Holy door for a day planned Living wage parish blitz for a church near Gisborne

The Gisborne area is to have a holy door in a Catholic church for one day in November. On November 8, Hamilton Bishop Stephen Lowe will consecrate a holy door at St Bede’s church in Matawai, which is on State Highway 2 between Gisborne and Opotiki.

Holy doors in designated churches are one of the features of the extraordinary
jubilee Year of Mercy.

The Year of Mercy started when Pope Francis opened the holy door of St Peter’s Basilica on December 8.

Bishop Lowe told NZ Catholic that the nearest official holy door to Gisborne is three hours drive away.

Other official holy doors in Hamilton diocese are at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Rangioawhia Catholic Cemetary, Tyburn Monastery in Ngakuru, and at St Joseph’s Church,
Te Puna.

Bishop Lowe said Gisborne parish was planning a hikoi to Hamilton but it was becoming too expensive and difficult to coordinate this.

“At the request of the parish a holy door will be opened for just the one day at St Bede’s church, at Matawai. This is to enable as many people from Gisborne to attend as possible,” he said.

It has been heartening to preside at the opening of holy doors and to hear reports of hikoi to churches with holy doors, the bishop added.

“People have been deeply moved by the experience and indeed by the whole Year of Mercy,” he noted.

A high point for a number of parishes and collegial areas in the diocese was the worldwide “24 hours for the Lord” featuring adoration and Reconciliation.

Bishop Lowe said each collegial area in the diocese is conducting their own
hikoi to a holy door.

The priests of the diocese will make their own hikoi to St Joseph’s, Te Puna later in August.

A plenary indulgence can be gained during the Year of Mercy by passing through a designated holy door, or performing one of the corporal or spiritual works of mercy — and fulfilling the usual conditions of having the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, receiving sacramental Reconciliation and Communion, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father.