility.
"The only thing that makes me different from other priests is that, being in what is perhaps the smallest parish in North America, I was able to make myself available for what might well be a time-consuming activity. None of us Missionaries of Mercy know exactly what this Year of Mercy will bring."
The Missionaries of Mercy will receive their mandate on Ash Wednesday in Rome after meeting with the pope.
"Just how this mandate will practically work out for various individuals undergoing the medicinal application of grave censures or excommunications reserved to the Holy See is yet to be seen. Perhaps what is by far the most important desired effect of the Year of Mercy and the Missionaries is that Christ's faithful will simply be shaken up enough to go to the great Sacrament of Mercy, confess their sins, and rejoice greatly in the Lord's goodness and kindness."
Father Patrick Winslow emphasizes that mercy is not going to be more available now versus any other time.
"The mercy of God is available to us, and has been available to us, thanks to Christ Himself," he said. "These jubilee years are opportunities to highlight. To put it another way, next year on the Feast of Christ the King 2016, when the Holy Doors on the Year of Mercy close, mercy is not being closed to the faithful. Conversely, new mercy is not being made available this Dec. 8."
Missionaries of Mercy are not creating anything new, he added; they are simply being called to highlight the Gospel in such a way that they are helping people to become better disciples of Christ.
"For this Year of Mercy, one of the best ways to get the word out is to preach it," he said. "It's an opportunity to reflect upon something that is so good – to highlight the mercy of God."
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter. Catholic News Service contributed.