Jubilee of Hope: Jubilee for Schools Animation | CAFOD

Jubilee of Hope

In the Catholic Church, the concept of Jubilee or ‘Holy Year’ was used to declare special years for forgiveness and reconciliation. A Jubilee Year is celebrated by the Church every 25 years. This has been the case since 1470, when Pope Paul II changed it from every 50 years. A Pope can also proclaim an Extraordinary Jubilee, like the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy which Pope Francis inaugurated in 2015.

The 2025 Jubilee Year began on Christmas Eve 2024 and concludes on 6 January 2026 but will launch in schools on 24^th January 2025. The theme is Pilgrims of Hope. Pope Francis has invited Catholics to renew our hope and discover a vision that can "restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone". We are also invited to rediscover a spirituality of God's creation in which we understand ourselves as "pilgrims on the earth" rather than masters of the world.

We will have many activities and opportunities for prayer, linked to hope, and we ask you to join us on this journey.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols explains more about the Jubilee of Hope in this short video: https://education.rcdow.org.uk/10833-2/

“The theme of Jubilee 2025 is Hope: the hope that comes from knowing we are loved by God, the hope we can bring to those in most need, and the hope we can bring to our common home, the earth.”

During the school launch of the Jubilee of Hope on 24th January 2025, the children explored the Jubilee Icon using Visio Divina.

An icon is a sacred piece of art because it helps us to pray. Here is the piece of art created especially for the Jubilee of Hope. 
It is by an artist (Mulugeta Araya) from Ethiopia and has been specially created for the Jubilee. 
It reminds us of the Jubilee’s focus on freedom for those who suffer because they are facing poverty, or are in prison, or because they are experiencing war, unfairness or inequality, just as we heard in the Gospel reading and in the words of the opening hymn. 
Jesus is teaching in the synagogue. He reads a passage from the Scriptures which is about himself (although the people listening don’t know that until he explains it afterwards).
The Scripture passage talks about what Jesus has been sent to do.