December 9, 2024
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5). In the spirit of hope, the Apostle Paul addressed these words of encouragement to the Christian community of Rome. Hope is also the central message of the coming Jubilee that, in accordance with an ancient tradition, the Pope proclaims every twenty-five years.”
With these words, “SPES NON CONFUNDIT …,” Pope Francis invites the whole Church to enter into a HOLY YEAR, a great Jubilee. This invitation was offered to us all when Pope Francis published the Bull of Indiction on May 9, 2024. Now (seven months later), the beginning of the Jubilee, which will take place in Rome on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door, is only two weeks away. Here in Paterson, as in all “local churches” (dioceses), we will begin our participation in the Jubilee with an Opening Procession and Mass on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, the Feast of the Holy Family, at 3 p.m. at our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. All Are Welcome! (More information.)
In the Bull of Indiction, Pope Francis continues:
My thoughts turn to all those pilgrims of hope who will travel to Rome in order to experience the Holy Year and to all those others who, though unable to visit the City of the Apostles Peter and Paul, will celebrate it in their local Churches. For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the “door” (cf. Jn 10:7.9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim 1:1).
“ALL PILGRIMS of HOPE” — that means you (and me). I invite ALL the faithful of the Diocese of Paterson to join together as true “Pilgrims of Hope” in this coming Jubilee Year, that it will be, as Pope Francis says, “a moment of genuine personal encounter with the Lord Jesus.”
I am happy to share with you some of the plans that we have made so that as many as possible, not only all Catholics, but ALL of our neighbors, friends, sisters, and brothers of all faiths and no professed faith, can participate in this Great Jubilee of Hope.
First, I would like to share with you our (current) calendar of Jubilee events, the gatherings and celebrations by which we will celebrate our diversity and encourage the unity of our human family. We will update this calendar as we journey on this pilgrimage, but I hope that, as you review the dates and activities we have planned, thus far, you will join us and invite others to also participate.
Second, as Pilgrims of Hope, we will have opportunities for pilgrimages throughout the year. As Pope Francis mentions, there will be a traditional “required” pilgrimage to Rome for those able to make the journey in person.
For those who are not able to travel to Rome, many opportunities have been created here in Paterson, our “local Church” in Passaic, Morris, and Sussex Counties. Therefore, I am pleased to announce the designation of FIVE (5) “local pilgrimage sites.”
There will be organized parish, deanery, and diocesan pilgrimages to each of these local sites, but these sites will also be places where individuals, families, and small groups can go on pilgrimage (almost) any day throughout the year. “Catechetical” resources about the meaning and spiritual benefits of “making” a pilgrimage, especially during the Jubilee, will be prepared to help us open our hearts to days of grace this year promises. There is a special Blessing that can be received as part of a pilgrimage in the Jubilee Year. That special Blessing is called an indulgence. (For more on “indulgences” and the meaning of and plans for the Jubilee Year, you can go to our Diocesan website.)
At Mass on Christmas Eve, we will hear the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing … For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” (Is. 9:1–2, 5)
Isaiah announced to the pilgrim people of Israel that, although they “walked in darkness,” they would see a “great light.” A HOLY YEAR, a Jubilee, reminds us that we are truly a “pilgrim people.” As we journey in these Advent days with Mary and Joseph towards Bethlehem and the Birth of Jesus at Christmas, we also look forward to the Great Jubilee (pilgrimage) of Hope in 2025. Let us pray for one another, our Diocese of Paterson, and the whole Church that, in the coming Jubilee, we will have that “genuine personal encounter with the Lord Jesus” as true “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Sincerely in Christ
Most Reverend Kevin J. Sweeney
Bishop of Paterson
