2025 will mark 60 years since the second Vatican Council, or Vatican II. Following a Year of Prayer in 2024, celebrations will now begin. The theme is Pilgrims of Hope.
An ordinary jubilee happens in the church every 25 years – the last one was in the year 2000. Occasionally, there can also be Extraordinary Jubilees called, for example, we had one in 2015, that ran until 2016, called the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Jubilee years date back to the 1300s, and traditionally, it is a year that sees the remission of sins, debts and universal pardon.
Tradition dictates that each Jubilee is proclaimed through the publication of a Papal (or Pontifical) ‘Bull of Indiction’. By ‘Bull’ is meant an official document, generally written in Latin, bearing the seal of the Pope, the shape of which gives its name to the document itself.
In the past the seal was usually made of lead and bore, on the front, the image of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, founders of the Church of Rome, and, on the back, the name of the current Pontiff. Later an ink stamp replaced the metal seal, which, however, continued to be used for more important documents.
This year’s Jubilee logo is rich with imagery that can help you to understand the meaning of the
Jubilee.
Father Simon Gore explains: “The logo shows a group of people travelling together, reminding young people that they’re never alone on their journey of faith and will always have support in their faith communities.
There's also the symbol of the wave, a reminder of the potential difficulties of being a follower of Christ in the modern age. But most importantly, there's the anchor – the anchor of hope – to show that no matter the difficulty, we can always find hope and comfort in our faith.”
Following the national Adoremus gathering, the Archbishop decided to bring a similar event to the archdiocese as part of the preparations for the upcoming Jubilee in 2025.
Adoremus took place on 21 September 2024, spanning the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Co-Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Isle.
At the Metropolitan Cathedral, attendees engaged in a day filled with opportunities for spiritual enrichment, designed to reflect the Jubilee’s themes of renewal and faith.
Eucharistic Adoration was held continuously from 10am until 5pm, with Holy Mass, confession opportunities, workshops, and moments of shared prayer.
To mark the theme, we are encouraging people to make their own pilgrimages throughout the archdiocese. We have plenty of Saints and Venerated people in our archdiocese to visit.
They are:
St John Almond (Liverpool)
St Edmund Arrowsmith (Haydock)
St John Rigby (Eccleston)
St John Wall (Preston)
Blessed Dominic Barberi (Buried in St Helens)
Venerable Elizabeth Prout (St Helens)
Venerable Ignatius Spencer (Buried in St Helens)
Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Bishop Eton
If you want inspiration to do your own pilgrimage, then head to the Pilgrim Way website, where there is a suggested route for Liverpool!
