After 149 years, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral Basilica in Charleston will close its doors.
On Nov. 29, the church will ceremonially close its main interior doors in preparation for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis. The closure is temporary (and don't worry because there are other ways to enter) and will transition in a couple of weeks to a new, beautiful entrance.
Jubilees - special Holy Years invoked by the Catholic church in which blessings and the pardoning of sins are bestowed - have been celebrated every 25 or 50 years since 1300 in the tradition of the Old Testament, with the most recent one celebrated in 2000.
As its name implies, Extraordinary Jubilee years are special events declared by the church. These have been proclaimed by various Popes, just as in 1983 the Church celebrated 1,950 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus.
This Holy Year will begin on Dec. 8, when Pope Francis opens the "Porta Sancta," or Holy Door, of St. Peter's Major Basilica in Rome. Sacred Heart will join other basilicas and cathedrals in Rome and throughout the world in opening their Holy Doors on Dec. 13.
On that date, just a couple of weeks after the closure of Sacred Heart's main interior doors, a beautiful new entrance will make its debut.
In recognition of the year's importance by participating fully in this historic event, and in keeping with our local efforts to continue to build upon Sacred Heart's reflection of Church teachings through the physical media of stone, marble, glass and wood, the church has commissioned its own Porta Sancta, which will replace the ceremonially-closed doors.
Sacred Heart's Holy Door is a magnificent blend of Church teachings and art. Manufactured by Sal Rossi of Quality Woods in Charleston, the mahogany door displays the jubilee logo, painted by local artist Kathy Dery, and is adorned with the two-dimensional wood figure of "Christ Knocking on the Door" carved in relief by native wood sculptor, Karen Sparks, of Mount Lookout in Nicholas County.
The Porta Sancta adds yet another artistic and theological dimension to our Basilica. From the unique statue of the pregnant Virgin fabricated by Bramante Studios in Ontario, Canada, to the courtyard sculptures of the Tree of Life and the Annunciation, created by John Collier, the chief sculptor for the Catholic Memorial at Ground Zero, and the world's largest collection of copies of masterpieces of the Annunciation, our Basilica incorporates humans' artistic efforts to mirror the beauty of God's love.
These contemporary additions complement the century-old Basilica's Romanesque design and stonework; its original Carrara marble altar fabricated in pieces in Italy and then assembled by Italian craftsmen on site; the 100-year-old replica of Michelangelo's Pieta; and the original stained glass windows.
This Jubilee Year offers each of us the opportunity to reflect on God's mercy to us and calls upon us to be "Merciful Like the Father." God's mercy is often manifested in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures as well as invoked in the first two of God's beautiful 99 names found in the Koran: Ar-Rahman, "The Compassionate" (67:29) and Al-Rahim, "The Merciful" (2:163).
The Basilica is open daily 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pilgrims of all faith traditions are invited to cross the threshold of the Holy Door and to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others by practicing, in some creative way of their own choosing, the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy*. These works are listed on the forms that will be available in the vestibule attesting that pilgrims and visitors have crossed its threshold.
Let us be "Merciful Like the Father." And may we recall the words of St. Augustine: "Every saint has a past; every sinner has a future."
It is the hope of the Sacred Heart pastor that the people of Charleston - from all walks of life and from all faith traditions - will walk through the Porta Sancta and proclaim God's mercy to them and then go out and live the Church's Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. In so doing, our world can be transformed, one act at a time.
Sadie is the rector of the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Charleston.
* According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy are found in Christian tradition and the teachings of Jesus Christ as a model of how to treat others.
Spiritual Works of Mercy: Counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive sinners, bear patiently with those who do you ill and pray for the living and the dead.
Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, console the imprisoned and their families, bury the dead and comfort their families.