This last weekend of March 2025, the Jubilee of the Missionaries of Mercy will be celebrated in Rome.
Laureano Del Otero Sevillano CSSR, one of the Redemptorist Missionaries of Mercy, writes to us:
“We are returning to Rome, and although the Pope is recovering, the joy of knowing that we have been summoned by him will not be lacking. Once again, there will be formative meetings to delve deeper into the importance of respect for the person who asks for forgiveness, into the beauty of divine mercy, into the joy of being sent by a Church that never tires of promoting forgiveness and conversion as paths to salvation. Thus springs the hope that this Jubilee challenges us to find, share, and await.” And then he continues:
Asking for forgiveness remains difficult. Consequently, confession also has its difficulties. Although we all know that God’s mercy is great and maternal, approaching the Sacrament of Penitential Reconciliation remains the most difficult of encounters with the grace of the Lord Jesus.
How could the celebration of forgiveness be improved? How could we grow in confidence that we will always be forgiven?
These questions received a concrete ecclesial response 10 years ago. In 2015, on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis decided to invest priests from all over the world with a special mission: to proclaim the good news of God’s love, especially as instruments of reconciliation and signs of the Father’s infinite forgiveness: the Missionaries of Mercy.
Many Redemptorists from all four corners of the globe were called to be part of this missionary body. Certainly, the Redemptorist charism is fully connected to this service. The pastoral kindness of Saint Alphonsus and the undeniable reputation of so many Redemptorists throughout the world as “confessors” attest to the wisdom of this call.
My personal experience has developed primarily in Albania, in the Redemptorist Mission. The most important thing is the daily routine, the willingness to listen, and the compassion at the moment of celebrating the sacrament. Occasionally, parish priests sent people to confession due to a special situation, but I have experienced this service above all in the simplicity of celebrations at the mission or in meeting other missionaries. There is always joy when one encounters the transparent gaze of God the Father again!
The Missionaries of Mercy were first convened in Rome, after opening the Holy Door, “to receive the mandate to be signs and instruments of God’s forgiveness” (Francis, Ash Wednesday 2016). This mandate and mission include the ability to forgive some sins, previously reserved for the Holy See, but their activity is through celebration, retreats and conferences, meetings, and personal dialogues. At the end of that Jubilee, the Pope decided to extend this ministry, convening these missionaries, who number nearly 1,000 worldwide, on two further occasions (2018 and 2022). The idea is that every two years they will receive training and meet with the Holy Father to share their experiences and advance a more effective missionary service in the various particular Churches.
Although their mission is not yet widely known, the Missionaries of Mercy are already part of the structure of the Church and have been included in the apostolic constitution “Preach the Gospel” as part of the dicastery for the promotion of the New Evangelization.
The Jubilee of these Missionaries of Mercy will be celebrated in Rome this last weekend in March. We are returning to Rome, and although the Pope is recovering, there will be no lack of joy in knowing that he has called us to this day. Once again, there will be formative meetings to delve deeper into the importance of respect for the person who asks for forgiveness, the beauty of divine mercy, and the joy of being sent by a Church that never tires of promoting forgiveness and conversion as paths to salvation. Thus springs the hope that this Jubilee challenges us to find, share, and await.
Laureano Del Otero Sevillano, CSSR.
