Prayer and Reflection
The Year of Prayer
In preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year 'Pilgrims of Hope', 2024 was designated a Year of Prayer by Pope Francis.
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 tierless
cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both
humanity and the whole cosmos.
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 forever. Amen
What is a Jubilee?
A Jubilee Year is traditionally proclaimed every 25 years as a time of grace, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal. It invites us to embark on pilgrimages, seek repentance, forgive others, and deepen our relationship with God.
In the Hebrew tradition, Jubilees were celebrated every 50 years. The first Christian Jubilee was proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII in 1300, and since then, each Jubilee has been an opportunity for the faithful to experience God’s mercy and love through reflection and action in the context of the Jubilee’s theme, which in 2025 is Pilgrims of Hope. Through our active engagement with the opportunities that the Jubilee will offer we can contribute to making this a year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of so many disasters, both natural and man-made.
Mission & Liturgy Report
The 2025 academic year began with a combined Tamworth Catholic schools staff Mass concelebrated by Fathers Chris, Roelle and O’Brien and Deacon Paul Manvell at St Nicholas’ Church. In this Mass staff prayed for God’s blessings on the year ahead and on all those who work in our Diocese of Armidale. In his homily, Father Chris outlined for staff seven qualities of a good shepherd, as a model for us to aspire towards during the year.
Our Mass was followed by morning tea, provided by St Nicholas’ Primary School, in the new parish outdoor area. Then it was back to our respective schools to begin the work for the year.
On Wednesday 7th February, McCarthy marked the beginning of the school year with a celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit in the school hall. Each member of the school community contributed to the reverence and prayerfulness of this Mass, which was celebrated by Fr Chris.
On the 13th February, 15 staff attended the first of four staff twilight retreats delivered by the CSO Retreat team. The retreat was based on a prayerful reflection of Pope Francis’ letter to the Church regarding the Jubilee Year of Hope; it was entitled “A Word of Hope.” In his letter Pope Francis offers his thoughts and insight about hope drawn from his knowledge of the Scriptures. He reminds us that “Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring.” Hope is closely linked with another Christian virtue, patience, which Pope Francis points out is sorely tested in our fast-paced world of instant gratification; this he says is “detrimental, since it leads to impatience and anxiety.”
Our 2025 Reconciliation program has begun, with Year 7 and 8 RE classes on Tuesdays being given the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To date, the majority of students attending have taken advantage of the opportunity to chat with Father about the personal behaviours they wish to change and receive absolution.
Cate Allen
Leader of Mission