The Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
““…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.” ”
What is a Jubilee Year?
A Jubilee Year, or Holy Year, is a special year in the Catholic Church that is a time for Reconciliation, Conversion, Spiritual Renewal, and Pilgrimage. Download the Jubilee information sheet here.
What is the Theme?
The 2025 Jubilee Year will begin on Christmas Eve, 2024, and end on January 6, 2026. The theme for the year is "Pilgrims of Hope." Read More about Pope Francis’ announcement of the theme of the Jubilee Year.
What are Indulgences?
“All the faithful who are truly repentant and free from any affection for sin who are moved by a spirit of charity and who, during the Holy Year, purified through the sacrament of penance and refreshed by Holy Communion, pray for the Intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, will be able to obtain from the treasury of the Church a plenary indulgence, with remission and forgiveness of all their sins, which can be applied in suffrage to the souls in Purgatory.” (“Decree on the Granting of Indulgence during the Ordinary Jubilee Year 2025 called by His Holiness Pope Francis,” Angelo Cardinal de Donatis, 2024).
How may I obtain an indulgence?
*Pilgrimage to the Sacred Site to manifest great need for conversion and reconciliation
*Pious visits to sacred places for a suitable period of time, engage in eucharistic adoration and meditation, concluding with Our Father, the Profession of Faith, invocations to Mary, the Mother of God so that in this Holy Year everyone “will come to know the closeness of Mary, the most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children.” (Spes non confundit, 24).
*Participating in the Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion
*Works of mercy and penance include participation in popular missions, spiritual exercises, or formation activities on Vatican II documents and the Catholic Church's Catechism.
*Praying for the Intentions of the Holy Father
How is the Shrine a Sacred Site?
Bishop Kevin Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese has designated the Shrine of Saint Joseph a sacred pilgrimage site for the Jubilee year. Every Saturday of the Month, the Shrine will offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Adoration from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. A 5:30 pm Vigil Mass will also be offered. Please check the Shrie calendar for other offerings during the Jubilee Year.
How Can I Find Out More?
The USCCB offers various resources related to the Year of Jubilee.
The Jubilee Prayer
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 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