The Symbols of Hope

By Jennifer Miele

The Jubilee Year will offer the faithful opportunities to participate in various jubilee events at the Vatican and in their own dioceses. The Jubilee Year logo has special meaning.

The logo shows four stylized figures, representing all of humanity, coming from the four corners of the earth. They embrace each other to indicate the solidarity and fraternity that should unite all peoples.

The figure at the front is holding onto the cross. It is not only the sign of the faith which this lead figure embraces, but also of hope, which can never be abandoned, because we are always in need of hope, especially in our moments of greatest need.

There are rough waves under the figures, symbolizing the fact that life’s pilgrimage does not always go smoothly in calm waters. Often the circumstances of daily life and events in the wider world require a greater call to hope.

That’s why we should pay special attention to the lower part of the cross, which has been elongated and turned into the shape of an anchor let down into the waves. The anchor is well known as a symbol of hope. In maritime jargon the “anchor of hope” refers to the reserve anchor used by vessels involved in emergency maneuvers to stabilize the ship during storms.

It is worth noting that the image illustrates the pilgrim’s journey not as an individual undertaking, but rather as something communal, marked by an increasing dynamism leading one ever closer to the cross.

During the Jubilee Year, you have a wonderful opportunity to make a local pilgrimage to the Vocations Chapels throughout the Diocese of Greensburg. You can find these chapels at Holy Family Parish, Latrobe; St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus Parish, Uniontown; St. Thomas More University Parish, Indiana; and St. Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Kittanning.

Keep an eye out for your April Catholic Accent newspaper, which will include a copy of the Vocations Pilgrimage Booklet.