Jubilee Year 2025


News: Mass celebrating Baptisms Sat 11th Jan at Midday at St Wilfrids

(Link to handout)

Jubilee Years – also known as Holy Years – began in 1300 AD and occur every 25 years. Jubilee Years can be called at other times, such as Year of Mercy in 2016.

The Church explains these are years “of reconciliation between adversaries, of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, […] and consequently of solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters,”

The Jubilee Year 2025 is a special year of grace, inaugurated by Pope Francis who has chosen the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope”.

In a time of political, social and economic instability, global conflict, climate crisis and the legacy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our communities need Hope now more than ever.

Pope Francis has given special encouragement therefore that the Jubilee should focus on how faith requires us to care for our communities, reflecting the importance of social justice as a theme running throughout the whole of scripture.

Jubilee Prayer 2025

“Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and

the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for

the the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds

transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven

and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven.

May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen.”

(Pope Francis)