ST. PAUL - Catholics from St. Paul and the surrounding areas gathered at the seniors’ centre and walked to the Cathedral Parish for the opening mass of the 2025 jubilee year on Dec. 29.
A jubilee year is declared by the Pope every 25 years, as part of a tradition dating back to the year 1300. According to Bishop Gary Franken, who is bishop of the Diocese of St. Paul, “the point of a Jubilee is additional focus on the mercy of God and the hope that we have in eternal life by way of God's mercy.”
The 2025 jubilee is called “Pilgrims of Hope.” According to Franken, “As a society, we're still coming out of the pandemic, and we're dealing with lots of warfare in different places, and so there is a great need for hope and ultimately rebuilding our society.”
Traditionally, Catholics participate in a jubilee by making a pilgrimage to Rome or another site of religious importance.
Pilgrimage sites in Alberta include St. Paul Cathedral Parish, which will be hosting relics of the Canadian Martyrs on Jan. 23, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Calgary, and The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies in Canmore. Specific pilgrimages to Lac Ste Anne, which is about an hour northwest of Edmonton; Skaro Shrine, which is about an hour northeast of Edmonton; and Mary’s Grotto in St. Albert are also planned during the summer months.
“Ultimately, since we can go to special places to pray and meet God, we ultimately meet the Lord also in our neighbour. So Pope Francis has also called us to celebrate the jubilee by works of mercy and recalling the seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy that are part of our Catholic tradition,” said Franken.
Corporal works of mercy are responding to a person’s physical needs such as needs for shelter, food, and clothing. Spiritual works of mercy include things like teaching about God’s love, providing comfort in times of sorrow, and praying for people both living and dead.
