Newark, N.J. – This month, the universal Catholic Church will begin its Jubilee Year 2025, a yearlong journey of spiritual renewal intended for the faithful to become “Pilgrims of Hope” in the face of global strife. To commemorate this moment locally, the Archdiocese of Newark will hold an Opening Mass celebrated by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, on Sunday, Dec. 29, at 12 p.m. in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

The Opening Mass will commence with a reading from John (14:1-7) — in which Jesus proclaims, “I am the way and the truth and the life” — to underscore that Christ is the ultimate destination of any pilgrimage. Cardinal Tobin will also read Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year, which explains that 2025 will be a period for Catholics to be “renewed in hope” by taking God’s Word as their guide. The cardinal will then lead a procession outside to the Cathedral Basilica’s entrance, where he will hold up a cross and say to the people, “Hail, Cross of Christ, our only hope.” When all are gathered back inside in the church, the assembly will be sprinkled with holy water.

Over the next year, Catholics are invited to attend the many Jubilee Masses and prayer events that will be held locally. They are also encouraged to pursue a plenary indulgence by visiting one of four designated holy sites — the Cathedral Basilica in Newark, St. Pius X Church in Old Tappan, St. Joseph of the Palisades Parish in West New York, and St. Helen Church in Westfield — or completing any of the other tasks described in the Archdiocese’s indulgence guidelines. More information can be found on the archdiocesan Jubilee Year webpage.

“This Jubilee promises to be a time of grace for the Universal Church,” Cardinal Tobin said. “My prayer for the Archdiocese of Newark is that each of our parishes and the entire Catholic community — clergy, those in consecrated life, and the lay faithful — may have many opportunities to share in this grace.”

A Jubilee Year is a period for Catholics to re-establish their relationship with God, each other, and creation through prayer and reconciliation. Though the Church originally spaced them out in 100- or 50-year gaps, Jubilee Years are now held once every 25 years (excluding extraordinary Jubilees). The first took place in 1300, while the latest welcomed Christianity’s third millennium in 2000.

Though dioceses across the world will start their celebrations on Dec. 29, Pope Francis will officially launch Jubilee Year 2025 in Vatican City on Christmas Eve, when he will open the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica. He will subsequently open other papal basilicas’ Holy Doors and establish a new one at a Rome prison as a sign of hope the prisoners there will reform.

“The purpose of the Jubilee Year is to give each one of us a dose of hope,” said Father Thomas Dente, director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Worship Office, who is overseeing the Archdiocese’s Jubilee initiatives. “As Pope Francis said, these are troubling times — there are wars and darkness and suffering. But we can’t despair. The Jubilee Year reminds us that Christ is always with us, no matter how difficult or challenging the circumstances.”

To learn more about how to celebrate the Jubilee Year in the Archdiocese of Newark, visit www.rcan.org/jubilee-2025.

About the Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark serves 1.3 million Catholics across northern New Jersey’s Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. Led by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., the sixth archbishop of Newark, the Archdiocese includes 211 parishes, 67 Catholic schools, and numerous missions and ministries committed to faith, education, and social service. For more information, visit www.rcan.org.