On Dec. 28, the Feast of the Holy Family, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney closed Jubilee of Hope 2025 observances in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey during a Mass he celebrated at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., the mother church of the diocese. On behalf of the diocese’s 400,000 faithful, the bishop prayed that the graces God bestowed during the Jubilee year “transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel as pilgrims of hope.”
That Sunday afternoon, the faithful came from all corners of the diocese to fill the cathedral, uniting in gratitude to God during the Jubilee Year of Hope Closing Mass, the final diocesan event in observance of the Jubilee Year, which the Universal Church is celebrating. Originally declared by the late Pope Francis, the Jubilee year was designated as a time for Catholics to have a personal encounter with Jesus and be renewed as Pilgrims of Hope.
The bishop was the principal celebrant and homilist of the liturgy, with many priests from the diocese concelebrating and deacons and seminarians assisting. At the Mass, the faithful had the opportunity to receive a Jubilee plenary indulgence, the complete remission of temporal punishment for forgiven sins for oneself or deceased loved ones. Pope Leo XIV, Pope Francis’ successor, will close the Jubilee for the Universal Church on Jan. 6 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
At the start of the Mass, Bishop Sweeney declared, “We rejoice and give thanks, together with Pope Leo and the whole Church, now, and come bring to a close this great Jubilee of Hope.”
“As a diocese, we have offered our praise and thanksgiving and supplications to our God, in union with those who are voiceless in the world —the sick, the aged, the prisoners, and the poor,” Bishop Sweeney said in his greeting. “Through the Jubilee indulgence, the Lord has caused a river of grace and blessing to flow. He has granted us all his hope and his peace. He has strengthened hands that are weak, made firm the feeble knees. He has said to each of us, ‘Take courage; do not be afraid,’” he said.
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After the Mass, Aura Monasterio of St. Paul Parish in Prospect Park, N.J., told BeaconNJ.org that the Jubilee inspired her to pray more often. She and her family pray before meals, before going to bed and waking, and in front of a shrine in their residence. Monasterio also attended a local Jubilee pilgrimage.
“I’m closer to God and more connected to the [Catholic] community,” said Monasterio, an immigrant from Guatemala and a catechist at St. Paul’s. “I cried at Christmas Mass this year. It felt more special. I feel God more in my heart and home.”
The Mass began with a short procession featuring representatives from many of the diocese’s 107 parishes, agencies, and communities, each carrying a banner for their parish or group. The Prayer of the Faithful was prayed in seven languages to highlight the diocese’s cultural diversity.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney asked the faithful to recall memories of the Jubilee, such as receiving the plenary indulgence or attending any of the five local pilgrimages to designated churches in the diocese for the holy year. The diocese held 26 events to help the faithful experience deeper hope and unity as one Church and to receive God’s grace, including a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, Italy, led by Bishop Sweeney in the fall.
Looking ahead, Bishop Sweeney suggested local faithful take inspiration from Mary and Joseph of the Holy Family to “prayerfully listen and discern how the Holy Spirit is calling us to be this wonderful local church of our diocese of Paterson.”
With the words “Spes No Confundit” — Latin for “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5), the late Pope Francis declared a Jubilee Year of Hope for 2025 with a Bull of Indiction on May 9, 2024, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The pope rang in the holy year by opening the holy doors at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome last Christmas Eve. Bishop Sweeney opened the holy year at the cathedral on Dec. 29 last year, the feast of the Holy Family.
During the closing Mass, Bishop Sweeney thanked Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious, and Brian Honsberger, formerly of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., who worked with seven committees to coordinate the diocese’s Jubilee observances. The bishop also thanked the clergy, religious, laity, parishes, schools, and diocesan agencies that helped with Jubilee events.
Again looking toward the future for the diocese, Bishop Sweeney said in his homily that Pope Leo might have given the Church some direction when he delivered his first address to the papal curia, Church leaders in Rome, on the Monday before Christmas. The pope asked them to reflect on two aspects of the Church: mission — the call to be “missionary disciples” and “witnesses to the Gospel”— and evangelization — to be a “joyful Church, welcoming to all and attentive to the poorest,” Bishop Sweeney said.
