2025 Jubilee – Year of Hope
On Christmas Eve at St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis ceremoniously opened the Holy Door to mark the beginning of the Jubilee year, a special event that occurs every 25 years. This Jubilee is being celebrated as the Year of Hope and will continue until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6, 2026. Below you can find information and resources about the Jubilee in the state of New York.
Jubilee FAQs
Jubilees mark significant anniversaries, such as the 25th or 100th, and in biblical times, occurred every 50 years with religious observances, debt forgiveness, and freeing of slaves. In the Catholic Church, the first Jubilee was proclaimed in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII, and since 1470, they have been celebrated every 25 years. Practices during a Jubilee include pilgrimages, passing through Holy Doors, and granting plenary indulgences.
A plenary indulgence is a Catholic grant that removes all temporal punishment for sin, provided the person meets certain conditions, like confession, Eucharist, and prayer for the Pope’s intentions. It is typically granted for specific acts of devotion, such as during a Jubilee year, and differs from absolution, which forgives sin itself.
The Vatican decree was issued outlining the different ways Catholic may obtain the Plenary Indulgence during the 2025 Jubilee Year.
- Pilgrimage to any sacred Jubilee site
- Pious Visits to Sacred Places
- Works of Mercy and Penance
A pilgrimage is a key aspect of every Jubilee. In his Bull Spes Non Confundit, Pope Francis writes, "Setting out on a journey is traditionally linked to our human search for meaning." While some may travel to Rome to visit its Holy Sites, others can make pilgrimages to local sacred sites in our diocese. The Pope notes that these places serve as spiritual oases, offering rest and a source of hope on our journey of faith.
The Jubilee year begins with the opening of the Holy Door by the Pope.
“In crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, the pilgrim is reminded of the passage from chapter 10 of St John’s gospel: ‘I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.’ Passing through the Holy Door expresses the decision to follow and be guided by Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd. The door is a passageway that ushers the pilgrim into the interior of a church. For the Christian community, a church is not only a sacred space, to be approached with respect, with appropriate behavior and dress code, but it is a symbol of the communion that binds every believer to Christ: it is a place of encounter and dialogue, of reconciliation and peace which awaits every pilgrim, the Church is essentially the place of the community of the faithful." (More on Holy Doors)
“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; that is why I have chosen as the motto of the Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope. This will indeed be the case if we are capable of recovering a sense of universal fraternity and refuse to turn a blind eye to the tragedy of rampant poverty that prevents millions of men, women, young people and children from living in a manner worthy of our human dignity. Here I think in particular of the many refugees forced to abandon their native lands. May the voices of the poor be heard throughout this time of preparation for the Jubilee, which is meant to restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone. As the Bible teaches, ‘The sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired servant and the sojourner who lives with you; for your cattle also, and for the beasts that are in your land, all its yield shall be for food’ (Lev 25:6-7).”
Pope Francis
Rome, Saint John Lateran,
11 February 2022,
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes

Pilgrimage Sites & Information
Papal Basilicas
These are the ‘main’ churches which will have Holy Doors opened by the Pope, doors which will remain open throughout the Jubilee year.
• St. Peter's – The Vatican Basilica
• Basilica of Saint John Lateran
• Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
• Basilica of Saint Mary Major
The Seven Churches Pilgrimage
The pilgrimage of the ‘Seven Churches’, originally conceived by St Philip Neri in the 16th century, is one of the oldest Roman traditions.
• St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican
• Basilica of Saint Mary Major
• Basilica of Saint John Lateran
• Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
• Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls
• Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem
• Basilica of Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls
National Shrines and Pilgrimage Sites in the U.S.
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – Washington, D.C.
• National Shrine of Mary Queen of the Universe – Orlando, FL
• National Votive Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor – New Orleans, LA
• The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy – Stockbridge, MA
• The National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church – Laurie, MO
• Shrine of Saint Joseph – Stirling, NJ
• Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine – Auriesville, NY
• The National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Middletown, NY
• St. Francis Cabrini Shrine NYC – New York, NY
• Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics – Maria Stein, OH
• National Shrine of St. John Neumann – Philadelphia, PA
• The National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia – Philadelphia, PA
• The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal – Philadelphia, PA
• The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa – Philadelphia, PA
• National Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe – La Crosse, WI
• National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion – Champion, WI
• National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Middletown
• Franciscan Friars of the Atonement at Graymoor, Garrison
• Mount Alvernia Retreat Center, Wappingers Falls
• National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, Stony Point
• St. Frances Cabrini Shrine, Upper Manhattan
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Midtown
• Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, Mulberry Street
• Schoenstatt Shrine of Light, Staten Island
• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany
• Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine, Auriesville
• Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine, Fonda
• Our Lady of Knock Shrine, East Durham
• Rosa Mystica House of Prayer, Edmeston
• Cathedral Basilica of St. James, Downtown Brooklyn
• Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, Prospect Heights
• St. Jude Shrine Church, Canarsie
• Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, Forest Hills
• Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Bayside
• St. Gerard Majella Shrine Church, Hollis
Diocese of Brooklyn Jubilee Website
From March 5 to April 16, the Diocese of Brooklyn will host Lenten Pilgrimages. Parishioners are invited to visit selected churches, where each will offer a structured program of prayer and adoration.
• St. Joseph Cathedral, Buffalo
• Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Lakewood
• The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, Olean
• The St. Cecilia worship site of St. John Neumann Parish, Sheldon
• The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Youngstown
• St. Mary’s Cathedral, Ogdensburg
• St. Mary’s Church, Canton
• St. Mary’s Church, Clayton
• Holy Family Church, Watertown
• Precious Blood Monastery, Watertown
• St. Stephen’s Church, Croghan
• St. Alphonsus Holy Name of Jesus Church, Tupper Lake
• St. Bartholomew’s Church, Old Forge
• St. Mary’s Church, Ticonderoga
• St. Peter’s Church, Plattsburgh
• Mother Cabrini Shrine, West Peru
• Notre Dame Church, Malone
• Cathedral of St. Agnes, Rockville Centre
• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Syracuse
• Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Syracuse
• St Mary's Shrine, Oswego