Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
Pope Francis has announced that 2025 will be a year of Jubilee – an event that happens every 25 years. The 2025 Jubilee Year began on Christmas Eve 2024 and will run until the Feast of the Epiphany on the 6th January 2026. The theme for the Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope”.
More information is available on the Jubilee 2025 website: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html
What is a Jubilee Year?
Taking place every 25 years, a Jubilee year is a tradition that is recognised and respected throughout the world as being a significant part of the history of our faith. Excluding the Extraordinary Year of Mercy in 2016, the last Jubilee year took place in 2000, marking an historic moment as the Church entered into her third millennium. A Jubilee is a special year of grace, in which the Catholic Church offers the faithful the possibility of asking for a plenary indulgence – a remission of sins for themselves or deceased loved ones. The year begins with the well-known custom of the opening of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica, following the other three papal basilicas in Rome. The Pope grants permission for Holy Doors to be situated throughout the world for Catholics everywhere to take part in this most special rite.
How shall we be celebrating this Jubilee Year at Holy Ghost Primary School?
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
We started our celebrations with all the children invited to wear one of the colours that represent the Jubilee logo symbolizing unity and hope - the colours of yellow, red, blue or green.
We look forward to updating you on the many events we are planning for the school to commemorate the Jubilee year. Look out for updates in our school newsletters.
CAFOD Jubilee Sessions - Year 3 through to Year 6
In February, we welcomed Mary from CAFOD who presented two sessions to KS2 on the Jubilee Year. Mary spoke about the Jubilee Year and how the pupils can be Pilgrims of Hope. The children then went on their own pilgrimage of knowledge, collecting stickers for each step of their journey just like those who go on pilgrimages collect items along their way.
‘Today we had a CAFOD talk about Pilgrims of Hope. We learnt that CAFOD are working to help everyone get the same opportunities as everyone else, like a safe home, a school and enough food and water. We also learnt that CAFOD are encouraging different banks to stop debt for poorer countries, so that they can afford everyday supplies like doctors and nurses. We learnt about a little girl who lives in Pakistan who got ill from mosquito's that were infected by a flood. CAFOD helped them by sending a colourful van that saved many people’s lives, just like hers.’ Maeva, year 4
Wandsworth Catholic Schools Jubilee Mass - Wednesday 19th March 2025
On Wednesday 19th March, in a special celebration, our Year 4 and Year 6 pupils attended the Wandsworth Catholic Schools Jubilee Mass at St. George’s Cathedral. Schools from across Wandsworth came together to mark this occasion, gathering in worship with Canon Victor Darlington to give thanks for the blessings of the Jubilee year.
