Entering the Holy Door of Mercy
Fáilte isteach tri Dhoras na Trócaire
Prayer Resource for Pilgrims
St. Mary’s Cathedral,
Killarney
Introduction
When you become a pilgrim, you leave the place you know to set off for a new place, aware that
you are leaving in order to find something. As you begin this time of pilgrimage, take a moment to
ask yourself what you are seeking, what you are looking for most especially as you enter through
the Holy Door. The Door of Mercy in this cathedral, and in cathedrals throughout the world during
this Jubilee Year of Mercy, are signs for us that God is always seeking us out and God’s mercy is
never closed to us
Picture of Holy Door
Entering through the Door of Mercy
After coming through the Door of Mercy we invite you to pause for a moment:
 God offers me his loving mercy. This door reminds me that God is always available to me,
always waiting for me, always open to me. What are the habits, sins, selfishness I need to let
go of so I can be drawn closer to God?
 In a spirit of openness and honesty, I thank God for the mercy God has shown me in so
many ways throughout my life….and I might like to remember one particular incident of
God’s mercy….
 Jesus says, I am the gate, anyone who enters through me, will be saved; In what ways am I
trying to get to know Jesus better? Through prayer? Through good deeds? Through the
sacraments? Through Scripture?
And I pray to Jesus three times saying
Merciful Jesus, I trust in you.
Picture of Icon of St. Brendan
At the Icon of St. Brendan:
We pause to remember St. Brendan, patron of the Diocese of Kerry, a fellow-pilgrim in the Church’s
ongoing pilgrimage towards “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” Heb 13:8 We
remember all those who have and are making the journey of faith with us, and with them, we pray
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Picture of Baptismal Font
At the baptismal font
In this year of mercy, Pope Francis wishes that each of us would experience God’s grace and
reconciliation in our lives. As we pause at the baptismal font, we recall the gift of baptism we have
received. We pray that the obstacles of our personal weakness, temptation, and sin may be
removed so that we can live out our baptism more freely. We use the Holy Water to bless ourselves,
recalling that we are already children of God, sisters and brothers of Christ. In unity with the whole
Church, we pray the Our Father for Pope Francis and all his intentions.
Picture of Sanctuary
At the sanctuary
We take a moment to sit in silent prayer in front of the sanctuary, reminding us of how God
chooses to nourish and care for us, his people, Sunday after Sunday. We give thanks for God’s
mercy as told to us by the Word of God…..and we give thanks for God’s mercy shown to us, in
giving us the Eucharist. We pray the Jubilee Prayer of Mercy:
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us,
the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: “If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to
captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.
As we go from this cathedral and continue on our pilgrim journey:
Let us become people of mercy, reflecting the mercy that we have experienced from God, in our
homes and in our communities. As we leave this place, take a moment to recall if there is someone
in your life who needs to hear God’s mercy through your words and actions. As Pope Francis says,
“The experience of mercy, indeed, becomes visible in the witness of concrete signs as Jesus himself
taught us”.