BY ANN BONIFERRO, DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL LITURGY & MUSIC
The Jubilee of the Year 2025 began on December 24, 2024 with Pope Francis knocking on the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, and will end on January 6, 2026. The Jubilee Year is an opportunity for all people to enter into a pilgrimage of hope, so that, as Pope Francis wrote, “Through our witness, may hope spread to all those who anxiously seek it.”
A new banner was purchased, to be displayed in the chapel throughout the Jubilee year. The logo clearly states the theme, Pilgrims of Hope, and includes four figures to indicate humanity coming from the four corners of the earth. They are embracing each other to indicate the solidarity which joins the peoples. The figure at the head is holding onto the cross, not only the sign of faith, but also of the hope which can never be abandoned because we are always in need of hope, especially in moments of great need. The waves underneath indicate that life’s pilgrimage does not always move in calm waters. Life’s circumstances and the events of the world often demand a greater call to hope and because of this we see that the lower part of the cross has been turned into an anchor, often used as a metaphor of hope. The image demonstrates that the pilgrim’s journey is not individual, but communal and marked by a growing vitality leading one always closer to the cross, which is itself by no means static, but also dynamic. It turns towards humanity, not leaving it alone but going out and meeting it to offer the certainty of its presence and the sureness of hope.
The lower portion of the banner features a path journeying through rolling hills and farmers’ fields, water, mountains, sunrise, and birds. The vibrant colours and radiant sun are meant to evoke feelings of hope and joy. As a whole the image reflects pilgrimage. All are invited to reflect on the images in the banner throughout the Jubilee year.
