Missionaries of Mercy’s role is to show face of God 'is love and mercy,' says Kentucky pastor

OWENSBORO, Ky. (OSV News) -- A local pastor, Father José Carmelo Jiménez Salinas, was overjoyed when he was appointed to serve as a Missionary of Mercy by the Holy See earlier this year.

"I feel so blessed, not only for myself but also for all the faithful ... to show others that the face of God is love and mercy," said Father Jiménez, the pastor of St. Michael Parish in Sebree in the Diocese of Owensboro.

The late Pope Francis created the Missionaries of Mercy role in 2016 during the Jubilee of Mercy, which he continued and institutionalized in the 2022 apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia.

Missionaries of Mercy are priests given faculties to absolve penitents of certain sins which are otherwise reserved to the Holy Father to absolve, due to their seriousness. These include the profanation of the Eucharist and the direct violation of the sacramental seal by a priest hearing a confession.

The decree from the Vatican, appointing Father Jiménez a Missionary of Mercy on Jan. 30 stated that his role is to place himself "at the disposal of pastors (parish priests), shrine rectors and diocesan bishops, conducting missions and initiatives related particularly to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the preaching of the mystery of God's Divine Mercy, especially during the 'most important' moments of the liturgical year."

In addition to continuing his regular pastor duties, Father Jiménez is available to conduct parish missions.

The Sebree priest said there are about 127 Missionaries of Mercy in the United States, out of the roughly 1,200 spread across the globe. The Diocese of Owensboro has only had one Missionary of Mercy other than Father Jiménez; Father Daniel Kreutzer, who died in late 2022.

Father Jiménez feels blessed to show people "the mercy of God" in an even greater capacity than before, he told The Western Kentucky Catholic, Owensboro's diocesan newsoutlet.

As a priest for 26 years, Father Jiménez is devoted to helping the faithful better appreciate the sacrament of reconciliation.

After hearing someone's confession and giving them absolution, he is moved by "the peace in their faces. Sometimes, they have carried their sins a long time," he said. "That is a powerful moment -- being able to see people at peace."

And now, if a priest encounters one of those situations of a serious sin while hearing a penitent's confession and is unable to absolve them, "they can send them to me," said Father Jiménez.

The same week that Father Jiménez received word that he was appointed to be a Missionary of Mercy, he was surprised to receive a phone call from a priest in Tennessee.

He had not spoken to many people about this appointment yet, but word had reached the Tennessee pastor, who wished to help a penitent needing absolution for a serious situation. Father Jiménez was able to meet with the penitent and hear their confession.

Father Jiménez said many people, as children, grew up with the misunderstanding that God is focused on punishing them, which could not be farther from the truth.

"People point fingers -- but God opens his arms and receives us," he said.

Father Jiménez primarily works with the immigrant community in western Kentucky, many of whom experienced trauma when escaping violence in their homelands and still live in fear today.

He realized he could help "to console and comfort the immigrants" if he was accepted to serve as a Missionary of Mercy, so he asked Owensboro Bishop William F. Medley if he would be willing to recommend him to the Holy See for this role.

Bishop Medley was glad to do so, and after receiving the decree from the Vatican, presented it to Father Jiménez on Feb. 26 before diocesan staff in the pastoral center chapel.

Father Jiménez said his emphasis on reconciliation stems from his own conversion experience, which took place through confession. After being away from the church for eight years as a young adult growing up in Mexico, he unwillingly attended a retreat with a friend.

During that retreat, he agreed to go to confession for the first time in years, which brought him back to God and the church.

Today, Father Jiménez often tells people that "confession, for me, is the moment to receive a big hug from God."