Pilgrims of Hope

The Year 2025 marks a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church, with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope” chosen by Pope Francis. This significant year of grace and renewal will be celebrated universally across Notre Dame College, CESL, and the Marist community.

What is a Jubilee Year?

A Jubilee is a special year of grace, conversion, and renewal in the Church, traditionally observed every 25 years or as called by the Pope. It is a time of deep prayer, pilgrimage, and sacramental repentance. The Jubilee Year invites us to embrace holiness in our lives and to become living witnesses of God’s boundless mercy in the world. The aim of a Jubilee year is to renew the hope that comes from Christ, encouraging a personal and communal journey toward God. By strengthening our relationship with God and others, we are inspired to live as signs of hope in a world that longs for renewal and peace.

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your Son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you, our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.

Amen.

2025 Theme Resources

To explore the theme further and align our community’s reflections with this universal message, consider the following resources:

· Towards the Jubilee 2025 (Video): Pilgrims of Hope

· Marist Theme Link: Marist Formation 2025