Rain canceled a scheduled procession but failed to dampen the spirits of the participants in the Rite for the Opening of the Jubilee Year on the feast of the Holy Family.
The diocese officially launched Jubilee Year 2025 on Sunday, Dec. 29 at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral, following the opening on Dec. 24 of the observance in Rome. The Jubilee will run through Jan. 6, 2026.
Bishop Earl Fernandes celebrated Mass on Sunday morning at Columbus Holy Cross Church and was scheduled to join a procession to the Cathedral afterward that was derailed by the inclement weather. Instead, the bishop led the introductory rites at the back of the Cathedral near the baptismal font.
The bishop addressed the people in these words: “Brothers and sisters, the mystery of the Incarnation of our Savior Jesus Christ, fostered in the communion of love of the Holy Family of Nazareth, is for us the ground of deep joy and certain hope. 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 Columbus. This rite is for us the prelude to a rich experience of grace and mercy; we are ready always to respond to whoever asks the reason for the hope that is in us, especially in this time of war and disorder. May Christ, our peace and our hope, be our companion on the journey in this year of grace and consolation. May the Holy Spirit, who today begins this work both in us and with us, bring it to completion in the day of Christ Jesus.”
After a prayer and gospel reading, an excerpt from the Bull of Indiction (a letter from the Holy Father) for the Jubilee Year was read:
“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.’ That life becomes manifest in our own life of faith, which begins with Baptism, develops in openness to God’s grace, and is enlivened by a hope constantly renewed and confirmed by the working of the Holy Spirit.
“By his perennial presence in the life of the pilgrim Church, the Holy Spirit illumines all believers with the light of hope. He keeps that light burning, like an ever-burning lamp, to sustain and invigorate our lives. Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love,” the Bull said.
The reading of the Bull was followed by a procession to the altar for the Mass with Bishop Fernandes and concelebrating priests.
In recent times, the universal Church has also observed Jubilee Years in 2016 (Year of Mercy, instituted by Pope Francis) and in 2000 for the great millennial year.
There is a tradition of opening Holy Doors in dioceses around the world, but this year the Church is designating only the doors of the four major basilicas in Rome (St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls) and a special door set up at a prison.
In 2000, a door at St. Joseph Cathedral and several other churches in the diocese were designated as Holy Doors.