Participating in the Jubilee Year of Hope

By Cliff Gorski
Chief Communications Officer/Executive Editor of The Catholic Accent

The 2025 Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope, offers the faithful many wonderful opportunities for prayer, adoration, reflection and pilgrimages. In the Diocese of Greensburg, events are being held at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg, and at parishes throughout the Diocese.
Father Christopher J. Pujol, co-director of the Office of Worship, Episcopal Master of Ceremonies and Parochial Vicar at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, said special Jubilee Masses will be held the second Saturday of each month at noon at the cathedral. The Jubilee Masses will be dedicated to specific intentions and celebrated by priests from around the Diocese. Confession will be offered at 11 a.m.

“Everybody invited specifically has a call and a mission to help others find hope in the Good News of salvation as well as hope for themselves,” Father Pujol said. “Sometimes within our careers and in our lives, we start to feel like what we do doesn’t matter anymore. These specific moments are a time to recharge, ask the Lord for the grace needed and to move forward in the hope of Christ.”

Parishes have been invited to get involved. Many have already scheduled Adoration and prayer.
“We hope there will be monthly activities at each parish,” Father Pujol said.

“The one thing different with this Jubilee as opposed to others is that only Blessed Sacrament Cathedral has the cross that is at the center of this celebration,” Father Pujol added. 

The Jubilee Cross was created by Deacon William Hisker and contains soil from each of the four counties of the Diocese of Greensburg.

Participating in a Jubilee Mass at the cathedral provides an opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence for the remission of sin.
“The indulgence can be granted to the faithful twice per day at the cathedral – one for themselves and one for any deceased loved one,” Father Pujol said. “We must pray before the Jubilee Cross, be removed from sin and pray for the intentions of our Holy Father, receive holy Communion and receive sacramental confessions.”

Bishop Larry J. Kulick said the Jubilee Year is one of hope in a world in which many things can cause us to lack hope.

“We see wars and conflicts around the globe; we look at division,” he said. “So many things that from a human perspective can certainly cause us to easily lose hope.”
In announcing the theme of the Jubilee Year, Bishop Kulick said the Holy Father, Pope Francis, calls the faithful to recognize that the foundation of our faith is based in a hope. 
“It’s a hope that not only brings joy, but a hope that allows us to see that God loves us, that he is merciful and that he calls us not only to that eternal hope one day in heaven, but he calls us to be instruments of hope, to give hope especially to those who are in most need in our world.”

In this Jubilee Year, Bishop Kulick calls on the faithful to become instruments of hope.

“Read slowly the Beatitudes,” Bishop Kulick said. “When you think about the Beatitudes and what the Lord reminds us as to who is going to be blessed, if we can imitate those Beatitudes, we can truly become disciples of hope.”

To learn more about Jubilee Year activities at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral and in parishes, visit DioceseofGreensburg.org/Jubilee2025.