Father Leon Cruz, the only Salesian in India to be appointed as a Missionary of Mercy (MoM) by Pope Francis in 2017 with special powers to pardon sins reserved to the Holy See, will join other Missionaries of Mercy from around the world in Rome from April 7 to 11, to concelebrate Holy Mass with the Holy Father. The meetings will start on April 7, with a prayer vigil for Divine Mercy Sunday, with the Missionaries of Mercy serving as confessors. On April 8, the Papal Holy Mass will be concelebrated by the MoMs in St Peter’s Square.
As reported by donboscoindia, Fr. Cruz remarked that “For me, this ministry is a blessing filled with numerous moments of grace. Personally, on a priority basis, I have been making myself available for Confessions. On Sunday mornings, I have been sitting at the Shrine of Don Bosco’s Madonna for the Sacrament of Confession. The sense of fulfillment I found in this ministry encouraged me to respond positively when the Congregation for New Evangelization asked me if I wished to continue as a Missionary of Mercy. I was extremely happy when I saw the re-appointment letter.”
“MoMs have been sent forth by the Holy See through the world ‘to be a living sign of the Father’s welcome to all those in search of His forgiveness,’ and perform other charitable acts of Mercy. They serve in their own diocese but may be invited by other Bishops to give missions, with a particular attention given to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Holy Father also granted these Missionaries, ”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.
Source: www.donboscoindia.com
