Jubilee Year of Pilgrims of Hope
What Is a Jubilee?
A Jubilee Year is a special and deeply meaningful celebration in the Catholic Church, held every 25 years as a time of grace, renewal, and spiritual reflection. It is a worldwide moment for Catholics to pause, reconnect with their faith, and strengthen their relationships with God and one another.
The last ordinary Jubilee took place in the year 2000 as the Church welcomed the new millennium. Pope Francis also declared an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2016, drawing attention to the Church’s mission of compassion, forgiveness, and healing.
The Jubilee begins with the ceremonial opening of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The other major basilicas then open their own Holy Doors, and the Pope extends this privilege to churches across the world so that all Catholics can participate in this sacred act.
The roots of the Jubilee go back to Scripture, where it was celebrated every 50 years as a time of rest, justice, and restoration. Debts were forgiven, land was returned to those who had lost it, and people were invited to renew their covenant with God and with creation. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus proclaims the “year of the Lord’s favour,” a message of hope and healing that captures the very spirit of Jubilee.
At its core, a Jubilee is a call to forgiveness, renewal, and joyful discipleship—a time to journey together with faith and trust as Pilgrims of Hope.
Pope Francis announced that 2025 would be a Jubilee Year — a special celebration in the life of the Church that takes place every 25 years. The theme of this Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope, invites Catholics across the world to journey together in faith, renewal, and joyful trust in God’s promises.
The Jubilee began in Advent 2024 and will continue until the Feast of the Epiphany in 2026. Although it is a global celebration, Pope Francis encouraged each diocese, parish, and school community to recognise the Jubilee in ways that reflect their own identity and mission.
At St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School, we embraced this sacred time by rooting our celebrations firmly in our mission statement:
“By following in the footsteps of Jesus, we are making the heart, mind and spirit soar.”
This mission has guided our Jubilee journey. As Pilgrims of Hope, we strive to walk closely with Jesus, growing in faith, nurturing our gifts, and lifting one another up with kindness, compassion, and courage. Through liturgies, prayer, pilgrimages, creative projects, and acts of service, our children, families, and staff have explored what it means to live with hope and to share that hope with others.
Our mission calls us to shape hearts, inspire minds, and nurture the spirit — and this beautifully reflects the purpose of the Jubilee Year. Just as the Church invites us to renewal and deeper faith, our school encourages every child to grow closer to God and to one another as we journey forward.
We continue to walk together as Pilgrims of Hope, trusting in God’s love and carrying our mission into everything we do throughout this Jubilee Year and beyond.
Holy Doors
One of the most treasured traditions of a Jubilee Year is the opening of the Holy Doors — powerful signs of welcome, grace, and spiritual renewal. For the Holy Year of 2025, Pope Francis opened the first Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and a second at Rebibbia Prison, reminding the world that hope is for everyone and that true brotherhood begins with an open heart.
Inspired by this powerful message, we at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School have celebrated the spirit of the Jubilee by creating our own Holy Doors within our school community. Each class has transformed their classroom door into a visual expression of faith, decorating it with prayers, reflections, Scripture, and artwork that share their hopes and their journey through the Jubilee.
These doors are far more than beautiful displays — they are invitations. Invitations to pause, to reflect, to open our hearts more fully to God, and to walk together as Pilgrims of Hope throughout this Holy Year.
Year 2 help us launch the Year of the Jubilee!
During their class assembly explained beautifully how we can all be Pilgrims of Hope—people who walk together with faith, kindness, and courage. Your thoughtful reflections, confident speaking, and joyful enthusiasm helped our whole school understand what it means to bring hope to others.
We are so proud of the way you shared this important message and inspired us to look forward with trust, gratitude, and a hopeful heart.
Keep shining brightly, Year 2—your example leads us all closer to God.
