By Bishop Michael J. Sis

West Texas Angelus, November 2024

The Catholic Church has observed jubilee years every twenty-five years since the thirteenth century. Pope Francis has announced that the year 2025 will bean ordinary jubilee year observed by Catholics around the world. In Rome, the jubilee will begin on Dec. 24, 2024, and conclude on Jan. 6, 2026. In local dioceses, the jubilee will begin on Dec. 29, 2024, and conclude on Dec. 28, 2025. The official opening of the jubilee year in the Diocese of San Angelo will take place at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, with Mass at 10:00 a.m. in English and 12:00 noon in Spanish.

Jubilee years typically include pilgrimages, celebrations of Mass, the sacrament of reconciliation, special prayers, and works of mercy. Pope Francis has designated “Pilgrims of Hope” to be the theme of this jubilee. He wants all of us to focus on how we might bring Christ and his message of hope to the world.

What is an Indulgence?

Over the centuries, jubilee years have come to be associated with the granting of indulgences. Indulgences inspire us to live more fruitful and holy lives, and thereby lead us to a more intimate union with God. An indulgence should be seen as part of a lifelong process of continuous conversion and ongoing rehabilitation of our human heart.

Through the sacrament of penance (confession), sins are forgiven, and the eternal penalty that is due to sin is taken away, but there remain consequences for sins that those who have committed them must bear. These negative consequences of sin are traditionally called the temporal punishment for sin.

An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment that is due for sin whose guilt has already been forgiven. Through an indulgence, God grants that, through the prayer of the church, the temporal punishment for sin is either reduced or eliminated. An indulgence is either partial or plenary, according to whether it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due for sin.

Our sin leaves marks on the soul which do not automatically disappear with confession. We need to be progressively cleansed of these “residues” of sin. That is what an indulgence is about. It is a healing medicine for the spiritual wounds that result from our sin.

According to church teaching, the four normal requirements for receiving a plenary indulgence are the following: (1) truly repenting of our sin and letting go of our attachment to sin; (2) sacramental confession; (3) reception of holy Communion; and (4) praying for the intentions of the pope. A member of the church who has fulfilled those requirements may acquire a plenary indulgence by carrying out any one of the various actions which the church has designated for the plenary indulgence. To be capable of gaining indulgences, a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the completion of the prescribed works.

In a jubilee year, the jubilee indulgence can be received in a variety of ways. The most common way throughout history has been to make a pilgrimage to Rome and visit one of the major basilicas, passing through one of the holy doors as a sign of deep desire for inner conversion.

Some have asked me if I will be designating some particular doors in our diocese as holy doors for this jubilee. However, from the information that I have received so far from Rome, it does not appear that local bishops have been given the right to open holy doors for this jubilee in 2025.

Nevertheless, the Vatican Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree on May 13, 2024, regarding the plenary indulgence that may be obtained during the jubilee year in any of the following ways: by making a pilgrimage, piously visiting a sacred place, or performing a work of mercy and penance.

Pilgrimages

Perhaps some of our West Texas people will be able to make a pilgrimage to Rome or the Holy Land for this jubilee, but it is not necessary to travel to the other side of the world to receive the plenary indulgence in this Jubilee Year 2025. 

A plenary indulgence may be received by those pilgrims who travel to any sacred jubilee site and participate in a Mass, a Liturgy of the Word, one of the major hours in the Liturgy of the Hours, or a devotion such as the Way of the Cross, the Rosary, the Akathist hymn (an ancient Byzantine hymn to Mary), or a penance service with sacramental confession. Additionally, one may obtain the indulgence by making a pilgrimage to one of the four papal major basilicas in Rome, one of the three basilicas in the Holy Land, any Catholic cathedral anywhere in the world, or another sacred place that has been designated by the local bishop.

Pious Visits to a Sacred Place

A person may obtain the jubilee indulgence if, individually or in a group, they devoutly visit any jubilee site and engage in Eucharistic adoration and meditation for at least a half hour, concluding with the recitation of the Our Father, the Creed, and prayers to the Virgin Mary.

