Opening Celebration for the Jubilee Year of Mercy Notre Dame Cathedral Ottawa

ARCHDIOCESE OF OTTAWA

1247 Kilborn Place, Ottawa, ON K1H 6K9

Tel: 613-738-5025 Fax: 613-738-0130

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, December 4, 2015

OPENING CELEBRATION FOR THE JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY

The Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Ottawa, will preside at the

opening celebration marking the beginning of the Jubilee of Mercy at Notre Dame Cathedral

Basilica – 385 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, on Tuesday, December 8th at 7:30 pm. Papal honors will

be given to certain individuals from the Archdiocese on this occasion.

This celebration will mark the opening of the Year of Mercy in the Archdiocese of Ottawa. The

Holy Year extends from the Feast of the Immaculate-Conception on December 8th 2015 to the

feast of Christ the King on November 20th 2016. The Archbishop will bless the Door of Mercy

that has been established at Notre-Dame Cathedral for this Jubilee Year. This door will be

opened by the Archbishop at the beginning of the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday, December 13th

All are invited to come to the Cathedral during this Holy Year.

During the celebration the following individuals will receive Papal Honours for exceptional

service to the Church of Ottawa. You will notice that these include the Superior of the Sœurs de

la Charité d’Ottawa and the Provincial of the Oblats de Marie-Immaculée, two religious

communities that have been active in our diocese since its founding, as well as the Superior of

the Sœurs de l’Institut Jeanne-d’Arc, only community of diocesan right in our archdiocese. The

Archdiocese wished to honor them during the Year of Consecrated Life.

 Chaplain of His Holiness (C.S.S.) : Fr. Maurice Dionne, Pastor of Paroisse St-Joseph in

Orleans,

 Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal:

 Sister Lorraine Desjardins, Superior General of Les Sœurs de la Charité

d’Ottawa

 Mr. Thomas Flood, a parishioner at Holy Redeemer Parish in Kanata

 Mr. André Regnier and Mrs. Angèle Regnier, co-founders of Catholic

Christian Outreach, an evangelizing body for university students

 Fr. Luc Tardif, Provincial of the Oblats de Marie-Immaculée

 Papal Blessing : Sister Yvette Papillon, i.j.a. and the Sœurs de l’Institut Jeanne-d’Arc

The Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter on the occasion of the Year of Mercy is attached to this press

release.

Media contact: Deacon Gilles Ouellette

Executive Assistant

Archbishop’s Office

Cell: 613-720-5025