Missionaries of Mercy Conduct Training of Trainers on Confession Ministry in Madurai

Madurai, Tamil Nadu, August 27, 2025: A group of Catholic priests, appointed as Missionaries of Mercy by the late Pope Francis during the 2015–2016 Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, conducted a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) workshop on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at the Pallotti Institute of Lay Leadership Animation and Research (PILLAR) in Madurai. The workshop, attended by about 60 priests and religious from nine dioceses in Tamil Nadu, aimed to equip them with a renewed and compassionate approach to administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in line with the Jubilee 2025 theme, “Pilgrims of Hope”. The initiative follows the late Pope Francis’ mandate for Missionaries of Mercy and the emphasis on mercy in Praedicate Evangelium (Art. 59 §2). 

His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Antonysamy Savarimuthu, Metropolitan Archbishop of Madurai and Chairman of the CCBI Commission for Canon Law and Legislative Texts, presided over the workshop and delivered the keynote address on “Canonical norms concerning the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”

"Confession is a sacrament of healing," Archbishop Antonysamy stated during his address. “Sound canonical practice safeguards both penitent and priest while opening hearts to grace,” he added.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi, a Missionary of Mercy, conducted the first plenary session of the programme, speaking on “Empathy & Resilience: Cause and Effect of Confession”.

“Our aim is simple: form compassionate confessors who can preach mercy, accompany penitents, and train fellow priests across our dioceses,” said Fr. Yesu during the event.

The second plenary session of the training was conducted by Dr. I. Antony Manuel Vijay, a consultant homoeopath from Madurai, who delivered an insightful talk on “Emotional and Spiritual Healing through Confession”. This was followed by group discussions on “Pastoral Challenges and Opportunities”, facilitated by Fr. Joseph Michael Selvaraj and Fr. M. Arul Ambrose.

The workshop pursued three core objectives: creating visibility for the Missionaries of Mercy, renewing pastoral practice in confession, and preparing trainers to cascade formation across dioceses. Priests and religious from the dioceses of Madurai, Palayamkottai, Dindigul, Tiruchirappalli, Tuticorin, Kottar, Kuzhithurai, Vellore, and Salem participated in the workshop. They pledged to promote mercy, hear confessions generously, establish diocesan “mercy desks”, and train at least ten priests annually.

The event was organised with the encouragement of His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Salvatore Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, in collaboration with Pontifical Mission Organisations–India and the Pontifical Missionary Union. The organisers of the workshop extended their heartfelt gratitude to Bishop Ambrose Pitchaimuthu of Vellore and Very Rev. Fr. Dinh Anh Nhue Nguyen OFM Conv., General Secretary of PMO Rome, for their support and encouragement in organising the programme. The Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council extended local support to the event.

Established during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (2015–2016), Missionaries of Mercy are priests commissioned by the Holy Father to highlight the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a sign of God’s mercy, with a special mandate to promote access and pastoral accompaniment.

By Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

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