In addition to the places named above under pilgrimages, the following sacred places have been designated by the Holy See as jubilee sites: the Roman catacombs, several particular churches in Rome and Italy, and many places around the world, such as any basilica, any minor basilica, any cathedral, any Marian shrine, or any sacred place designated by the local diocesan bishop.

This means that, in the Diocese of San Angelo, the places that carry the jubilee indulgence include Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Angelo and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Midland. Besides those, I have chosen to designate the following sacred places in the Diocese of San Angelo as places where the plenary jubilee indulgence may be received: the perpetual adoration chapel at Sacred Heart Church in Abilene, the perpetual adoration chapel at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Midland, the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Mary Church in Odessa, and the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Margaret Church in San Angelo.

Shut-Ins

Those who cannot participate in visits to these places (especially cloistered monks or nuns, the elderly, the sick, and prisoners) can obtain the jubilee indulgence in their homes or wherever they are confined, if they recite the Our Father, the Creed, the Hail Mary, and the official jubilee prayer, offering up their sufferings or the hardships of their lives in prayerful union with Christ. The jubilee prayer can be found in this same edition of the West Texas Angelus or at the following website: www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/giubileo-2025/preghiera.html.

Works of Mercy, Penance, and Prayer

The most diverse opportunities to obtain the jubilee indulgence are works of mercy and penance. The corporal works of mercy are the following: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. The spiritual works of mercy are as follows: counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear wrongs patiently, and pray for the living and the dead.

One may also obtain a jubilee indulgence by carrying out any of the following: parish missions, spiritual retreats (such as Search, ACTS, Cursillo, Kolbe, Awakening, Engaged Encounter, and Marriage Encounter), faith formation activities on the documents of Vatican II or the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or by the following acts of prayer: devoutly praying the rosary in a church, or in a family, or with a group of fellow believers; prayerfully reading the Bible for at least half an hour; devoutly praying the Way of the Cross, going from station to station, in any of our churches, or at any of our outdoor sites of the Way of the Cross, such as Christ the King Retreat Center in San Angelo, Sacred Heart Church in Abilene, Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Midland, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Odessa, and Holy Trinity in Big Spring.

Jubilee Hymn

There is an official jubilee hymn that has been translated into at least 15 languages, including English and Spanish. The title of the song is “Pilgrims ofHope.” The Vatican invites us to use this hymn as widely as possible in our parishes throughout the Jubilee Year 2025. I encourage choirs in our parishes to learn it and teach it to the congregation. The audio file, lyrics, and sheet music can be found at the following website: www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/giubileo2025/inno-giubileo-2025.html.

Jubilee Calendar

An extensive calendar of jubilee celebrations has been planned to take place in Rome throughout the calendar year 2025. Anyone planning a trip to Rome would do well to consult that calendar of special events for various audiences. They cover many areas of focus, including youth, grandparents, musicians, artists, sports, business, migrants, deacons, priests, catechists, and persons with disabilities, to name a few. The calendar may be found at www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/pellegrinaggio/calendariogiubileo.html.

Become a Jubilee Volunteer in Rome

If you are over 18 and want to have an active part in the success of the jubilee, you can assist the numerous pilgrims who will travel to Rome. You can offer your service for one or more weeks, or for specific jubilee events, in a unique experience helping those in need of assistance and information. You can begin the online application process by sending an email to [email protected]. You can also apply by using the iubilaeum25 app.

Knowledge of the Italian language is preferable, but not mandatory. All travel expenses to and from Rome are the responsibility of the volunteers. The Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization will provide food and accommodations during the service period. Volunteers will offer this service freely and without payment.

You can indicate multiple weeks of availability, but these should always be counted Saturday to Saturday. If you prefer to offer your service for specific jubilee events, this will be considered as covering all days of the event, which may vary from jubilee to jubilee. You can withdraw your availability at any time, up to seven days before the start of your service slot.

Jubilee Website

There is abundant information about the jubilee year available at the official website: www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html (English) or www.iubilaeum2025.va/es.html (Spanish).