While many people celebrated 2025 when the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, Catholics celebrated a few days earlier when Pope Francis began the jubilee year with a special rite to open the holy door of St. Peter Basilica in Rome Dec. 24. The jubilee year will continue through Jan. 6, 2026.
Jeff Hines, director of the diocese’s Faith Formation Office, said the Jubilee Year theme of hope gives Catholics a specific motivation in living out their faith lives.
“The theme of this Jubilee Year is ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ There are two points of focus in this theme. First, pilgrims — that is all Catholics who are following Jesus in their life every day,” he said. “During this year, we remember that Jesus called us to ‘go’ and make disciples. We may not be able to go to Rome, but we can go somewhere, even if it is to our local parish. When we go on a pilgrimage, we are making the trip with the purpose of growing closer to Jesus and bringing others closer to him.
“Second, hope. People today need hope. There are many reasons to be without hope in our world today. However, Jesus is the reason for our hope.”
Father Juan Guido, pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock and diocesan director of divine worship, is helping guide Jubilee Year celebrations in the Diocese of Little Rock.
“Every 25 years, the pope calls for a jubilee in which we ask God for his mercy,” he said. “It is a time for the Church to once again refocus on the mercy of God, and especially this coming year, on hope.”
The Diocese of Little Rock began its Jubilee Year 2025 celebrations with a special procession and Mass Sunday, Dec. 29, in Little Rock. The event started at 2:30 p.m. with a half-mile procession from St. Edward Church to the Cathedral of St. Andrew.
At 3:15 p.m., Bishop Anthony B. Taylor led a bilingual Mass at the Cathedral, during which he imparted an apostolic blessing to all attendees. Bishop Taylor said an apostolic blessing, also referred to as a papal blessing, grants a plenary indulgence and can be bestowed by bishops “when there is a valid reason,” and can only be imparted three times a year.
You can find more information about the Diocese of Little Rock’s celebrations for the Jubilee Year at dolr.org/article/jubilee-opening-mass.
Catholics across the state will also have two opportunities to go on a pilgrimage to Rome through Arkansas Catholic.
Due to the sell-out of the September pilgrimage to Italy, Arkansas Catholic has added a second pilgrimage. The 12-day pilgrimage will be led by Father Brian Cundall, pastor of Christ the King Church in Fort Smith, Oct. 28-Nov. 8 and includes visits to Rome, Florence, Milan, Turin and Siena. Pilgrims will be able to experience All Saints Day and All Souls Day in the company of the saints. A $600 deposit is required at the time of registration, with the final payment due by Aug. 18, 2025. You can find more information at arkansas-catholic.org/pilgrimage.
For those who don’t want to leave the state, visits to the five Jubilee Churches are encouraged.
“Bishop Taylor has also identified pilgrimage sites within Arkansas, and he is planning to organize Jubilee pilgrimages and events in June 2025,” Hines said, for Catholics who want to take pilgrimages closer to home.
“You can plan your own pilgrimage, even to a neighboring parish or city,” Hines said.
Hines encourages Catholics to challenge themselves and try something new during the Jubilee year.
“During the Jubilee year, take an opportunity to go into a different setting. Go to a different parish to encounter Christ there. After Mass, go to a place you will encounter people who are not like you, who are perhaps those who are not in your group of people,” Hines said. “By doing this, you are opening yourself to let the Holy Spirit work through you to bring hope to others.”
Both Hines and Father Guido said the following year will be full of opportunities for Catholics to grow stronger in their faith.
“We grow in our faith when we do two things: Encounter Christ and encounter others, both by the power of the Holy Spirit,” Hines said. “Both require ‘going’ of some sort. First, to encounter Christ, we go to Mass to encounter him in the Word and the Sacraments. Even if a person cannot receive the Eucharist, they still should go to be in the presence of Christ in the Word and the Eucharist, which is an encounter.
“Second, they go and interact with others in their daily life, recognizing that the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of those they encounter, whether they be friends, family or co-workers. Think of these encounters as Jubilee pilgrimages in which you are bringing hope to others. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide.”
