When One Door Closes
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by Alice Matisz
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November 25, 2016
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I got my first introduction to holy doors a year ago when Pope Francis declared 2016 would be a Jubilee Year of Mercy. I learned that a holy door, or ‘porta sancta’, has been used since the fifteenth century as a symbol of conversion. Pilgrims pass through it as a gesture of leaving the past behind and crossing the threshold from sin to grace. These traverses are often associated with prayer, sacrifice, confession and granting of indulgences.
At the Vatican, the holy door is rarely opened. It is even bricked up to prevent accidental opening. When a pope declares a jubilee year, he ritually pushes the door open (after the bricks have been safely removed by masons). The door then remains in use for the entire jubilee year before being ritually closed and bricked up again just before the start of a new liturgical year. A holy door is never the main door. It is instead located to one side perhaps suggesting that one must search for it. Jesus said, “seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9) This leads us to the true meaning of a holy door - it symbolizes Jesus Christ who is the only ‘way’ through which we can be saved.
In announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in December 2015 Pope Francis declared, “The Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope.” Upon closing the door at the Vatican on November 20, the Pope reiterated, “Even if the Holy Door closes, the true door of mercy, which is the heart of Christ, always remains open for us.”
There are eight (8) holy doors around the world. Most are in Rome but there is one in the Philippines, in Spain, France and even in Quebec City. However, to make it possible for everyone to enter through a holy door during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis permitted every diocese in the world to assign a Jubilee Door at their cathedral and in other designated holy locations. In the diocese of Calgary there were eight door sites but originally the closest one to Lethbridge was in Fort Macleod. Sr. Theresa Parker at the Martha Retreat Centre recalled receiving a call from the Bishop’s Office advising them that their Centre had been chosen as an additional door site. “I told them that people come here all the time anyway,” she said with a smile.
The door drew more people than ever. They came in droves, especially as the Martha Centre door was extremely accessible. The three sisters who reside in the Martha Centre recounted numerous anecdotes of unexpected visitors including a very large group who made the trek down from Calgary on Good Friday. As welcome as these visitors were, the sisters quickly realized they would have to organize formal visiting hours and recruit volunteers to assist with hosting. So a list of about a dozen volunteers was set up and visitors were encouraged to pass through the Jubilee Door on Mondays and Thursdays. In addition, special Mercy Masses were held each month to pray for specific parish groups like the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s League and Youth Ministry.
Hundreds of people signed the visitor’s book and many more passed through the door while on retreat at the Centre. Sr. Theresa remembered visitors from Taber, Milk River and Foremost among others from outside Lethbridge. Young and old, families and individuals, repeat visitors and one-timers; all seeking the merciful love of God. As one visitor said on the last visiting day, “I’ve come to get some last drops of mercy.”
As I sat with volunteer host Sandy Lodge on the last day for formal visits, she told me she had loved every minute of her hosting duties. “It gave me a chance to catch up on my reading,” she said gesturing towards the shelves in the library in which we sat. Another volunteer, Eleanor Schamber, echoed that sentiment. “I looked forward to going every time,” she said, “it was a real blessing to be able to go through the holy door as often as I did.” One volunteer added her hope that people would continue to retreat at the Martha Centre even after the Jubilee Door was closed. “It’s so peaceful and spiritual (here),” she said. One of the last visitors to pass through the door put it succinctly. He said, “Mercy doesn’t end today.”
So as the Year of Mercy finishes and Jubilee Doors are closed, let us remember all the moments of mercy we experienced this year. The prayerful times, the times we reached out to help someone in need, the spiritual works of mercy we undertook, the warmth and love we felt in God’s presence. And let us commit to keeping a door open in our hearts through which we can welcome Jesus every year, every day.
At the Vatican, the holy door is rarely opened. It is even bricked up to prevent accidental opening. When a pope declares a jubilee year, he ritually pushes the door open (after the bricks have been safely removed by masons). The door then remains in use for the entire jubilee year before being ritually closed and bricked up again just before the start of a new liturgical year. A holy door is never the main door. It is instead located to one side perhaps suggesting that one must search for it. Jesus said, “seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9) This leads us to the true meaning of a holy door - it symbolizes Jesus Christ who is the only ‘way’ through which we can be saved.
In announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in December 2015 Pope Francis declared, “The Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope.” Upon closing the door at the Vatican on November 20, the Pope reiterated, “Even if the Holy Door closes, the true door of mercy, which is the heart of Christ, always remains open for us.”
There are eight (8) holy doors around the world. Most are in Rome but there is one in the Philippines, in Spain, France and even in Quebec City. However, to make it possible for everyone to enter through a holy door during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis permitted every diocese in the world to assign a Jubilee Door at their cathedral and in other designated holy locations. In the diocese of Calgary there were eight door sites but originally the closest one to Lethbridge was in Fort Macleod. Sr. Theresa Parker at the Martha Retreat Centre recalled receiving a call from the Bishop’s Office advising them that their Centre had been chosen as an additional door site. “I told them that people come here all the time anyway,” she said with a smile.
The door drew more people than ever. They came in droves, especially as the Martha Centre door was extremely accessible. The three sisters who reside in the Martha Centre recounted numerous anecdotes of unexpected visitors including a very large group who made the trek down from Calgary on Good Friday. As welcome as these visitors were, the sisters quickly realized they would have to organize formal visiting hours and recruit volunteers to assist with hosting. So a list of about a dozen volunteers was set up and visitors were encouraged to pass through the Jubilee Door on Mondays and Thursdays. In addition, special Mercy Masses were held each month to pray for specific parish groups like the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s League and Youth Ministry.
Hundreds of people signed the visitor’s book and many more passed through the door while on retreat at the Centre. Sr. Theresa remembered visitors from Taber, Milk River and Foremost among others from outside Lethbridge. Young and old, families and individuals, repeat visitors and one-timers; all seeking the merciful love of God. As one visitor said on the last visiting day, “I’ve come to get some last drops of mercy.”
As I sat with volunteer host Sandy Lodge on the last day for formal visits, she told me she had loved every minute of her hosting duties. “It gave me a chance to catch up on my reading,” she said gesturing towards the shelves in the library in which we sat. Another volunteer, Eleanor Schamber, echoed that sentiment. “I looked forward to going every time,” she said, “it was a real blessing to be able to go through the holy door as often as I did.” One volunteer added her hope that people would continue to retreat at the Martha Centre even after the Jubilee Door was closed. “It’s so peaceful and spiritual (here),” she said. One of the last visitors to pass through the door put it succinctly. He said, “Mercy doesn’t end today.”
So as the Year of Mercy finishes and Jubilee Doors are closed, let us remember all the moments of mercy we experienced this year. The prayerful times, the times we reached out to help someone in need, the spiritual works of mercy we undertook, the warmth and love we felt in God’s presence. And let us commit to keeping a door open in our hearts through which we can welcome Jesus every year, every day.
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