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Jubilee Year 2025

This year the Catholic Church universal celebrates an Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025.   In May 2024, Pope Francis released a papal bull declaring the upcoming Jubilee Year and shared his hopes for the year and it’s overarching: hope. He invites Catholics around the word to re-discover the gift of hope. In the bull he wrote:

“May the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the 'door' (cf. Jn 10:7,9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere, and to all as 'our hope' (1 Tim 1:1),”

The Jubilee begins on December 24, 2024 with the official Opening of the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica, and runs to January 6, 2026, the Feast Day of Epiphany, with the Closing of the Holy Door.

Called to be Pilgrims of HopePrayer Card Jubilee Front

In this Jubilee Year the Holy Father calls us to be Pilgrims of Hope. He wrote :

"We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision.”

The papal bull declaring the Jubilee Year is titled: Spes non confundit or “Hope does not disappoint” or “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5.5). In a world that experiences uncertainty and unrest, challenge and difficulties, sadness and hurt, the Holy Father reminds us that the Jubilee Year offers opportunities for renewed hope to counter the brokenness of our world. A hope rooted in our personal encounter with God that we share in world so in need.

In the document Pope Francis defines Christian hope, reflects on our journey of hope, calls us to recognize the signs of hope in our world, invites us to encounter God’s great mercy especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and offers encouragement to be Pilgrims of Hope.

Let us even now be drawn to this hope! Through our witness, may hope spread to all those who anxiously seek it. May the way we live our lives say to them in so many words: “Hope in the Lord! Hold firm, take heart and hope in the Lord!” (Ps 27:14). May the power of hope fill our days, as we await with confidence the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and glory, now and forever. – Pope Francis

Click here to read Spes non confundit Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025.

What is a Jubilee year? 

A Jubilee Year is a special celebration the Church holds at least once every 25 years. It’s a year of pilgrimages, of a focus on the spiritual life, of confession and special Masses, and of a general turn towards God in thanksgiving, and in repentance.

There are several elements to a Jubilee Year.  Click on a tab below to learn more about each of the elements.

Pilgrimages

Simply put a pilgrimage is a journey a person takes to a sacred place.

Locally, Archbishop Dunn will designate Jubilee Year pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese where people can visit to pray for peace and renew our hope .

Nationally, there are several National Shrines across Canada that are inviting people to make a special effort to visit this holy places this Jubilee Year.  They include:

As well  many Catholics will make a pilgrimage to Rome to take in all the activities associated with Jubilee 2025.  You can see a list of events and other Jubilee happenings planned from Rome by visiting the official Jubilee 2025 webpage: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html

In this Jubilee Year may we become Pilgrims of Hope!

Holy Door

The designation of a Holy Door is a means to literally open the door of a church to invite all to enter into a personal encounter with God’s love and mercy. Pilgrims to the churches that have a holy door will physically be able to enter that special door.

“In crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, the pilgrim is reminded of the passage from chapter 10 of St John’s gospel: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” Passing through the Holy Door expresses the decision to follow and be guided by Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd.”

 - from the Jubilee 2025 website

Pope Francis will officially open the Holy  Door at the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican on December 24, 2024 as a sign that the Holy Year has begun.   The Holy Father has specified that the only official Holy Doors to open this year will be in Rome.

In this Jubilee Year the opening of Holy Door open our hearts to hope!

Reconciliation, Prayer and Liturgy

A Jubilee Year calls Catholics to renew their faith by focusing on the ways that we can strengthen, grow, and renew our relationship with God. Three key ways to do that are through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, intentional prayer, and active participation in the liturgy.

Throughout the Jubilee Year there will be many opportunities for people to turn more fully towards God and be opened to a deeper encounter with God that transforms our hearts calling us closer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You may also wish to add the Jubilee Prayer (link to prayer-pdf) to your daily prayers. 

In this Jubilee Year may we turn more fully towards God who helps us rediscover our hope!

 

Profession of Faith

Each time Catholics gather for Mass we profess our faith, our identity as  baptized followers of Christ, through the Apostles or Nicene Creed.

The profession of faith expresses the central content of the faith: it succinctly captures the main truths that a believer accepts and witnesses to on the day of his or her baptism and shares with the entire Christian community for the rest of his or her life.

In 2025 Christians will also celebrate the 1700th Anniversary of the first great ecumenical council of Nicaea from which the Nicene Creed originated.

In this Jubilee Year may we profess our faith more boldly and share our hope!

Plenary Indulgence

A plenary indulgence is offered during a Jubilee year as a “concrete manifestation of God's mercy, which goes beyond and transforms the boundaries of human justice… The Jubilee indulgence allows us to free our hearts from the weight of sin because the reparation due for our sins is given freely and abundantly.” (Jubilee website)

During a Jubilee a plenary indulgence is offered by the Pope. In order to receive this indulgence there are some spiritual acts that are asked of us that include: making a pilgrimage or join in a spiritual movement specific to the Jubilee, offering up the sufferings of our daily lives, and participating in the Eucharist.

To help understand what a plenary indulgence is the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) offers a short document called Catechetical Resource on Plenary Indulgences during the Jubilee Year  This document can also be found on the CCCB website (www.cccb.ca) in both English and French on their Jubilee 2025 page under Devotional Resources.

The Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025

What is a Jubilee year?  And why does it matter?

A Jubilee Year is a special celebration the Church holds at least once every 25 years. It’s a year of pilgrimages, of a focus on the spiritual life, of confession and special Masses, and of a general turn towards God in thanksgiving, and in repentance. 

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Next Year is a Jubilee Year!

Next year, 2025 is a Jubilee Year!

To celebrate this significant year in the life of our Church, the Holy Father calls us to be pilgrims of hope for he wrote: "We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. " .

Continue Reading

Next Year is a Jubilee Year!

In 2025 the Catholic Church universal celebrates a Jubilee Year.   Pope Francis has stated that the  overarching theme of our upcoming Jubilee year is: hope.  In the papal bull declaring the year he wrote:

Continue Reading