Across our Pastoral Area, we are taking the theme of the Jubilee year to heart especially during Lent. Come and become Pilgrims of Hope!
Jubilees are an ancient tradition, with roots in the Old Testament. They are always a time of hope because of the special experience of God’s mercy. When Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year of 2025, the theme of which is Pilgrims of Hope, he placed all of the concerns of humanity and the Church under the sign of hope that ‘does not disappoint’ (Rom 5:5). He noted that many areas of life call out for the hope of Christ: peace in the world, care for prisoners, the sick, the young, migrants and refugees, the elderly and the poor.
The first Christians depicted hope as an anchor. This eloquent image is part of the logo for the Jubilee year, and reminds us that the storms that buffet us “will never prevail, for we are firmly anchored in the hope born of grace, which enables us to live in Christ and to overcome sin, fear and death.”
Pope Francis stressed the ecumenical aspect of the Jubilee of 2025, which coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council, that of Nicaea, and he noted that, providentially, there will be a common celebration of Easter in 2025. He places a particular emphasis on the centrality of the death and resurrection of Jesus – ‘hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus on the cross.’ Writing of hope as “the hidden virtue” he says that God “visited us and entered into our situations of pain, anguish and death. His light dispelled the darkness of the tomb: today he wants that light to penetrate even to the darkest corners of our lives.”
Across our Pastoral Area, we are taking the theme of the Jubilee year to heart especially during Lent. As pilgrims, on a journey through Lent to the great celebration of Easter, we will have Taizé Pilgrims of Hope Services each Friday, beginning on 7th March, with a quiet hour of meditation, music and very short scripture readings and reflections. We invite as many people as possible to journey with us for this quiet “time out”. This will take place throughout the Pastoral Area beginning in
- St. Kilian’s Church, Blacklion, Friday 7th March at 8pm.
As pilgrims of hope, Pope Francis encourages us to rediscover the Sacrament of Reconciliation: “Let us not neglect Confession” but rather “rediscover the beauty of this sacrament of healing and joy.” This year, we will bring our Easter Reconciliation service to two locations in the Pastoral Area, and invite you to join us for Jubilee Services of Reconciliation in
- Joseph’s Church, Newtown, on Ash Wednesday, 5th March at 7.30pm
- Kilian’s Church, Blacklion, in Holy Week, on Tuesday, 15th April at 7.30pm