On Wednesday 13th September 2023, Bishop Keenan presented Monsignor Joe Burke and Father Ryan Black with the Decrees from Pope Francis that appointed them as Missionaries of Mercy.

---

At Holy Mass in St Mirin's Cathedral, joined by the Missionaires of Mercy appointed in the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2015-16, Bishop Keenan presented Monsignor Burke and Father Black with their Decrees from the Holy Father.

In the presence of Monsignor Tom Monaghan and Father Joe Balmer, the bishop explained that the appointment came not from him but from the Pope, who alone names Missionaries of Mercy because they enjoy faculties to absolve sins reserved to the Holy See.

The four Missionaries of Mercy in our diocese are called upon to preach God's mercy, and they are asked to make themselves very available in bringing about that reconciliation of God through the sacred ministry of Confession.