Seton Catholic College has erected doors on the face of its chapel to remind students and staff to seek out a Holy Door and participate in the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Passing through a Holy Door is part of the pilgrimage that all Catholics are encouraged to make during this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, whether during a trip to Rome or a trip to the cathedral in their own dioceses.
These pilgrimages come with special graces and allow each person to share in the blessings of the Holy Year.
Since the year 1300CE, when Pope Boniface VIII declared the first Holy Year, the Catholic Church has regularly celebrated Holy Years, usually every 25 years since at least 1470CE.
However, in announcing that this year would be an Extraordinary Jubilee celebrating the mercy of God, Pope Francis offered something new: bishops would have permission to designate doors in their dioceses as Holy Doors.
“Every local church at the cathedral – the mother Church of the faithful in any particular area – or, alternatively, at the co-cathedral or another church of special significance, a Door of Mercy will be opened for the duration of the Holy Year,” he said.
“Thus, the Jubilee will be celebrated both in Rome and in the particular churches as a visible sign of the Church’s universal communion.”
Seton Catholic College Deputy Principal, Joanne Smith, said the doors at the Samson school stood as a reminder to all students and staff of the significance of passing through a Holy Door.
Mrs Smith hoped students and staff would be encouraged to seek out a Holy Door in the Archdiocese of Perth, whether at St Mary’s Cathedral in Perth, St Patrick’s Basilica in Fremantle or St Mary’s Church in Kalgoorlie, and “be participants in the Year of Mercy, not just observers”.
“Messages on the Seton doors remind students that to pass through the door is to understand that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Lord and the Savior who suffered, died and rose for our salvation,” she said.
“When the Holy Door opens, the obstacles of passage to our Lord are removed. During the Holy Year, we hope and pray that the obstacles of personal weakness, temptation and sin will be removed so that we will have a holy union with our Lord.”
The doors were painted in the liturgical colours of purple, red, white and green by the college’s Certificate III Technical Production students, Year 12 Ministry team and other willing helpers, under the guidance of staff members, Sharon Le Ray and Garry Burgess.
They were then expertly hung on the face of the chapel by Alan Muir and Clive Shilling.
Mail boxes attached to the doors provide an opportunity for students to ‘post’ special intentions or prayers of mercy towards those who may have given offence and to offer repentance for their human weakness and failings.
The doors will remain in place until 20 November 2016, the Sunday dedicated to the Feast of Christ, King and the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.