Archbishop Eamon recently spoke of the Jubilee Year of Hope: ” There couldn’t be a better time for a Jubilee Year of Hope! We live in a world where anxiety, doubt, and sometimes even despair often appear to have the upper hand. It is sad that so many people go through life without realizing in a personal way that God loves them as they are. Others find it difficult to believe in hope and love because of the present state of the world – surrounded as we are by so much war, violence, exploitation and displacement of people, human trafficking, and attacks on human dignity and life. All the more reason, however, for us who believe – especially clergy and religious – to be fearless ambassadors of faith and hope; energetic peacemakers and supporters of the cause of all human life; carers for the sick and those with disabilities; consolers of the lonely and the bereaved; faithful stewards and protectors of the environment and all God’s creation; generous helpers of the poor, the homeless and the marginalized; and welcoming friends for migrants and refugees.

When Pope Francis announced the Jubilee Year for 2025, he invited us to become ‘pilgrims of hope’. He reminded us of the words of Saint Paul who said, “hope (in Christ) does not disappoint”.

I pray that during this Jubilee Year 2025 there will be many graced opportunities for you personally, and for all the people of the Archdiocese of Armagh, to grow in their personal friendship with Jesus Christ who is our reason for living and our reason for hoping.

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Archbishop Eamon Martin concelebrated a special Mass to launch Jubilee Year 2025 for the Archdiocese of Armagh.  A Jubilee Year is celebrated every twenty-five years by the worldwide Church during which Catholics come together to rejoice in the faith.  Over the Jubilee Year we will be encouraged to show mercy, forgive past wrongs, relieve debt, to spiritually rejuvenate, and be offered an opportunity to recieve a plenary indulgence.

The Mass brought together clergy, families, and young people from parishes across the Archdiocese, as well as His Excellency Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland.  In his homily Archbishop Martin, who presided over the Mass alongside auxiliary Bishop Michael Router, emphasised the importance of hope.  Archbishop Martin said, “There couldn’t be a better time for a Jubilee Year of Hope.  We live in a world where anxiety, doubt and despair often appear to have an upper hand.”  The Primate reflected on the words of Pope Francis, who calls on all believers to be “fearless ambassadors of faith and hope.”

Jubilee Year 2025 will be marked by numerous spiritual events and activities at parish, diocesan, and national levels, including:
– Pilgrimages to local and national shrines;
– Monthly parish initiatives promoting prayer and reflection; and,
– Celebrations of key anniversaries, including the 400th anniversary of Saint Oliver Plunkett’s birth, and the centenary of Venerable Matt Talbot’s death.

In addition to the Jubilee 2025 celebrations, Archbishop Martin announced that year-long preparationswill begin for a Diocesan Congress on Youth and Family Ministry, scheduled for March 2026.  This Congress will focus on fostering vibrant youth and family ministry at local levels, engaging parishes, schools, and third level institutions in this important journey of reflection.

Bishop Router spoke about the significance of the Congress, which will build on insights from the Archdiocese’s synodal journey over the last three-years.  He said, “Over the coming months, parishes and schools will select delegates to represent them, ensuring broad participation in order to shape the future of youth and family ministry in the Archdiocese of Armagh.”

Archbishop Martin concluded, “As the Jubilee Year’s theme suggests, during 2025 we are all invited to be pilgrims of hope in our daily lives, renewing our commitment to faith, love, and service.  Let us journey together in prayer and action, united by the hope we find in Christ.”

Some great school resources about the Jubilee Year are available from CAFOD

Follow this link https://cafod.org.uk/jubilee-schools/jubilee-info-and-faqs

The Jubilee Logo

The logo shows four stylized figures, representing all of humanity, coming from the earth’s four corners. They embrace each other to indicate the solidarity and fraternity which should unite all peoples. The figure at the front is holding onto the cross. It is not only the sign of faith that 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 which is 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. The cross in the logo is by no means static, but it is also dynamic. It bends down towards humanity, not leaving human beings alone, but stretching out to them to offer the certainty of its presence and the security of hope. At the bottom of the logo is the motto of the 2025 Jubilee Year: Peregrinantes in Spem (Pilgrims in Hope), represented in green letters.