A jubilee year is a special year of prayer that ordinarily takes place every twenty five years. With roots in the Old Testament, jubilees are times for prayer, pilgrimage, forgiveness, reconciliation and works of mercy. They invite us to come back into right relationship with God, one another, and all of creation.
Jubilee Year 2025 began when Pope Francis opened the Holy Doorat St. Peter’s Basilica on December 24, 2024. The door, along with four other Holy Doors in Rome, will remain open until the end of the Jubilee Year on January 6, 2026.
The theme for Jubilee Year 2025 is “Pilgrims of Hope”. Pope Francis declared in his papal bull, Spes Non Confundit that “The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God”. He invites all the faithful to be pilgrims of hope so that “…Through our witness, may hope spread to all those who anxiously seek it. May the way we live our lives say to them… ‘Hope in the Lord!’ May the power of hope fill our days.”
Embark on your own pilgrimage of hope beginning with incorporating the Jubilee Prayer in your prayer time. Consider making a special visit to our very own Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph (the Diocesan pilgrimage site) and take a tour. You can also visit national Jubilee Pilgrimage sites or even plan a traditional pilgrimage to Rome or the Way of James (Camino de Santiago).