Pope Francis has announced the opening of the Jubilee Year, beginning worldwide on Sunday, December 29th, the Solemnity of the Holy Family.
The Jubilee Years have a long and storied tradition in the Church, a time of celebration and reflection on our journey as Christians. For this Jubilee, the Pope has chosen the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Hope is one of the three Theological Virtues, alongside Faith and Charity, but it is in many ways the least well known. As taught in the Apostolic Letters, The Virtue of Hope is the desire for eternal life with God in Heaven.
Bishop Steven invites all members of the Diocese to meditate on this virtue as well as deepen our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the inspiration for our Diocesan logo, and the subject of a recent letter written by Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos.
Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.
Amen