Dear Parishioners:    

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at the Basilica of Saint Peter for the Jubilee Year.

Pope Francis officially declared 2025 a Year of Jubilee with a papal bull titled "Spes Non Confudit," meaning "Hope Does Not Disappoint." The Jubilee Year began with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve, 2024.   Pope Francis stated:

"Hope is also the central message of the coming Jubilee that, in accordance with an ancient tradition, the Pope proclaims every twenty-five years. My thoughts turn to all those 'pilgrims of hope' who will travel to Rome to experience the Holy Year and to all those others who, though unable to visit the City of the Apostles, Peter and Paul, will celebrate it in their local Churches."

Jubilee years have a historical and Biblical precedent, which can be found in the Book of Leviticus. In the Old Testament, part of the celebration included the freeing of slaves and prisoners and the forgiveness of debts as manifestations of God's mercy.   Pope Boniface VIII reestablished the jubilee tradition in 1300. Instead of focusing on freeing slaves, the Christian version offered liberation from sins and from the punishment due to sin that must be faced in Purgatory.

The Jubilee Year of Hope commenced with the opening of the Holy Door. The Holy Door is deemed 'Holy' since it calls all those who enter through it to walk in holiness of life. In the footsteps of the Pope, during the singing of the Jubilee hymn, representatives of the Universal Church crossed its threshold as a prelude to the countless pilgrims of Hope from every country and language who will visit St. Peter's Basilica and celebrate the mysteries of salvation during the Holy Year.

Pilgrims pass through the Holy Door.

The origin of the custom of a Holy door dates back to Pope Martin V, who opened a holy door to enter the Lateran Basilica for the Extraordinary Jubilee of 1423. It was first used in St. Peter's for the Jubilee of 1450. Its location, the rear wall of the chapel dedicated by Pope John VII to the Mother of God, corresponds to where it is found today. Pope Alexander VI,

In 1500, this symbol of the opening of the Jubilee was endowed with a ritual that remained virtually unchanged over the centuries until the turn of the millennium, when in the year 2000, the removal of the former brick wall was replaced by the ceremonial opening of the bronze Door.   The last opening of the Holy Door for an Ordinary Jubilee was when Pope St. John Paul II had done so in the Year 2000. Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in 2015 for his 2016 Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

The Jubilee Year will officially end with the closing of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica on January 6, 2026, the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. More information about the Jubilee Year is in this week's bulletin. The insert includes information about the Jubilee Year event at the official site of the Jubilee, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence. One event for the Jubilee is a Symposium sponsored by the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture entitled "Pilgrims of Hope."  Fr. Connors is one of the speakers, so you know it will be good!  Francis X. Maier of the Ethics and Public Policy Center is also an outstanding speaker.   The event will be held on Thursday, March 6. More information can be found in this week's bulletin. 

With March coming soon, there are important events at OLM that you should get on your calendar. The Holy Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and Friday Lenten Stations of the Cross begin on March 7.   Our Annual Lenten Mission begins on March 8 with Dominican Friar Father Henry Stephan, OP, serving as our Mission Preacher. This year's Lenten Mission theme is "Supernaturalization: Becoming a Citizen of Heaven." Of course, the Annual Celebrations of St. Patrick and St. Joseph will also occur. Our preacher for St. Patrick’s Day is Fr. Justin Brophy, OP, and for St. Joseph's Day, Fr. Nathan Ricci! So mark your calendars!

This week, schools are off for Winter Break. Please keep the vacationing students and faculty in your prayers. I hope they have a safe and fun break and return tan, rested, and ready to teach and learn again with vigor! Be well. Do good. God Bless. Have a Happy Presidents' Day! God Bless America.