Holy Door Pilgrimage--Immaculate Conception Somerville NJ

I launch my daily pilgrimage to a Holy Door for the remaining period left of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. I go to Immaculate Conception Church in Somerville, NJ introduced to me through the Catholic Underground NJ family which brought me to see the New Evangelization at work--music, bright witnesses, joyful families, festivity!

The rain did not dampen attendance the Saturday I went and families brushed through the rain, welcoming a visiting Servite Father Fr. Luis Maldonado formerly of this Diocese (Metuchen) now serving in Chicago and making their appeal on behalf of the Zulu in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa where they have done pioneering work of evangelization--the original ad gentes kind from scratch.

Now, 70 years later--with the social, health, education facilities and training they set up--even local religious infrastructure is place--through the vocations they have inspired from the local folk. Is the Church or Her servants not missionary or what? It seems to me a great prompt for the audience members and clergy to hear Fr. Maldonado tell the great challenges they have surmounted. With great challenges is great victory if we trust the Lord! Oh, we should ask to die to self daily for while we might not die to self in this kind of missionary work, there are work that nonetheless can be done.

The parish did marvelously in putting the theme of Mercy--a prayer card with a before and after entry to the Door prayer is given and on its back is the description of the Holy Year of Mercy as well as the Indulgences.

I realize like many well-planned churches, the space can be a pilgrimage site truly. For behind the main altar is another smaller chapel used for daily Mass but opens up to a cute garden with benches and a grotto tot he Blessed Garden. Elsewhere their rich trove of evangelization materials and ministry groups so many that a booklet is needled to capture it all. Also there are announcements to welcome the newly baptized from the RCIA program. Indeed their faith journey made available to everyone, such as Bridget from below, is a thrill to recall ones own introduction or reconversion to the Church. And the many activities that we may take for granted we should realize especially in this Year or Mercy to be optimized to win more souls--fruits of our fruits--to Christ.