Closing the Jubilee Year of Hope
By Allison Mosier12/09/2025
As the Jubilee Year of Hope draws to a close, the Diocese of Erie looks back with gratitude on twelve remarkable months in which the Holy Spirit steadily gathered God’s people as true “pilgrims of hope.” From the opening Mass at Saint Peter Cathedral on December 29, 2024, Bishop Lawrence Persico invited the faithful to receive this year as a grace-filled journey marked by reconciliation, unity and renewed trust in God’s promises.
To support that journey, the diocesan communications team created a Jubilee microsite that served as a digital front porch for the Holy Year. It offered a central place for prayer, reflections and guidance for receiving a plenary indulgence. Each month, new features and reflections from clergy and leaders across the diocese revealed how deeply the Jubilee theme was taking root throughout all 13 counties.
The monthly newsletter, Jubilee Journey: Pilgrims of Hope, became a familiar companion in homes, schools and parishes. Shared as a resource for the Holy Year and posted each month on the diocesan website, every edition reflected on the Vatican’s monthly Jubilee themes and offered practical ideas to help people live the year with intention. It gently reminded readers that the Jubilee was not simply a date on the calendar, but an ongoing invitation to conversion and hope.
Children and young people walked this journey alongside Luce, the cheerful, rain-coat-wearing Jubilee mascot whose activities appeared in every issue. With Luce’s guidance, children created their own holy doors, filled mercy jars with daily acts of kindness, designed Jubilee medals, built family mission boards and made praise shakers to thank God for the gift of music. These hands-on projects helped young Catholics experience the Jubilee on their level and discover that they too are pilgrims of hope with a meaningful place in the church.
As the Holy Year comes to a close, we offer sincere thanks to every pilgrim who took the time to share their stories and reflections throughout this past year. Your experiences, photos and moments of grace helped bring the Jubilee to life and allowed us to celebrate this sacred journey together.
The Jubilee Year in the Diocese of Erie will formally conclude on December 28, 2025, when Bishop Persico celebrates the closing Mass at Saint Peter Cathedral. The universal Jubilee will continue a little longer. On January 6, 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Pope Leo XIV will close the final Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, bringing the Jubilee of Hope to its official conclusion for the universal church.
Until then, Catholics across northwestern Pennsylvania still have a few short weeks to make a final Jubilee pilgrimage. Saint Peter Cathedral and Saint Leo Magnus Parish in Ridgway remain designated pilgrimage sites for receiving the plenary indulgence attached to the Jubilee. For those who are able, one last journey of prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father and the necessary steps toward a plenary indulgence is a fitting way to give thanks for all God has done during this Holy Year.
As we step across the threshold into what comes next, the grace of the Jubilee remains. We are, and will always be, pilgrims of hope
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