Dear People of God,
We are in a very privileged time, it is Jubilee Year here in our Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It is a time of renewal and a time to grow deeper in a loving relationship with God and with one another. The following information is a wonderful opportunity to experience the graciousness of God being availed to us.
Go on Pilgrimage in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Step into Christ, Step out to Mission ~ Holy Doors of Mission
During the Jubilee Year, a plenary indulgence will be granted to all the faithful who meet the usual conditions and visit any of the pilgrimage sites within the Archdiocese to spend some time there at least to pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be with the intention of uniting themselves with the missionary spirit of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Star of the New Evangelization, and St. Junípero Serra, founder of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel.
A Holy Door represents Jesus Christ, who states: “I am the door” (John 10:1). Christ is the entry to new life. To cross the threshold of the Holy Door is to step into Christ, and to pass through the doors of the Church into the world is to step into mission. The Lord we encounter in the Church, above all in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, sends us forth from there to be missionaries of the Gospel.
Santa Barbara Pastoral Region
Deanery 1 – Mission Santa Inés (Solvang); founded on September 17, 1804, the 19th of the 21 California missions
Deanery 2 – Mission Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara); founded on December 4, 1786, the 10th of the 21 California missions
Deanery 3 – Mission Basilica San Buenaventura (Ventura); the last of the 9 missions founded by St. Junípero Serra on March 31, 1782.
Deanery 4 – St. Mary Magdalen Chapel (Camarillo)
San Fernando Pastoral Region
Deanery 5 – St. Joseph the Worker (Winnetka)
Deanery 6 – Holy Family Church (Glendale)
Deanery 7 – Mission San Fernando Rey de España (San Fernando); founded on September 8, 1797, the 17th of the 21 California missions
Deanery 8 – Sacred Heart Church (Lancaster)
Reflection
A Holy Door is a specially designated entrance to a church. By walking through it, we say something with our bodies. We accept the salvation that comes only through Jesus. It was Jesus who said, “I am the gate for the sheep ... Whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:7,9).
When pilgrims walk through with pious intentions, they receive grace from God. Jesus gave the Church the power to dispense such graces freely: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).
The custom of assigning Holy Doors dates back to the Middle Ages and is usually associated with churches in Rome. But the popes have sometimes given the status of Holy Doors to churches far away. In the Year of Mercy, 2016-2017, Pope Francis invited every diocese to designate entryways for this purpose.
To mark the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Church in LA is opening its Holy Door at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. It will remain open to pilgrims through the year. There will also be 22 holy doors throughout the Archdiocese that will be open at all of our Jubilee Year Pilgrimage sites.
“This is the LORD’s own gate, through it the righteous enter” (Psalm 118:20).
Please consider taking your whole family and invite others to join you make this pilgrimage.
Peace,
Fr. Riz