Make November your ‘Mercy Month’

By Fr Stephan Alexander

General Manager, CCSJ and AMMR

In my July 27 column, I wrote about the idea of a ‘Mercy Month’ and a ‘Jubilee Tithe of Mercy’. These were offered as simple yet powerful ways for parishes, families, and individuals to participate in the grace of this Jubilee Year.

The idea was straightforward: during one month of the Jubilee, calculate 10 per cent of your average grocery bill and donate that amount, or its equivalent in goods, to those most in need.

For convenience and greater impact, I suggested that parishes could partner with established outreach ministries to ensure that these offerings reached the poor in a just and dignified way.

Some parishes have already selected their ‘Mercy Month’ and have begun preparing. However, for those who have not yet identified a time, I would like to offer a gentle and persuasive invitation: consider choosing November.

Why November? Annually, the Church celebrates the World Day of the Poor on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, which usually falls in November. On Sunday, November 16, the Church will commemorate the ninth observance of the World Day of the Poor. Additionally, in our Archdiocese, we will celebrate ‘Justice, Peace and Community Week’ from November 16 to November 23.

In his message for the World Day of the Poor 2025, issued on June 13, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that the poor are not simply recipients of our charity; they are living witnesses of hope.

They teach us that genuine Christian hope is not grounded in wealth or worldly success but in a deep trust in God who never abandons His children. The Holy Father has also told us that hope, and charity must always walk together.

Hope without love is empty, and charity without hope risks becoming condescending or transactional. When we give with love and humility, we do more than supply needs—we restore dignity; we strengthen faith; we bring light into places of darkness.

This is exactly what the Tithe of Mercy is about. It is not merely a collection. It is an act of solidarity. It is a way for us to say to the poor and vulnerable, ‘You are not forgotten. You are part of us. Your life has meaning, your voice has value, and together we place our hope in God.’

Imagine, just for a moment, the ripple effect. If every parishioner, every family, every person of goodwill contributed even a small tithe of their monthly groceries, our parishes would overflow with the resources needed to support struggling families, migrants seeking dignity, elderly neighbours, and children whose futures seem uncertain.

Unique opportunity

The Society of St Vincent de Paul, the Living Water Community, our parish outreach groups, and so many others would be strengthened in their mission. The grace of the Jubilee would not remain in words—it would take flesh in mercy.

Friends, November 2025 offers us a unique opportunity. It is not simply about meeting needs; it is about becoming who we are called to be as church, a people of mercy, a people of hope, a people who make God’s love visible in practical ways.

If your parish has not yet chosen its ‘Mercy Month’, make November your designated month. Communicate with your parish priest and parish office to offer yourself and your ideas in carrying out this work of grace.

If you or your parish have already chosen another month, consider adding something extra in November in solidarity with the World Day of the Poor. Encourage one another. Share the invitation with neighbours, coworkers, and friends who may not even be Catholic but share the desire to build a more compassionate society.

Let us not underestimate what God can do with small offerings made with great love. A simple tithe of groceries can become a feast of mercy. A humble donation can become a sign of hope.

This Jubilee Year calls us to conversion and renewal. November 2025 gives us the chance to embody that call in a way that is both practical and profoundly spiritual. Together, let us seize it. Together, let us walk with the poor as companions in hope. Together, let us show that God’s mercy is alive and active among us.

So once more I say: choose November 2025 as your Mercy Month. Take up the Tithe of Mercy. And may this act of shared sacrifice draw us all closer to Christ, who became poor so that we might inherit the riches of His love.

The CCSJ asks for your support. Please donate:

Catholic Commission for Social Justice

Account #: 290 458 025 501

Bank: Republic Bank Ltd.

or you can contact us at:

admin.ccsj@catholictt.org