In this week’s From the Heart, Theology and History teacher Miss Mary Furay shares the history and significance of the Jubilee Year. Three students also offer inspiring reflections on what the word “hope” means to them.
Jubilee Years hold deep religious significance for Catholics, celebrating joy and pardon every 25 years, and are rooted in the ancient Jewish tradition described in Leviticus 25, where debts were forgiven, and servants freed. The 2025 Jubilee began on Christmas Eve with Pope Francis making the 500-year-old traditional gesture: opening the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica to symbolize a passage from sin to grace. When Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year, he stated, “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire…”
Hope is something you can hold on to when you feel like there isn’t anything else. Sometimes it is difficult to have, especially when the circumstances aren’t in your favor. To me, hope acts as a second chance. It is important to have hope because you always need that backbone to lean on, and hope can do that.
— Allison S. ’26
Hope is something inspired by somebody. Hope is self-confidence and can help you make new friends and be closer to God. If you don’t have a lot of hope, you should try to get closer to God, reach higher and believe in themselves.
— Nolan A. ’28
Hope to me means believing and being persistent. Believing that you can do it and trying your best. Because anything is possible, as long as you set your mind to it. When I was trying to solve my Rubik’s cube faster and faster (Max is a speedcuber) I just kept practicing. You have to keep trying your best and never giving up.
— Max B., Jr. ’29
In the Church Year of 2025, pilgrims in Rome will visit the holy doors of major basilicas for prayer, reconciliation, and indulgences, while those unable to travel will be able to find opportunities for renewal in local Jubilee sites or within their hearts.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis has designated several area sites for Jubilee Year Pilgrimages, including the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. If you visit, be sure to look for the life-size bronze St. Rose Philippine Duchesne statue in the west garden as well as her mosaic inside. Renowned mosaicist and muralist Hildreth Meière, a 1911 graduate of Covent of the Sacred in Manhattanville, NY created a large majority of the Cathedral Basilica’s incredible collection of mosaics.
