Faith

This Jubilee of 2025 is also the 25th ordinary jubilee since the first one in 1300. Thus, we can justly call it the "jubilee of jubilees."

Jubilee years can be traced back to the people of Israel: "Thou shalt sanctify the fiftieth year, and shalt proclaim remission to all the inhabitants of thy land: for it is the year of jubilee" (Lev 25:10). During the jubilee, mercy and forgiveness prevailed in virtually every sphere of the life and lives of the People of Israel.
Pope Boniface VIII inaugurated the Holy Years, it seems at the suggestion of one of his cardinals, Giacomo Gaetani Stefaneschi. The year 1300 was the first. Originally, they were observed every 50 years following the Jewish custom. Later, the interval was shortened to every 25 years, and additionally, "extraordinary" jubilees were proclaimed.
Many will remember the Great Jubilee of 2000, the first one to be celebrated at the beginning of a new millennium. Pope St. John Paull II proclaimed that Holy Year and, not surprisingly, greatly expanded the festivities and celebrations associated with a Holy Year.
Usually, the Holy Years begin with a proclamation; the actual category of the document is the "Bull of Indiction." Pope Francis issued the one for this Holy Year, and it is titled "Spes non confundit" ("Hope does not disappoint"). It's a rather long document. You can find it and much else related to the Holy Year at www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html. That is the English version; from there, you can navigate to other languages and see what's happening throughout the Holy Year.

The Holy Year usually starts, in its ceremonial aspect, with the opening of the Holy Doors at Rome's four papal basilicas. And keeping that custom, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at St. Peter's on Christmas Eve, and he opened the one at his own cathedral, St. John Lateran, on Dec. 29. His favorite church in Rome seems to be the Basilica of St. Mary Major and, appropriately enough, he opened its Holy Door on Jan. 1 -- the Solemnity of Mary the Most Holy Mother of God. The last of the four is St. Paul Outside the Walls, which he will open on the Second Sunday after Christmas, Jan. 5, 2025. Milwaukee native James Michael Cardinal Harvey is the archpriest of this basilica.
On Dec. 29, diocesan bishops throughout the world were invited to inaugurate the Holy Year in their respective cathedral churches. Archbishop Richard G. Henning did so at our metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
The pope also asked diocesan bishops to designate churches in their dioceses as jubilee churches. The previous custom of having Holy Doors in these churches was replaced by having pilgrimage churches available to coincide with the Jubilee's motto, "Pilgrims of Hope."
These churches were asked to make wider access available, to offer extra Masses daily, if possible, and to offer additional hours for confessions. There are 11 jubilee churches in the archdiocese: the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and two in each of the pastoral regions. They are listed with their websites on page 9 of this week's issue.
This Jubilee of 2025 is also the 25th ordinary jubilee since the first one in 1300. Thus, we can justly call it the "jubilee of jubilees."
The Eternal City is gearing up for the arrival of millions of pilgrims from around the Catholic world. Dioceses and parishes have already planned jubilee pilgrimages to Rome.
Resources abound on the internet for the Holy Year.
An important one is the texts for Masses composed for use during the Holy Year. This link provides texts for the Mass Prayers and the Readings: www.usccb.org/resources/mass-holy-year.pdf. It is very important that parishes, pastors and all involved in the preparation of the liturgy, carefully read the introductory paragraph at the head of the document and observe its directions.
For the next several weeks, this column will be devoted to prayer in its many forms and expressions. The inspiration for the columns is an excellent series of booklets about prayer published in various languages. They were to be used for the weeks before the jubilee began but are profitable for us at the beginning of the Holy Year.
While they are available in English, in both Britain and India, there is no American publisher who has produced them for us. I'll try to convey some of the richness of the booklets in the coming weeks.
Another topic we delve into is the Holy Year logo. If parishes want to use the logo, it is available at www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html and is downloadable in multiple languages for wide use.

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