Q&A WITH FR. BENEDICT CROELL, O.P.:
DOMINICAN MISSIONARIES OF MERCY
On Ash Wednesday, Pope Francis
sent out over 1000 priests as
Missionaries of Mercy, including
125 from the United States. Of
these men, 18 are Dominican
Friars from the Province of St.
Joseph! BlackFriars spoke with
Vocations Director Fr. Benedict
Croell, O.P., about this initiative to
bring sinners back to the Father
through Jesus Christ.
Why did Pope Francis call for priests to
become Missionaries of Mercy?
The Pope’s idea is to get people back into
the Church. He’s mandating Missionaries
of Mercy throughout the world to preach
a message of conversion and to hear
confessions. Just by making ourselves
available—my experience has been—if
we preach God’s mercy, people will go to
Confession.
How can Missionaries of Mercy help those
suffering from the sin of abortion?
In the United States, just about every
diocese has already given priests faculties
to absolve the sin of abortion, but, as
Missionaries of Mercy, we might draw
out those who may otherwise not have
come. There are many people who are
suffering the post-trauma of participating
in an abortion. Some of them might feel so
BlackFriars - Volume II, Issue II
Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P., at
the March for Life
terrible that they may be afraid to approach
the sacrament of Confession or even enter
a church.
Why did you apply to become a Missionary
of Mercy?
I wanted to share that same mercy that
I’ve experienced as a priest and to preach
the message of the Gospel: that God the
Father is all-loving and all-merciful and
that Jesus is the face of the Father. God’s
grace working in the life of a person can
liberate them. God is the one who acts.
We’re privileged to be part of the grace that
God is bestowing on the Church right now,
the grace of conversion.
God’s grace working in the
life of a person can liberate
them. God is the one who acts.
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