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Booklet commemorating the 1925 Holy Year from the Archives' William Cardinal O'Connell Papers. Pilot photo/courtesy Archdiocesan Archives

From the Archdiocesan Archives

Cardinal O'Connell leads a pilgrimage to Rome for the 1925 Jubilee

Friday, January 9, 2026Culture

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"Let us unite, pilgrims and those who remain, in our devotions and our holy aspirations for the blessing of Almighty God, the Father and Ruler of all upon this nation and this State."

On May 29, 1924, Pope Pius XI proclaimed the Jubilee Year of 1925 through the Papal Bull "Infinita Dei misericordia." The Jubilee Year would be dedicated to fostering peace and promoting Christian missions throughout the world.
In a letter to Pope Pius XI from Nov. 25, 1924, Archbishop William Cardinal O'Connell announced his intention to lead a pilgrimage to Rome the following March. He endeared the pope, telling His Holiness in Italian, "More than any other year, the Christmas holidays, beginning the sacred rites of the Great Jubilee, will renew the precious graces of the Redemption. I pray to God that this Holy Year may ... grant to Your Lordship the consolation of seeing this Jubilee become for the entire world a means of Christian life, of brotherhood, of sincere charity."

While Archbishop O'Connell greeted Pope Pius XI with warm hope for the grace of the Holy Year, he also expressed some cynicism. In an interview with The Pilot published Nov. 22, 1924, the cardinal romantically recalled the ceremony of the opening of the Holy Door on Christmas Eve, 1899. At the time, Christians looked to the 20th century with great promise, expecting an era of peace and scientific progress. "All the world was to be suddenly illuminated. All the great problems of life were going to be solved. There were to be no more wars. Everybody was going to be rich and prosperous and happy. Science was going to solve all the mysteries of life: and so the children entering upon that golden era were to be the most fortunate children of all the world," Cardinal O'Connell reminisced.
Of course, such grand "prophecies" fell flat, and the reality of the first quarter of the 20th century was grim in comparison. "So the 20th century has not fulfilled the promises of the false prophets," Cardinal O'Connell concluded in that interview, reminding Christians that "only religion understands the human heart, knows, and understands the mysteries of life, knows and understands and solves the riddles of existence."
The cardinal's hopes for the upcoming Holy Year in 1925 were focused on the spiritual -- but they were not subdued! Cardinal O'Connell sailed across the Atlantic with 500 Boston Catholics on a pilgrimage to Rome, arriving first in Naples on March 3, 1925, according to The Pilot. This marked the first time an American cardinal led a pilgrimage to Rome, and the first American Jubilee pilgrimage that year. The pilgrims sought Holy Year indulgences by visiting the basilicas in Rome and were granted a special audience and blessing from Pope Pius XI.
The cardinal also received many notes asking for prayers during this pilgrimage for those who could not attend, as found in the Cardinal O'Connell Papers at the Archives. The archbishop promised his prayers in a letter, asking, "Let us unite, pilgrims and those who remain, in our devotions and our holy aspirations for the blessing of Almighty God, the Father and Ruler of all upon this nation and this State." In this same letter, the cardinal lauded the pilgrims, who were mostly "working people," for sacrificing their responsibilities to go on such a long journey for the reward of graces and blessings.
The trip was of much interest to the media and to the Catholics of the archdiocese who followed the pilgrims' adventure in Italy in the news. The archbishop received many "welcome home" messages on his return in late April, including a Cablegram from the governor of Massachusetts assuring the pilgrims a "warm and cordial home coming reception," as found in the Cardinal O'Connell Papers.
The Holy Father promoted the Jubilee's message of peace by instituting the feast of Jesus Christ, Universal King of Society -- now celebrated as the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (commonly called the feast of Christ the King). He saw secularism and nationalism increasing throughout the world, and, like Cardinal O'Connell, wished for Christians to return their minds to holier things.
Pope Pius XI closed the Holy Doors in the Vatican on Christmas Eve, 1925, marking the end of the Holy Year. In a letter to the archbishop on Jan. 6, 1926, His Holiness said, "Since you write that the pilgrims of your archdiocese who came to Rome received great fruits of faith from the Holy Jubilee, we are indeed very glad, praying to God that he may preserve this ardor of religion in their souls" (translated from Latin). He also wished that those Catholics that could not make the pilgrimage to Rome might still experience the fruits of the Jubilee Year.
Our own Jubilee year has just ended on Jan. 6, 2026, with the closing of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. We can unite our prayers with the Boston pilgrims of today, and all those who sought blessings and an adventure in Rome for the Holy Year a century ago.

SAVANNAH MILLER IS AN ARCHIVIST FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON.