Bishops will be able to contact Missionaries of Mercy nearby and invite them to come to their dioceses.
Fr. Landry said that when the missionaries are invited by a bishop to come to a diocese, the concrete things they'll actually do depends on what that particular bishop wants.
"Every pastor, every bishop that writes a Missionary of Mercy in will have a general idea of how best to put him to work," he said, explaining that in most places they will likely be invited to preach and hear confessions in forums such as congresses, youth conventions, events for families and pilgrimages.
Pope Francis is clearly trying to send a message, that don't let any sin keep you away, no matter what you've done.
Fr. Landry stressed the importance of taking advantage of the Sacrament of Confession, especially during the Jubilee of Mercy. He noted how Pope Francis has often said that his own life changed Sept. 21, 1953, when he was just 16 after spontaneously asked Fr. Carols Ibarra Duarte to hear his confession in the basilica of San Jose of Flores in Buenos Aires.
What the future priest and Pope encountered was "God there waiting for him," Fr. Landry said, adding that this is what Francis now wants for everyone: "an encounter with God and his mercy."
This is especially obvious from the fact that the Pope is allowing the Missionaries of Mercy to absolve certain reserved sins, he said.
"Pope Francis is clearly trying to send a message, that don't let any sin keep you away, no matter what you've done…even if your sins bleed scarlet don't be afraid, just come."
The act of allowing an average priest to remove the censures in place due to certain grave sins is an way of reaching out to people carrying "extraordinarily heavy interior baggage," and telling them that the Church "is waiting for them with a welcoming mat, saying 'come,'" the priest said.
Fr. John Paul Zeller, a Friar with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word and a Missionary of Mercy from Birmingham, Ala., told CNA that when it comes to absolving the reserved sins, there is a special formula that confessors use which lifts the censure incurred when the sin was committed.
He said that even though the nature of the reserved sins is serious, the sacramental seal of the confessional still applies.
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
"It has to be understood that this is under the seal of confession, and it's done under what we call the internal forum, and nothing can be revealed that was confessed," he said, adding that the penance and process of reconciliation for each penitent who confesses one of the reserved sins will be different.
"Every one of us, sinners that we are, when we go into the confessional are unique. None of us are all the same, cookie cutters. It's not like we've got a boxed answer," Fr. John Paul said, noting that some cases might be dealt with quickly, while others could take longer depending on the person.
No matter what the case is, he stressed that as Missionaries of Mercy "we need to trust that the Lord will give us the grace and the proper words to say, the proper disposition, to hear and to welcome a repentant sinner back."
However, he explained that the process of reconciliation involves more than just absolving the person, lifting the censure in place and then sending them on their way.
It also involves the question of "what's going to happen now?" Fr. John Paul said, and compared the process to that of a person who's ill and needs healing from a doctor.
"We're all sick on a spiritual level, we need God's grace and healing, especially someone who's in mortal sin," he said, but noted that in dealing with doctors, some patients need more time and attention.