‘Mercy’ reflection, service at Second Harvest Jan. 26

In collaboration with Second Harvest Food Bank, the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization will host a “Mercy Morning of Reflection” Jan. 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the food bank, 700 Edwards Ave., Harahan.

The free morning will consist of prayer, a service project in the Second Harvest warehouse, a reflection on the Catholic Church’s social teaching principles and the corporal work of mercy from Matthew 25, “When I was hungry you gave me some food,” and the service project.

The reflection period will close with a light lunch. The morning is limited to the first 25 participants. Registration is necessary at https://shfbgnoa.volunteerhub.com/lp/archdiocesenola/.

“The idea comes from the Year of Mercy,” said Dominican Father David Caron, vicar of evangelization for the archdiocese who was commissioned as a “Missionary of Mercy” by Pope Francis in 2015. “When I went back to Rome (in 2018) with the other missionaries of mercy, the Holy Father extended the invitation to keep teaching and preaching about mercy, especially through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and the sacrament of reconciliation. Mercy is endless. We are trying to connect people to mercy service opportunities.”

Father Caron said Pope Francis invited the missionaries of mercy to “get creative in their approaches and strategies to teaching and preaching about mercy, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and to invite all to the healing mercy of God.”

That means, Father Caron said, to allow people “see the important role that mercy can play in relationships, in family life, in society, in our care for the poor and the sick – the people on the peripheries – in the world, and in the church.”

In the archdiocese, the theme of “Mercy is Endless” will focus on three areas: mercy as forgiveness, mercy as healing and mercy as service. The idea, Father Caron said, is to do this “without adding much extra work on the local parish” and further the priorities and goals of the archdiocesan synod.

For more information, contact the Office of Evangelization at 267-9650.