A Holy Door – Year of Mercy

People gathered in the front entry of St. Mary’s Cathedral as Bishop Kettler blesses the Holy Door. An image of the Year of Mercy made in the St. John’s Abbey Woodshop rests on an easel until it can be affixed to the inside of the Holy Door. Photos by Dianne Towalski

Bishop Donald Kettler sealed and locked a Holy Door for the Year of Mercy at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud Nov. 12. The door was sealed at a special Mass that also celebrated vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. It will reopen Dec. 13, the third Sunday of Advent, just a few days after the start of the Year of Mercy on Dec. 8.

Dan and Tia Ellis stop to see the outside of the Holy Door after Mass. The image of the Year of Mercy and the papal tiara grace the outside of the door, the center of the three front entry doors of St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Bishop Kettler locks the Holy Door from the inside. It will reopen Dec. 13.

“We are doors ourselves, doors to the kingdom of God, doors opening to where our Lord Jesus Christ lives and reigns,” Bishop Kettler said in his homily.

“As we enter through these doors during this Year of Mercy, we want to recognize the mercy of God that is here for each one of us and think about how God’s mercy might reach out from us, beginning with our families, our church and our community.”