Education in Faith
This is a very special year for the Catholic Church, as it celebrates its Jubilee 2025. This will signify many things for our church and community, and be celebrated across both our school and church.
In the Catholic Church, a Jubilee or Holy Year is a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation, in which people are invited to come back into right relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. Originally these took place every 50 years, but this has now been reduced to 25 years. Occasionally the Pope can call for special Jubilee years outside of this sequence as well.
The 2025 Jubilee year is titled Pilgrims of Hope. Pope Francis has invited Catholics to renew our hope and discover a vision that can "restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone". We are also invited to rediscover a spirituality of God's creation in which we understand ourselves as "pilgrims on the earth" rather than masters of the world.
Part of this process is the belief that the world can sometimes be a very difficult and stressful place, full of negativity. The Jubilee offers an opportunity to reflect on how we can best be hopeful, but also how we can create hope and joy for others around us.
During a Jubilee year, many people also make a special pilgrimage, which also leads to the title. This means a special trip or journey to sacred sites such as cathedrals or the Vatican.
In fact, to mark the opening of the Jubilee Year in December last year, the Pope presided over a special ceremony, opening parts of the Vatican that had previously been sealed for years, allowing people to visit, pray and reflect.
The Jubilee year has a very special logo as well which can be seen below.
There is beautiful imagery of the figures clinging and hugging each other, as well as the cross that represents the power of the church.
An important detail is also the anchor and the sea below, as we can see the cross and the figures bend, as if in very rough waters! The symbol recognises that through the church, and through working together, we can navigate times of stress, pain and suffering.
We have begun a beautiful display in our school office which every student in the school will contribute to. You can see a preview below, however, please make sure you visit in the coming weeks to see the finished product!
So, in all, what does this mean for our school? The Jubilee signifies many things for our school year including:
- The opportunity for school staff to better their understanding of the Jubilee and its themes.
- The opportunity for our families and parishioners to better their understanding of the Jubilee and its themes.
- The opportunity for us to teach our students about the Jubilee and help them understand its purpose and themes.
- To hold Jubilee themed celebrations and Masses, particularly on the concept of Pilgrims of Hope.
- To hold Social Justice initiatives this year themed around the Jubilee, and raise money for those in need of hope in their lives.
We will continue to unpack this knowledge for our entire year! We look forward to continuing to share all of our learnings and work on the Jubilee Year as we finish with the special Prayer.
God Bless,
Tim O'Mahoney
Education in Faith Leader