A Jubilee to Be Remembered and Offered

From the Desk of Thomas McKenna

Dear Friend,

As Catholics, we are doubly blessed. We are beneficiaries of all the graces of Scripture and our centuries-old Christian Tradition. That’s important to know as we enter into the Jubilee Year of Hope proclaimed and inaugurated by the pope on Christmas Eve this year. Jubilees have deep roots in both sources of our Faith.

But what exactly is a Jubilee? The term comes from the Book of Leviticus (25:9), which called for a “sabbath” year for agriculture after six years of harvesting. In the seventh year the fields were to lie fallow to increase their yield. 

Yahweh then decreed that after seven periods of seven years (a total of 49), the fiftieth year would be the Jubilee, which, like the Sabbath, was sacred to the Lord. It is the reason we celebrate fiftieth wedding anniversaries and call them Golden Jubilees!

The concept of the Jubilee year had a very human dimension to it from the beginning. It was a special time of grace and favor which called for the forgiveness of debts, the return of property, the forgiveness of offenses, the freeing of slaves, and the giving of aid to the poor and the needy. 

The name Jubilee also comes from Scripture. The year was initiated by the blowing of a ram’s horn. In Hebrew, the verb isiobhelwhich was then adopted right into Greek asiubilaios.In our Latin tradition it isiubilare,which meansto shout for joy!

The Holy Father opened a door to the Jubilee Year in the Vatican on Christmas Eve symbolizing the Church’s entrance into a new Year of Hope. I don’t know about you, but we could all use a little more hope in our lives, especially as the world seems to become more chaotic every day. 

The pope has also asked diocesan bishops around the world to establish special portals of hope in their own dioceses where the faithful may go as pilgrims to walk through the Jubilee Door in the local area. This will normally be in the diocesan cathedral but may be a designated shrine or a more accessible church. 

Some of you may be attending a Holy Mass today where your Bishop will open the Cathedral Holy Door in your diocese.

When we go through the official Jubilee Door in our diocese, we can gain a plenary indulgence during the Jubilee Year. The three conditions for receiving an indulgence are these. We must

- Go to Confession (if possible on the day of the visit; if not, within a week)
- Receive Holy Communion (if possible at a Mass in the church that day or elsewhere within the week)
- And pray for the just intentions of the Holy Father.

A Jubilee pilgrimage is a golden opportunity for all Catholics to participate in a spiritual work of mercy of our Church this year. But there are many other ways we deepen our spirituality of Hope and receive special graces during this Jubilee Year, even if we do not have a chance to make a pilgrimage to our local Jubilee Door. 

We can and should pray for our loved ones who are away from the sacraments, that God will reconcile them with His Church.  We must pray for our loved ones who have gone before us with the sign of faith, that they may enter full into the kingdom of Heaven. And we can pray for any and all needs that we hold in our hearts, whether they be for the transformation of our society and the protection of the sanctity of life or for some personal needs. 

God knows our hearts, and He hears every one of our prayers, especially in a Jubilee Year. He will answer them all in a way that is fitting for His Kingdom and in a time that is beneficial for our souls. 

The Holy Year will close on the Feast of Epiphany (January 6th) 2026 with the closing of the Jubilee Door in St. Peter’s Basilica. So, let us join with the pope and the whole Church now and rejoice in this Jubilee Year. We know that God can do miracles, and, like the harvests of old, He can produce abundant fruits from the humble prayers of the pilgrims who turn to Him in their need. 

Yours in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,



Thomas J McKenna

Founder and President

Catholic Action for Faith and Family
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P.S. Shout for joy and help spread hope this Jubilee Year 2025! If you have not had a chance to support our annual appeal, please consider making a Tax-Deductible Donation <[link removed]?> Today.

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