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A Jubilee Year or Holy Year is a time of spiritual renewal and reconciliation coinciding with a special anniversary of the Incarnation of Christ. While its origin can be found in the Jewish faith, the first Christian Jubilee, which was instituted by Pope Boniface VIII, was celebrated in the year 1300. The number of years between Jubilees varied following the first Jubilee, but since the late 1400s, the Church has marked a Jubilee Year every 25 years.

For more information, including the key characteristics of a Jubilee Year, click here.

Marking a Jubilee Year is a time for the faithful to start anew, seeking spiritual renewal, forgiveness of sins, and indulgences. The faithful are encouraged to make a pilgrimage, pass through Holy Doors, perform acts of penance and charity, and fulfill specific spiritual acts to receive special indulgences.

Jubilee 2025 was announced by Pope Francis on Ascension Thursday, May 13, 2024. In the Papal Bull of Indiction Spes non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint), the pope proclaimed the Holy Year. In explaining the theme for Jubilee 2025, Birmingham's own Archbishop Joseph Marino noted that hope is not based "on some lofty human and philosophical reflection, but based on a real and personal encounter with the person of Jesus in Whom alone can we have a future full of hope, trust, and confidence." He went on to say, "Only in Jesus, and the vision of life that He gave, can our true aspirations be fulfilled. Only in Him can the authentic desires of life be reached."

Some of the key elements of this Jubilee are passing through the Holy Door to express the decision to follow and be guided by Jesus, fulfilling certain spiritual acts to obtain an indulgence, going on pilgrimage to journey to conversion, professing the faith to build a foundation of hope, and seeking out the sacrament of reconciliation to further aid a conversion of heart open to following Christ.

A Papal Bull is an official decree or document issued by the pope. The name is derived from the Latin word bulla, which refers to the seal attached to the document.

The Jubilee Year is marked by pilgrimage, which by its very nature is an "experience of conversion." Spiritually, pilgrimage represents the Christian life as a journey towards a deeper relationship with Christ, with the destination being the Kingdom of Heaven.