Every 25 years, the Catholic Church holds a Jubilee Year. All members of the global Church family are called to participate in this Holy Year. It is a time to grow in our faith and prayer life.

 A time too to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation.

The Jubilee Year began with the opening of the Holy Door in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and runs to the Feast of Epiphany 2026. Ms Dowd was fortunate enough to visit Rome in January and carried our school flag through the Holy Door in St Peter's Basilica!

During this Jubilee, Pope Francis asked us ‘to discover hope in the signs of the times that the Lord gives us. We need to recognise the immense goodness present in our world.’

Hope is an important virtue – it assures us that our destiny will be with God when we die.

Key aspects of a Jubilee Year include how we treat one another and how we live out the mission Jesus states in Luke 4:16-21:

Then Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed
and announce that the time has come
when the Lord will save his people.”

Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, as he said to them, “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read.”

Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is a journey to a special place of significance, with some intention in mind.  Pilgrimage has long since been a part of each Jubilee experience, and The Pope has called us to be Pilgrims of Hope and he has written:

'Pilgrimage is of course a fundamental element of every Jubilee event.  Setting us on a journey is traditionally associated with our human quest for meaning in life. A pilgrimage on foot is a great aid for rediscovering the value of silence, effort and simplicity of life.  In the coming year, pilgrims of hope will surely travel the ancient and more modern routes in order to experience the jubilee to the full.'

In the Diocese of Southwark, several churches have been chosen as sacred sites that we can visit. We are very fortunate that we have two of these churches so close to us: 

St Thomas of Canterbury, Canterbury

St Augustine’s Shrine, Ramsgate

Our school, will pilgrimage to these churches over the course of the year, with the help of Fr Jonathon and Fr Simon. 

Jubilee Prayer

God, our loving Father,

In this Jubilee year, you remind us of our call to love creation.

Help us to work together to replant, repair, and renew.

Guide us on our journey as pilgrims of hope.

Jesus, our light,

In this Jubilee year, you remind us of our call to love our neighbours

and to set free those who suffer.

Help us to treat everyone with dignity; to be fair; forgiving; and kind.

Guide us on our journey as pilgrims of hope.

Holy Spirit, our inspiration,

In this Jubilee year, you remind us of our call to grow in faith and love.

Help us to hear you in scripture, to see Jesus in others, and to be united as God's global family.

Guide us on our journey as pilgrims of hope.