What to Know About the Rome Jubilee Year 2025

In 2025, Rome will welcome pilgrims from all over the world to celebrate the Jubilee Year. 

2025 will be a Jubilee Year, or Holy Year, in the Catholic Church, which is a year dedicated to celebration, forgiveness, and renewal. In 2025, Rome will welcome pilgrims from all over the world who come to celebrate this special occasion. 

History of Jubilee

The Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year has its roots in the Old Testament book of Leviticus, where God instructed Israel to take a year of rest every 50 years, which included the forgiveness of debts and the return of the Israelites to their ancestral lands. 

In 1299, thousands of pilgrims flocked to Rome in the midst of plague, war, and material hardship. The Christian faithful felt that they needed to amend their lives and seek God’s blessing in the midst of the trials they faced. Inspired by their faith, Pope Boniface VII called a year “of forgiveness of all sins” for 1300. Special graces were attached to visiting the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul. This was the first ordinary Jubilee. It soon became a tradition for pilgrims to visit Rome and to receive special blessings. The 2000 Jubilee marked the  Catholic Church’s 26th ordinary Jubilee, which are typically celebrated every 25 years.

Now's your chance to secure your spot on pilgrimage to the 2025 Jubilee. Book now!

The Opening of the Holy Doors

Each of the four major basilicas in Rome has a Holy Door. The opening of these doors signals the beginning of the Holy Year. While these doors are main entrances to the basilicas, they are only open during Jubilee Years. The Holy Door at St. Peter, in fact, is bricked up by stone masons. Prior to its opening on December 24, 2024, workers will have to remove the wall that stands behind the door. The Holy Father used to ceremoniously swing a hammer at the wall. But when bits of the masonry fell dangerously close to Paul VI in 1974, now the wall is removed prior to the Christmas Eve rites. 

Pilgrimage and Events

There are many Jubilee events for various groups and demographics within the Catholic Church. Some of these include the Jubilee of Artists, Deacons, Families, the Sick and Health Care Workers, Seminarians, Young People, the Poor, Catechists, Migrants, Consecrated Life, and many others! Click here for the full calendar of events. 

Join us for a special webinar to learn about all of this and more!
Wednesday, October 9 at 3:00pm ET.
Register here!

Interested in going on a pilgrimage for one of the Jubilee celebrations? Check out these pilgrimages.

Heading to Rome? You need The Ultimate Guide to the Jubilee! Download it free here.

Listen to our Podcast, In Via: Navigating the Pilgrimage of Life, hosted by Joan Watson on Apple Music, Spotify, or on our website.

Want to take your group to the Jubilee? We can help! Learn more.

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This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Joan Tenedine

    Connect me to these pilgrimages

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What to know about the 2025 Jubilee

Why Rome?

Why does the Catholic Church make such a big deal about a city that is barely mentioned in Scripture, and when it is, often derogatorily?

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