Jubilee Year kicks off with candlelight ceremony at Ochre Court gates
The Salve Regina community will gather by candlelight to celebrate the opening of the University’s Jubilee Year of Mercy with a ceremony at Ochre Court’s iconic iron gates on Tuesday, Dec. 8 from 4-4:30 p.m.
The event will feature a proclamation to open the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which was announced worldwide by Pope Francis in April. The celebration kicks off across the globe on Tuesday, which marks the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. It will end on Nov. 20, 2016, on the feast of Christ the King.
Throughout its celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Salve Regina will present numerous events allowing for reflection on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
“The Jubilee Year of Mercy is a special opportunity to reaffirm our own commitment to putting empathy into action, to sharing the journey of those around us, and to celebrating the defining values of our University,” said President Jane Gerety, RSM.
Participants will gather at the Ochre Court gates at 4 p.m., where all will receive candles and the University choir will sing. Jayme Hennessy, associate professor of religious and theological studies, will present “The Gates as a Gateway,” students will offer psalms of mercy and Sister Jane will read the official proclamation.
At 4:20 p.m., trumpets will sound and the bells of Our Lady of Mercy Chapel will ring as the ceremonial ribbon is cut to open the Jubilee Year. A reception will follow in Ochre Court.
