By Lissy Maruthanakuzhy

Nagpur: Nagpur archdiocese on November 20 marked the end of the Year of Mercy by converting a former Mother Teresa center as mercy home.

“Although the Year of Mercy concludes today with the closing of the door, we will not stop the practice of mercy,” said Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara of Nagpur at the opening of a palliative care center named Mother Theresa Mercy Home in the central Indian city.

“Acts of Mercy will continue to envelop the world, as we close the door of Mercy today,” the prelate said.

The opening of the center preceded a Mass to celebrate the feast of Christ the King that the prelate led at the St Francis De Sales Cathedral in Nagpur. In his homily, the archbishop said, “Our God is a God of Mercy. Because of Mercy he sent his Son to us.”

The palliative care has come up in an orphanage that the Missionaries of Charity had managed for the past 40 years. The Teresa nuns abandoned it in July as they could not comply with government rules that went against their principles.

The new will be managed by the Franciscan Clarist Congregation Sisters whose members include Saint Alphonsa and Sister Rani Maria, who was martyred near Indore in 1995.

Archbishop Viruthakulangara said the palliative center will try to alleviate the suffering of the dying. “To them we open the doors of our heart in mercy,” he told the gathering of more than 100 people.

The prelate also said the archdiocese prepared for the feast with a 40-hour Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in a chapel adjacent to the cathedral. “Our cathedral has become a house of peace. A lot of power of Jesus has gone out after each adoration.”

He also recalled Pope Francis’ admission: “We are all sinners. But we all have experienced God’s mercy.”

He said at the time of the launch of the Year of Mercy on December 8, 2015, the pope had exhorted people to become merciful like God the Father. “Now we must be able to say we are merciful. We have experienced God’s compassion and we have to extend this mercy to others,” the Nagpur archbishop said.

He also added, “Today we celebrate the King of Mercy. We are lucky; we are the subjects who have experienced his mercy.”

Nagpur vicar general Fr Jerome Pinto told Matters India that the archdiocese had conducted several programs during the Year of Mercy. They included a lenten retreat for all members of the archdiocese, a two-day seminar for priests, religious and laity; and Bible Quiz for priests and Religious on the Gospel of Luke known as Gospel of Mercy.

It also celebrated the canonization of Mother Teresa of Kolkata and conducted a two-day retreat for high school students.