The Jubilee Year 2025 was opened at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome by Pope Francis on Dec. 24, 2024, and will go to Dec. 23, 2025. The theme for the year is "Pilgrims of Hope.” This motto was chosen to help restore hope and trust, and to care for the environment.
During this special year, Catholics are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to Rome to pass through the holy doors of St. Peter’s Basilica. Recognizing that this is not possible for many, Pope Francis instructed local bishops to designate pilgrimage sites in each diocese across the world. For those in our diocese, the holy doors of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit were opened as a pilgrimage site by Bishop Kagan on Dec. 28.
Documents from the Vatican regarding the Jubilee 2025 state, “In crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, the pilgrim is reminded of the passage from chapter 10 of St John’s gospel: ‘I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’ Passing through the Holy Door expresses the decision to follow and be guided by Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd. The door is a passageway that ushers the pilgrim into the interior of a church.”
Throughout this holy year, the pilgrims of the Bismarck Diocese are invited to pass through the holy doors when making a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. The symbol, or object, of the holy year is the processional crucifix which has been given a place of honor in the sanctuary of the Cathedral. This crucifix is the destination for the holy year pilgrimage.
In Rome during the Jubilee Year, millions of pilgrims will pass through the holy doors of the four major basilicas opened only for the year. In our diocese, we do not have official holy doors, but the newly restored bronze doors of the Cathedral through which the bishop passed during the local opening of the Jubilee Year are an echo of the same doors in Rome. They are special doors that remind us that entrance into the Church through the waters of baptism mark a turning away from the life of sin and an embracing of the cleansing power of the sacraments, the fruit of Christ’s cross and the pathway to eternal life.
Jubilee cross The Jubilee cross is, at its core, the symbol of hope. Since it’s the Jubilee of Hope and we are “pilgrims of hope,” during this year but also throughout our entire lives (on our pilgrimage towards heaven), the cross at the Cathedral for the Jubilee Year serves as a reminder of the object of our faith and the cause of our hope—the Cross of Christ.
The Preamble of the Rite of the Opening of the Jubilee Year in the Various Churches explains that the pilgrimage that leads into the Cathedral for the opening of the Jubilee Year will be led by the cross which will stand in the sanctuary for the duration of the year. “This is the sign of the journey of hope of the pilgrim people behind the cross of Christ, as evidenced in the Jubilee logo: ‘In a world in which progress and regression are intertwined, the Cross of Christ remains the anchor of salvation: a sign of hope that does not disappoint because it is founded on the love of God, merciful and faithful’ (Pope Francis, General Audience, Piazza San Pietro - 21 September 2022).”
Opening Mass
During the opening Mass on Dec. 28, Bishop Kagan said to those gathered: “In fellowship with the universal Church, as we celebrate the love of the Father that reveals itself in the flesh of the Word made man and in the sign of the Cross, anchor of salvation, we solemnly open the Jubilee Year for the Church of Bismarck.” And later he prayed to God, “O Father, you are the hope that does not disappoint and the beginning and end of all things; bless the start of our pilgrim journey behind the glorious Cross of your Son in this time of grace; bind up the wounds of hearts that are broken, loosen the chains that hold us slaves of sin and prisoners of hatred and grant your people the joy of the Spirit so that they may walk with renewed hope toward their longed-for destiny, Christ your Son and our Lord. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.”
These words link hope with the Cross of Christ, reminding us that the image of the Cross is the image of the Jubilee Year of Hope.
As the procession reached the door of the Cathedral, with the cross raised up, Bishop Kagan faced the people and said, “Hail, Cross of Christ, our only hope,” to which everyone responded, “You are our hope, we will never be confounded.”
This is a quotation from the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee Year, Spes non confundit (which means “Hope does not disappoint”) and continues to flesh out the connection between the Jubilee of Hope and the Cross: “Hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross: ‘For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life’ (Rom 5:10).”
The Jubilee Cross in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is the Cathedral’s processional cross marked with the crest of the diocese. The crest is a reminder to us that while Christ’s total, universal gift of charity on the cross is offered for all, it is also specifically offered for each individual. He knows, loves and seeks to redeem each person, each diocese, as the particular church where He meets His people through the sacraments, pouring forth from His pierced side on the cross (Jn. 19:34).