• Home
• >
• Diocesan Offices
• >
• Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
• >
• Jubilee Year 2025
• >

Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope

What is a Jubilee Year?

A Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church is a special time of spiritual renewal, mercy, and pilgrimage, deeply rooted in biblical tradition and historical Church practice. It is a year set aside to help the faithful deepen their relationship with God, experience His mercy, and renew their commitment to Christian living.

Origins of the Jubilee Year

• Biblical Roots: The concept comes from the Old Testament (Leviticus 25:8-13), where the Israelites were instructed to celebrate a Jubilee every 50 years as a time of rest, liberation, and renewal—debts were forgiven, slaves were freed, and the land was given rest.
• Christian Adaptation: The first Christian Jubilee was established in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII, granting plenary indulgences (remission of temporal punishment due to sin) to those who made pilgrimages to Rome and followed penitential acts.

The Jubilee in the Bible

Purposes of a Jubilee Year

1. A Time of Spiritual Renewal – Calls the faithful to conversion, prayer, and penance to grow closer to God.
2. A Celebration of God’s Mercy – Emphasizes forgiveness and grace, offering special indulgences and encouraging acts of mercy.
3. Pilgrimage and Sacred Encounters – Encourages travel to Rome or other pilgrimage sites as a sign of faith and renewal.
4. Acts of Charity and Justice – Promotes social justice, serving the poor, and working for peace.

Types of Jubilees

• Ordinary Jubilee: Occurs every 25 years as a universal call to a year of grace (e.g., Jubilee 2025).
• Extraordinary Jubilee: Declared at the Pope’s discretion for a special purpose, such as Pope Francis' Jubilee of Mercy (2015-2016).

Key Elements of a Jubilee Year

• Opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica and other major basilicas, symbolizing the path to salvation.
• Special indulgences granted to those who fulfill specific conditions (pilgrimage, confession, Eucharist, prayer for the Pope).
• Encouragement of acts of mercy, reconciliation, and service to others.

For Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis has chosen the theme: "Hope Does Not Disappoint" (Spes Non Confundit), inviting the world to rediscover Christian hope amidst modern challenges.

Papal Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee 2025          

The Jubilee Celebration Calendar         

Decree of Granting of Indulgence during Jubilee Year 

As seen in the Hawaii Catholic Herald:

• Pope opens Holy Door toward ‘path of hope’
• Events across Hawaii tie into Jubilee Year celebration
• Talk story: ‘Disarming’ hearts opens them to peace, hope
• Our Sunday Visitor Editorial Board: Don’t miss chance to join the Jubilee

More on the Jubilee Year:

Jubilee Year Days of Study in the Diocese of Honolulu

Jubilee Year International Pilgrimages

Jubilee Year Cross, Pilgrims of Hope

Celebrate the Jubilee of Teenagers - April 25-27, 2025

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